It’s not often plans for more flats are met with praise but shop owners in a town believe they could “bring people back in” and give a town back its “vibrance”.

Plans have been submitted to Gravesham council to convert the former JobCentre, in The Grove, Gravesend, into 37 apartments.

A cover letter detailing the proposals to Gravesham council says the developers are proposing “minor internal works” to the T-shaped building, which has been branded a “dead space” by locals.

They want to create a mix of one-bed and studio units, each with a living room, kitchen and bathroom, while keeping the existing 22 car parking spaces and providing 41 cycle spaces.

It is one of the latest applications to be sent to the council which looks to convert an empty and unused building and bring it back into residential use.

In the last few months multiple schemes for houses of multiple occupancy (HMO) have been approved in Gravesend including plans for The Peacock and the Peking Chinese Restaurant in the town centre.

There are also much larger - and more controversial - flat plans which have been given the go-ahead or are underway such as The Charter development and Clifton Slipways.

Local historian Christoph Bull said town centres having a high proportion of residential properties is not new and reflects how they would have been hundreds of years ago.

He explained residents would have to walk to work so it would be more convenient to live in the centres, however, in the 1920s they were encouraged to move away to surrounding villages.

It was not until the 1980s that local authorities attempted to draw people back and is something that many are still focused on doing.

Mr Bull added: “What goes around comes back around, that is all we are seeing.

“One would hope having more residents living here will give the town more vibrance. The town was desolate but that is now changing.”

He believes that reusing buildings, including historic ones, for residential use is positive as it will give them a new lease of life.

“A building without a use is like your right arm without a blood supply,” Mr Bull added. “It is the key to bringing people back into the town.

“We need to be realistic. I do not want these historic buildings demolished or ruined so I support them being used because they have got to be.”

Businessman James Marsh, who owns Blackwell Jewellers in Gravesend, as well as other stories in Maidstone and Bexleyheath, has permission to turn two of his floors in his county town branch into an HMO.

He said: “People want to live in towns and there are buildings, like mine, which are sitting empty. A lot of buildings are just left.

“It is a Grade II listed building which is not being used fully. I wanted to keep its history and use it rather than leave it to rot.

“It is a way to restore the building and ensure it is kept for a long time. It was dead space but now it will be brought back to what it was.

“I think it is positive as if people live in the centre, it creates a hub and they will start shopping locally again. It can only help.”

Graham Broadbent, who owns Marie’s Tea Room in the High Street, hopes if more flats are approved for the town it will encourage people to use its many small businesses.

He added: “I am hoping the flats will bring its residents into the tea room and for them to use us, that is all I hope.

“There is a lot of work going on in the town centre to make it look good to attract people back here and I hope that is what a few of these buildings will do too.

“My only concern about HMOs is the standard of living and rushing things through. It is about making sure we are not just putting them up for the sake of it.

“There is not enough housing for people in the area but the developments need to be in the right place with the right infrastructure in place.”

However, the owner of House of Leyla, a yoga studio and café in Milton Road, Leyla Ramadan said the schemes will only work for small businesses if residents choose them over well-known brands.

She said: “There is still not enough support for smaller businesses and having bigger corporations like Starbucks in the town draws people to them.

“We have been open just over a year and it has been really tough. It has been difficult to get our name out there.

“I think it is a positive step if more people live in the town, however, it needs to be a team effort.

“We need to encourage those new residents to shop locally and in the smaller businesses.”

To see more planning applications and other public notices for your area, click here.

A decision on the plans for the former JobCentre, which closed in 2022, is expected in December.