Property mogul Fergus Wilson is courting controversy again.

The multi-millionaire buy-to-let landlord had already raised the hackles of some villagers in Wateringbury when he submitted plans in June to add two storeys to the height of a building he owns right at the heart of the village.

But now Mr Wilson, from Boughton Monchelsea, has withdrawn that application – before Tonbridge and Malling council had a chance to determine it – and substituted a new plan showing four extra floors – making six in total.

The application relates to Nos 182 to 186 Tonbridge Road.

The building is prominent on the Wateringbury crossroads at the junction of Tonbridge Road with Red Hill and Bow Road and it falls within the Wateringbury Conservation Area

Mr Wilson said the extra floors would allow the building, currently divided into four flats, to be converted to provide 13 homes.

He said: “People have to live somewhere.”

His application can be seen here.

Planning number 23/01674 refers.

Mr Wilson said: “I understand that the council is two years behind with determining its planning applications at committee.

“I am not prepared to wait that long. After eight weeks, if it has not been determined, I intend to go to straight to the Planning Inspectorate on appeal.”

Mr Wilson and his wife Judith acquired national fame for having created one of the country’s most successful buy-to-let empires, reaching 900 properties and worth at its peak an estimated £250m.

He has also been in the media – and sometimes in court – for various brushes with his tenants and with council officials.

In March 2019, he was branded by the BBC Panorama programme as “Britain’s most controversial landlord.”

Back in December 2019, Tonbridge and Malling council stepped in to carry out compulsory repair work to one of the Wateringbury buildings after a significant crack appeared in the facade prompting fears that part of the building was about to fall on cars or pedestrians below.

The work necessitated narrowing the carriageway, which in turn led KCC to temporarily change the phasing of the traffic lights at the junction so that traffic from only one arm could enter the crossroads at a time.

That led to serious congestion and cancelled bus services for several months.