Plans to convert a care home into a 21-bedroom HMO have been rejected due to concerns it would cause “chaos” on the roads.

The developers of Kent House in Broadstairs claimed the conversion would be a “largely car-free scheme”, but local councillors threw out the plans.

UV Care Group, owners of the building on Fairfield Road, submitted plans for the conversion back in March.

The Herne Bay-based firm had initially applied in February to convert the plot into eight flats, before submitting the updated HMO plans the following month.

They said the property would only have seven parking spaces.

At a meeting of Thanet District Council’s (TDC) planning committee in October, members voted to defer the decision to come up with good reasons to refuse the application.

On December 18, they met to make the final call, with the authority’s planning chiefs recommending they approve it, subject to the owners agreeing to a management plan with the council.

Cllr Mike Garner (Green) told the committee: “[Even with] just a few of them parked out there at any time of the day, but especially when the schools are coming out, it is going to cause chaos.”

Near the site are three schools - Charles Dickens, Dane Court Grammar, and Bromstone Primary.

Cllr Jennifer Matterface (Lab) concurred, adding: “There’s one bus route down Fairfield Road and that has four buses a day so there’s no way anybody living in that HMO is going to be using that.

“If we have more cars going to that area it’s just going to grind to a complete halt.”

The building is currently still functioning as a dementia-specialist care home.

Cllr Paul Moore (Con), who represents the area, was perturbed by the layout of the proposed HMO.

He said: “It does concern me that you have shared bathrooms in the 21st century and I think that’s just greed from the applicant.”

Most of the 21 bedrooms were set to have en-suite bathrooms, but four of them would not have.

“I cannot believe in this day and age that we are allowing a development where just over 18% of the rooms have no access to their own washing facilities,” said Cllr Rebecca Wing (Green).

“I know the policy says this is allowed but I cannot believe somebody would think that it’s okay.”

She also feared the impact on neighbours: “Twenty-two people will generate noise – there will be groups that develop and there will be parties.”

Others echoed similar concerns about the management of the property, but Cllr Pat Makinson (Lab), took umbrage with this.

“I’m a bit worried about how we demonise these HMOs, that they're going to be dens of iniquity and parties all the time or whatever,” she said.

“But on the other hand we complain that we haven’t got enough nurses or medical staff or teachers, the sort of people that would have to live in a place like this because you can’t afford a flat even if you can find one, they’re too expensive for a young person.”

Some 39 letters of objection against the bid were sent to TDC’s planning department since the HMO application was submitted.

Neighbour Alistair Baldwin told the Local Democracy Reporting Service after the meeting: “As residents, for the moment we’re relieved but we’re very aware we've won another battle but the war is still very much ongoing.

“I’d imagine the applicant is either going to appeal and waste public money in doing so or come back with something equally as ambitious.”

He and other neighbours conducted their own traffic survey as they took issue with the official one, which found the impact would not be severe.

Mr Baldwin stressed: “When we were doing one of the surveys a fire engine tried coming through and they had to come through literally millimetre by millimetre and that’s just not feasible in an emergency.”

TDC’s planning committee voted to refuse the plans due to the traffic concerns and fear of the impact the new residents would have on neighbours.