A hotel building used to accommodate homeless people could be turned into a House of Multiple Occupancy (HMO).

Fant, in Maidstone, already has one of the highest concentrations of HMOs in the borough with neighbours complaining they feel under siege – in some streets, nearly every other house has been converted.

Now, there are plans to convert the annexe to the Grange Moor Hotel in St Michael’s Road into a 14-apartment home.

The majority of the rooms would be double occupancy, bringing the total number of likely residents to 25.

The annexe, known as Grange Park, is a short distance away from the main hotel building on the opposite side of the road, but hotel director Mark Smith said that since Covid, occupancy rates had fallen.

The hotel had on occasion used the annexe as emergency accommodation to house homeless people for Maidstone council, but he said: “This was more costly than helpful, as it damaged the main hotel’s reputation.”

Mr Smith said guests were reluctant to stay in the annexe and face the short walk to the main hotel’s facilities, and as a consequence, there had been a recent period when all the rooms had all been unoccupied for five straight weeks.

He said: “We simply cannot continue like this and must concentrate on investing in the main Grange Moor Hotel.”

The application, submitted by Grunbros Property, shows one shared kitchen and communal room in the building after alteration, although some of the rooms will have their own “kitchenette.”

As well as the existing three storeys of accommodation, the plans show the basement area, currently used for storage, redeveloped as two apartments.

Fant already has more tha 115 HMOs, more than any other ward in the borough, and in one street, Bower Terrace, every other property is an HMO.

Cllr Paul Harper (Fant and Oakwood Independents) has “called in” the application to be determined by the planning committee.

He says there is a lack of clarity over parking arrangements and refuse collections, and worries there are not enough communal areas.

Maidstone council’s housing and health department, however, says the proposed room sizes meet all legislation, although because of its size, the HMO will need to be licensed and have various fire doors and alarms fitted.

Details of the application can be viewed here.

Look for application number 23/505650.