Concerned residents fear three new homes which could replace a long-empty bungalow will overcrowd their street and make parking a nightmare.

Developers want to knock down the two-bedroom home in Lower Vicarage Road in Kennington and replace it with three terraced houses, each with three bedrooms.

But neighbours feel the extra homes would make parking even more difficult and clog up their well-used road.

Originally, plans were submitted to Ashford Borough Council for five homes on the plot, but an amended design and access statement from OSG Architecture on behalf of Rich and Brown Developments now shows it has been reduced to three.

While pleased with the reduction, the site’s direct neighbours feel three is still too many, adding: “We think there are too many houses in too small an area making the dwellings too close and the site overcrowded.

“The design of the houses are quite acceptable on a new estate development of similar properties, but we feel they are totally out of character with the rest of the traditionally built/styles of the surrounding dwellings in this area.

“Surely a couple of semi-detached bungalows would be better?

“If they build houses, it will take all the light in our kitchen and our lounge.

“It’s a very busy road. They have just made a lot of 20mph zones around here, but they did not include this road in it.

“We have been so worried about it for years. While we realised it was going to be developed, we never dreamed it would be anything like this.”

Official documents suggest the three homes would be built on the footprint of the existing bungalow, but Kennington Community Council, which has joined residents in raising objections, feels the artist’s impressions do not support this.

In its objection, the authority wrote: “The footprint of the houses appears to be much larger than that of the existing bungalow.

“The artist’s impression of the space shown seems not to be reflective of the space available.

“The development will also remove three to four on-road parking spaces and there are no plans where these will be relocated to.”

Another Lower Vicarage Road resident agreed, saying: “They think they will get three terraced houses on the footprint of the bungalow. The diagrams show big spaces for two cars on each one and a gap before you get onto the road but there is not enough space for that.

“During the day parking is fine, but in the evening people park in front of the bungalow so those spaces will be lost.

“In this day and age, any time a house is sold they squeeze more on.”

Despite concerns, developers feel the homes will enhance the look of the street, and have “minimal harm” on the character of the area as they have been designed to match homes in nearby Broadhurst Drive and Rookery Close.

The application has received seven objections, but some feel they would support development if the plans were on a smaller scale.

Resident Susan Cooper, 73, said: “I personally think it is an eyesore and it would look better as a dwelling but I don’t want it to be three. It would be nicer as one.

“That would be our objection, if there were going to be multiple, because this is already a really busy road.

“Otherwise I’m all for getting it sorted.”

OSG Architecture says it has taken “careful consideration on the designs to mitigate overbearingness” and to “minimise the impact on the neighbouring properties”.

They added: “The proposals for the site aim to promote a high-quality architectural scheme to help meet the needs of our client.

“This has been a process focused on sensitivity to the surroundings and subtly giving the proposals a strong sense of place, with the overall aim of enhancing the local area and built environment.”