A former care home is to be converted into a reception centre for teenage refugees.

Kiln Court in Lower Road, Faversham, will house 32 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) for two weeks before moving to more permanent accommodation through the national transfer scheme (NTS).

The former residential home, which shut seven years ago despite a public protest, will cater for mainly 16 and 17-year-olds and will have round-the-clock Kent County Council staffing and security.

The move has been welcomed by Faversham county councillor, Antony Hook (Lib Dem), who said the building is now being put to good use after years of dereliction.

Refurbishment work will last until July.

KCC will be keen to have the spaces in time for the summer when the small boats crossings from northern France will be at their height.

The youngsters at the centre, which will be registered with Ofsted, will be classed as “children in care” by KCC.

A letter sent to people living nearby said: “Kiln Court has an outdoor recreation area the children will use and KCC staff will accompany them on organised activities off site.

“There will be times when children can independently leave the centre for short periods of time… to go to a local shop or park.

“It will only be allowed with the agreement of staff about where they will be and when they will return.”

If children are not back at the centre by 10pm, they will be reported to police as missing.

The letter adds: “This will instigate a multi-agency response to locate them.”

Managers will be responsible for providing care as well as “setting rewards and sanctions for behaviour”.

But Cllr Hook criticised the tone of the KCC letter claiming it presumes a negative response from people rather than seeing “an empty building being used as a children’s home as a good thing”.

He added: “I welcome the prospect of this empty building that has attracted crime and trespassers for years come back into use.

“It will be used to look after 32 refugee children who have no adult with them. They will be here for two weeks before moving on to more permanent care.

“I know Faversham will be pleased an empty building is coming into use and glad that vulnerable children will be looked after better than they have been.

“The government funding is funding the refurbishment, so there’s no cost to KCC.”

It emerged this week that the Braethorpe building in Canterbury Road, Ashford, which once housed a dyslexia centre will be a home for up to 10 asylum-seeking youngsters under 16.

KCC is offering a forum for stakeholders to air concerns as the plans develop.

The council has a legal duty to accommodate all child refugees before they are sent on to other authorities as part of the NTS.