People in a town centre have been left baffled by a surprising addition to a new block of flats.

The balconies have recently been added to the under construction four-storey building on Jeffery Street in Gillingham.

But locals soon spotted an issue, as sticking up through the middle of one of them was a lamppost.

Some suggested it would help save on electricity bills while others joked it was simply a fire escape.

But now, the developer has claimed it was the only way he could hit the tight deadline.

A spokesman for Afaad Ltd said: “It’s a work in progress, we are still doing the installation.

“We’ve still got a few months to go so this is not the complete product.

“It was never intended to be like that but because it's a council property you have to wait for permission. So we can’t touch it.”

Due to a tight time frame with the contractor, the developer chose to carry out the work around the lamppost and then fill in the holes in the balcony once it could be removed.

He is liaising with the council to do so.

The site, on the junction with James Street, was formerly the Dog and Bone pub.

Plans by private developer Afaad Ltd to convert it into flats were given the green light by Medway Council in 2019.

Construction began in 2022 after permission was granted for the block to be 13.1m rather than the original 11m.

This isn't the first time the building has been the centre of the town's attention.

In August, an Arriva bus crashed into scaffolding surrounding the new-build prompting a large scale response from emergency services.

Two people working at Delite Insurance across the street said they witnessed the incident.

The other added: “When we see it here and we look and can see a balcony there that looks like it is off you wonder if it is sound for somebody to stand on there.”

Gillingham resident Barry Knight says he went to visit the site after seeing photos shared online.

He said: “It’s funny but it shouldn’t be. I wouldn’t want to live there."

Medway Council said it is aware of issues regarding the flats.