Safety fears are mounting after high-profile plans to roll out a large affordable housing estate around a former mental asylum were unveiled.

Some argue proposals to transform St Martin’s Hospital in Littlebourne Road, Canterbury, into 200 homes could jeopardize pedestrian safety and intensify strains on infrastructure.

Homes England snapped up the now-empty Cranmer Ward Wing for £6.32 million in a high-profile deal with the NHS in 2019, stoking speculation over its future.

And the government agency set out its ambitions to turn the Victorian wing – where older patients with mental health conditions such as dementia were cared for – into a housing complex.

But there are concerns the estate could lead to an influx of people using the busy Littlebourne Road route into the centre of Canterbury.

Andrew Griffiths, who lives a stone’s throw away at the new-build Royal Parade development, says he is not against developing the land.

But he worries about an increase in the number of pedestrians walking via St Martin’s Hill into the city.

“I am not a ‘Nimby’ and I live in a new-build so I cannot be,” the 36-year-old said.

“This is my first home. I understand people want to live in Canterbury and there is a need to build houses there.

“But I wish there was something that could be done about the pedestrian access up and down [St Martin’s Hill] to Canterbury.”

Mr Griffiths says the single path leading into the city is very narrow and more houses could increase the number of pedestrians using the route.

“There is only a pathway on one side of the hill which is really narrow and horrible to walk down,” he added.

“You have cars belting down it at more than 30mph - until they put on their brakes before the speed camera.

“In busy times, you have to step into the road to overtake people.

“With 200 homes, it will be busier in the mornings and evenings.

“You can only just fit two people side-by-side.”

Homes England bought the wing of the mental health facility, which included the Cranmer Ward, after it was deemed "no longer fit for purpose" by the Kent and Medway Partnership Trust.

The authority – which runs mental health provisions across the county – described the old buildings as "truly remnant of the asylums of the early 1900s".

Ranging from one- to four-bedrooms, 140 of the 200 houses will be offered out for social or affordable rent, with the remainder falling under the affordable housing scheme.

And while many of the newer buildings will be torn down to make way for housing, the older southern hospital wings are expected to be saved – with bosses behind the project hoping to convert them.

If given the go-ahead, the new estate would sit directly opposite a 500-home development at the old Howe Barracks – resulting in hundreds more car journeys up and down one of the city's busiest roads.

But those behind the St Martin's plans are confident the new development will not give rise to traffic problems, suggesting the levels will be similar – if not less – to when the site was a hospital.

“The results of traffic modelling undertaken shows the net change in traffic as a result of the proposed development will not have a detrimental impact on the local road network junctions,” the plans state.

“There is an overall net reduction in traffic from the proposed development.”

Comments left on the city council’s planning portal by those living near the site show a mixed reaction.

Paul Hobbs said: “Here we go again - another planning application without any thought to the surrounding and existing amenities.

“I know there is a great need for housing and do not disagree with developments.

“What I disagree with is there is no emphasis by the planning department on the developer to provide facilities that cater for these developments.”

Emma Watkinson says she does not feel Canterbury’s infrastructure “is equipped for an extra 200 homes” and feels the noise generated by the proposed housing estate will have a “significant impact” on residents.

“At the moment this site has little light pollution,” she said.

“A housing estate will impact the birds and other wildlife, which will cause birds to wake at 3.30am due to the light pollution this site will generate.

“Please reconsider this planning application before it is too late for the wildlife, residents of Canterbury and its surrounding parishes.”

But Jack Roberts, who lives nearby, welcomed the development.

“It is good to see more affordable housing being built in the local area ready to help young people get on the housing ladder,” he wrote.

“These new-build areas are very nice and will add positively to the local area.”

St Martin’s Hospital first opened in 1902 and continues to operate as a mental health facility – though inpatient services have massively decreased since the introduction of ‘care in the community’ in the early 1980s.

Known as the Canterbury City Mental Hospital in the 1920s, the NHS took over the property in 1948 – under the name St Martin’s.

At its peak, the old-style asylum would have looked after hundreds of so-called “lunatics”, carrying out outdated procedures such as lobotomies.

Canterbury City Council allocated the land for future residential use in its adopted Local Plan in 2017.

Fifteen acres of the St Martin's Hospital site are earmarked to be developed under Homes England’s proposals.

It had hoped to see a planning application go in during the summer of 2022 ahead of demolition works in 2024, before delivering the homes across a four-year period.

A Homes England spokesperson said: “Creating new homes on the redundant brownfield site at the former St Martin’s Hospital West site presents an opportunity to provide new homes, including affordable homes, public open spaces, play areas and pedestrian connections whilst protecting the countryside around Canterbury.

“The proposal for up to 200 homes forms part of the adopted Canterbury Local Plan and has been developed with careful consideration of key heritage features, including the retention of some of the existing buildings and infrastructure requirements.

“A planning requirement will be a financial contribution to support local infrastructure in line with the size of the development and in accordance with the local plan policies.”