Plans have been submitted to turn land behind a beauty salon into a house in multiple occupation (HMO), in a town that has experienced a raft of family homes being converted.

Developers want to put a four-storey HMO on the land behind Doo-Das hair and beauty in Bank Street, Maidstone.

A HMO typically contains a number of lockable single bedrooms, usually with ensuite facilities, with the building’s residents sharing a kitchen and communal area.

The proposed scheme would provide five bedsits alongside a communal kitchen, roof top garden, and refuse, recycling and cycle storage.

In the design and access statement from the applicant, Holbrook LLP, it says it would “provide purpose-built accommodation for single persons with communal facilities, in a sustainable location”.

Currently the 42.63 sq m land is an unused brownfield site, which provides bin storage for the existing flats at Holbrook House.

Maidstone currently has no specific planning policies on the creation of HMOs that would enable it to exercise control, a fact bemoaned by the Cllr Clive English, when he was the leader of the Lib Dem opposition to Maidstone council, back in March.

Frustrated at the council’s inability to exercise any control over HMO applications, Cllr English (Lib Dem) said then: “We need to get a grip on this issue once and for all and commission the work to get the evidence of parking pressure in these areas so that we can finally put policies in place to prevent inappropriate development.”

The latest application says no on-site parking will be provided except for bicycles.

In September 2023, planning permission was refused for a proposal to build a three-storey rear extension at the site, to form three studio apartments.

The proposals in the new application include a ground floor with a glazed canopy and shared access to a cycle store, and refuse and recycling storage.

Meanwhile, the first floor will house two bedsits, the second floor will include the third bedsit and the shared kitchen and dining room.

The third floor will include two more bedsits and the fourth floor will include a rooftop communal garden, water tank and air source heat pumps.

The statement on the planning portal says: “The site is in a sustainable location in an urban area, with easy access to transport connections and facilities for future occupiers.

“The proposed building would be of a scale and character that would not detract from the existing building or the surrounding area.

“There would therefore be no adverse impact upon the surrounding area or occupiers.”

To view the plans, visit the Maidstone planning portal and enter the reference 24/501953/FULL.

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

The application was validated on June 24 and is awaiting a decision by Maidstone council.