Divisive plans for a cafe next to a historic castle garden will spark "traffic chaos" in the area, opponents say.

Residents are split over a bid to build a one-storey kiosk alongside Sandown Castle Community Garden in Sandown Road, Deal - with many raising concerns over parking.

Having been demolished in 1863, all that remains of the castle - originally built by Henry VIII - is ruins.

But a garden has been created around its old walls and now applicant Peter Wilson wants to erect the new cafe which would replace a previous building that was removed after falling into disrepair.

His bid has sparked a mixed reaction on Dover District Council's (DDC) planning portal, with 58 people submitting objections compared to 56 in support.

One opponent, Marie Quigley, sent a photograph to the authority showing cars parked in the dead-end road.

“I already experience difficulty accessing or exiting my home, due to the way cars are parked, even though I have a dropped kerb and white line," she said.

“Some vehicles also use my drive to turn. My dog just escaped being run over by a lorry reversing into my drive/garden.

“I have attached a photo taken on a rainy Sunday morning, taken from the cul-de-sac, showing how congested the area can get.”

Christine Rudge agreed, saying she fears the road will be unable to cope with extra cars.

“It is such a small area already with little parking space for residents and visitors," she said.

“It is not suitable for all the extra traffic or delivery vehicles who would have difficulty manoeuvring and cause obstruction and danger to other vehicles and people.”

Neighbour Jocely Cross said: “Sandown Road currently has no parking restrictions and on hot sunny days the road is often impassable due to inconsiderate parking.

“This will bring chaos to the road, litter to the beach and disturbances to the local residents.”

But many residents have shown their support for the scheme, which has been drawn up by The One Architecture of Tilmanstone.

Resident Ian Sparrow wrote: “I feel this would add to the appeal of this beautiful area providing coffee, snacks and of course restroom facilities, for local residents and visitors, the combination missing in this part of Deal.”

Ros Hall shared a similar view, describing the development as an "excellent addition to our town".

“It'll be great to have amenities at this end of town - the proposal looks sympathetic to the environment," he said.

If approved, the cafe will replace a kiosk that closed in the early 1980s and was knocked down a decade later.

It will cover 23 sq m of floorspace, creating three part-time jobs.

Responding to residents' concerns, Clive Tidmarsh, of The One Architecture, says he does not think parking will prove a problem.

"I don't personally think it's an issue as people already park there to walk their dogs," he said.

"There is a mobile cafe van which parks there already, and we are just looking to provide a better facility.

"We are talking about a very small cafe - you are not going to get 30 or 40 people in there."

Mr Tidmarsh says the proposal features a "buildable and affordable" design.

"It's sparked a mixed bag of responses," he added.

"Some people just don't want to see anything, while others say it's a great idea as there's nothing up that end of the beach.

"I think the people who will use it already park there to walk on the seafront. It will be a nice facility.

Sandown Castle was one of three defences, along with Deal and Walmer, built by order of Henry VIII to guard the Deal coastline.

Find out about planning applications that affect you by visiting the Public Notice Portal.

The castle had sea damage in 1785.

It was remodelled in 1805 and manned to prepare for possible invasion by Napoleon’s forces from France. It was eventually demolished in 1863.

A decision on the application will be made by planning officers at DDC.