Plans for a third house of multiple occupancy (HMO) on a busy road already plagued with parking problems has been met by fury for people living in the area.

Proposals submitted to the local authority would see the derelict four-storey building in Milton Street, Maidstone, turned into three flats.

Additionally, an extension to the building, which used to be a bakery and barbers, will be built and used as a one-bedroom house.

If approved, it means it will be another HMO for the Fant and Barming area, which currently has 115 HMOs in total.

Milton Street has already seen plans for two similar builds approved further down the street near Clare Park - including one house turned into a six-bed HMO, and another converted into two flats.

Documents from the applicant on Maidstone Borough Council's website describe the vacant site as "in dire need of renovation" and a "visual eyesore".

If given the go ahead, there will be two two-bedroom flats and one one-bedroom flats.

More than a dozen residents and people who know the area took to the local authority's website to object to the plans for the street.

They cited parking issues, highways safety issues, noise and traffic as reasons not to approve the project.

Abbi Stringer, who lives in nearby Pope Street, wrote to the council, saying: "With all the housing development sites around Fant and Barming at this current time you can see that the traffic is increasing on a daily basis.

"The roads cannot handle the sheer traffic that is it seeing at the minute. The sink hole on Tonbridge Road, the sink hole on Upper Fant Road, all the pot holes and resurfacing to name a few."

Ms Stringer went on to say parking on Milton Street and nearby Dover Street and Pope Street is already packed with people "parking dangerously" across corners and double yellow lines.

'The area simply cannot cope with any more cars...'

She is unhappy with the thought of around six new cars being welcomed to the area but with only one designated parking space in the plans.

Nicky Archer, who lives on the same street, said: "Car parking in this area is horrendous and the area simply cannot cope with any more cars.

"On many occasions we have arrived home in the evening and cannot park anywhere near our home and then have to park some distance away and walk home, to the extent that we don't dare move the car even to pop to the garage as the space will be taken in a matter of minutes.

"We regularly witness cars, delivery vans and ambulances trying to turn left at the top of Dover Street and cannot do so because cars are parked on all corners, making it impossible for them to get around the corner."

Michaela Hogg has lived in nearby Dover Street for 15 years and is "deeply concerned" by the plans.

She said: "Yet another beautiful house with history in the area, of being the bakery and then the barbers, being converted into multiple flats.

"The neighbourhood hasn’t been told about this planning application being submitted until the man clearing the garden of the property let slip and I checked the planning site.

"Access for emergency services is already awful, after witnessing an ambulance crew verbally abused for having to block the road and save someone’s life.

"A fire engine would already struggle to get up Dover Street already so let’s hope they aren’t needed."

View the plans at here, with reference 22/503535/FULL.