A retired eye surgeon has told of her frustration as a 10-year fight to convert a derelict telephone exchange continues.

Intisar Al-Shawi bought the small building off Ashford Road in Hollingbourne - opposite Leeds Castle – in 2013 in the hope of turning it into a home.

But despite spending £10,000 on architects and planning fees, several bids to repurpose the site have been rejected, leaving it empty and overgrown.

Dr Intisar Al-Shawi initially wanted to turn the building into a one-bedroom home but failed to secure permission on the grounds she had not tried hard enough to find a commercial use.

A fresh application to convert and extend the property into an office was then refused because of fears vehicles would have to reverse out onto the busy A20.

Dr Al-Shawi, of Bydews in Tovil, later revised the plans to include parking for two cars and to show a turning circle is possible within the site.

But despite winning approval from Kent County Council – the highways authority – the scheme has been opposed by members of Maidstone Borough Council’s planning committee.

At a meeting on July 20 a decision on the application was deferred so officers could secure more information on the impact on the landscape.

Dr Al-Shawi could not hide her frustration afterwards, saying: “It’s disappointing.

“I’m interested in restoring old properties - my own home is Grade II-listed.

“When I saw this telephone exchange I thought I would be able to do something with it.

“It’s a lovely building, but had been left to go downhill.

“But it's been 10 years now and all my applications keep getting refused.

“In the meantime, I’ve spent about £10,000 on architects and planning fees.

“Sometimes I’ve had squatters in the building and then I’ve had to clean it out and take all their rotting food rubbish to the tip.”

At the planning meeting Hollingbourne parish councillor Catherine O’Meara raised concerns about the size of the site, claiming there was not enough room for a second vehicle to pass a first.

She added that the land is classed as open countryside, and there would be “no economic benefit” from its reuse to justify the potential harm.

Ward councillor Patrick Garten (Con) branded the plans “overwhelmingly unsuitable”, saying the extension was 50% the size of the original building.

Cllr Stuart Jeffery (Green) said there was “plenty of office space knocking around” and raised concerns about the potential future expansion of the site.

Planning officers had recommended approval and the head of planning, Rob Jarman, told members: “There are permissive plans for the countryside that allow the good re-use of existing buildings.”

But Cllr Tony Harwood (Lib Dem) said it was clearly a highly intensive use of the site “on a very fast road.”

He described it as “urbanisation or ribbon development” along the A20.

Cllr Clive English was worried that Dr Al-Shawi’s proposal to remove some vegetation at the front of the site in order to make access easier and safer would actually “result in a new visual harm”.

The council delayed a decision while it sought more information on the landscape impact.

Dr Al-Shawi said: “It is frustrating. Would the councillors rather just see the building rot away, derelict and ugly? Or is it better to bring it back into use in a way that is sympathetic to its surroundings?”

Details of the application can be viewed here.