Further details about a council’s plans for the regeneration of a site previously occupied by the county library have been revealed.

Maidstone council owns the land at Springfield that once housed the Kent County Reference Library until it was demolished in 2022.

The council held two drop-in exhibition days at the new Maidstone History and Library Centre to show the public what they have in mind.

The plans indicated two “stepped” blocks of flats, with one starting at two storeys and increasing to seven storeys, and the second starting at seven storeys and increasing to 12 storeys.

One side of the ground floor of each block would be given over to “ancillary uses,” but a spokesman said that what that meant had yet to be determined.

The council said: “As part of the public consultation, comments from local residents are being collated and fed into the future design proposals at Springfield.

“The ancillary space is yet to be determined as Maidstone Borough Council investigates the public consultation and design results.”

At present, the scheme indicates only 55 parking spaces for the residents of 115 flats, but the council said: “Again, this may fluctuate depending on the next phases of consultation and design work.”

The council bought the property as part of its campaign to provide an extra 1,000 affordable homes across the borough, but it turns out it is unable to say how many of the new flats will be affordable.

A spokesman said: “The intention for the Springfield site is to deliver a proportion of the units as affordable homes, which will be dependent on access to grant funding.

“The final number has not yet been determined, and as the design stages develop, this may alter the total number of units delivered on site.”

Nearby resident Vicky Taylor of Moncktons Lane, Maidstone, was not impressed with the scheme.

She said: “Maidstone Borough Council has already over-saturated the Springfield Mill area, without the 'necessary infrastructure' they say in the Local Plan they will provide.

“There have been 679 new homes here in the last four years - many of which are now already up for sale again.

“The main reason being simply the lack of parking provided in this small area.

“Our resident forums are a constant flood of complaints over no parking spaces or tickets being issued by private patrols.

“Residents at Springfield feel very let down by Maidstone council and by Weston Homes (the developer of the neighbouring Springfield Park new homes.)”

Mrs Taylor said: “Maidstone does not need more flats.

“The council’s own Local Plan policy says ‘locations close to the town centre will comprise a mix of uses, which will include retail and community facilities, that will be supported by necessary infrastructure.’

“Well, where is the infrastructure? The health provision? The community facilities?”

She added: “In 2019, there was a planning application from a private developer for this site which the council refused on the grounds that it would overshadow Springfield House (a listed property to the rear of the site) and block sight lines. Well how are the council’s own seven and 12-storey blocks of flats not doing exactly the same?”