A former pub turned homeless hostel is set for conversion into a 12 bed house of multiple occupancyHMO as the charity running it has folded after more than 30 years.

The House of Mercy had been helping the homeless in Gravesend for 31 years through three hostels, but one of them will now become a HMO as the nuns running it insist they’re getting old and “there’s a lot to do before we die.”

In September it was reported the charity was closing the shelters after running out of cash, leaving 20 residents total in an uncertain housing situation.

In January, the charity put a planning application into Gravesham Borough Council to convert Mary Ann Doyle House on Seymour Road, Northfleet from a hostel into a 12-bedroom HMO.

The large building formerly hosted the Rising Sun pub and became a hostel for the homeless in 2014.

The application was put before the planning committee on June 12.

Officers recommended members back the plans, with the head of planning telling the meeting: “The external changes are limited to removing the smoking shelter and making provisions for cycle storage.

“The reality is that the nuns will be seeking to dispose of this site and my understanding is that the site is on the market already.”

As a HMO, rooms in it will be rented individually by a private landlord at market rate.

Sister Anne spoke in favour of the application at the meeting, telling members: “When we first founded this project 30 years ago the homeless in Gravesend weren’t catered for, and we decided we’d turn that around.

“So we had four homes for the homeless, about 36 people altogether that we would keep for at least 6 months.

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“As you can see we’re all getting a bit older – with me being the youngest left of seven, and we had to look forward to see what we could do, how we could use the buildings when we were not there any longer.

“The oldest of our sisters is 94, I’m 83, so there’s a lot to do before we die,” she stressed.

“We want to provide for people who need to find somewhere to live, even for a temporary time, and this is why we want it to go back to an HMO.”

Cllr Shane Mochrie-Cox (Lab) represents the area on GBC, however, and he ‘called-in’ the application raising concerns about parking provision.

Claire Wright, acting as an agent for the nuns, told of how the parking surveys she undertook were done on a Thursday and Saturday night rather than during a weekday, “because Google Street View provided some evidence of the parking in the daytime, and it was light.”

She stressed that people who live in HMOs “are transient populations.

“And they’re people like you or I that are going between employment, undertaking short term contracts or as a next step from leaving home to purchasing a property.

“You are likely to not own a car.”

Cllr Mochrie-Cox said: “I’ve just done that street view and I can count 14 [cars] there.”

Later he added: “To say that everyone can walk everywhere or will not park or won't be able to park isn’t in compliance with the code.

“I am seeking to prevent there being complaints in the future because I believe there will be – it is quite a condensed area.”

However, the committee weren’t swayed.

Cllr Samir Jassal (Con) said: “We do need stopgap homes, whether it’s for the young or those who are intermittently in between housing.

“I’d be happy to give my full support to this.”

Chair of the committee Cllr Lee Croxton added that he feels “a great deal of gratitude for what you and fellow sisters have done in your various organisations for the homeless.”

The committee voted unanimously to approve the planning application.