Residents fear a bid to transform a former lorry park into a gym and minigolf course could swamp their roads with even more cars.

Development firm Blinkbox has lodged plans with Thanet District Council to build the complex on the site off Tothill Street in Minster, Ramsgate, which was last used as a HGV stop-off point in 2013.

The company says it would boost the area’s economy, and provide those living nearby with a facility they can regularly visit.

But a handful of residents believe the facilities will only add to congestion at the Minster Roundabout along the A299 Thanet Way.

Objecting to the project, local Colin Cawdron claimed: “The roads are saturated enough.

“The traffic issues now being encountered, along with the further housing to be built nearby, will create congestion at Minster Roundabout.

“Highways and council officials need to consider these facts before adding to this problem.”

Meanwhile, a Minster resident believes the council’s decision last year to green-light the 214-home development on the west side of Tothill Street has already “condemned the village to an onslaught of daily traffic congestion”.

He thinks any decision allowing more work to take place close to the Minster Roundabout would be “absolutely reckless and must be prevented”.

Despite this, the masterminds of the fitness complex scheme say their new proposals will “not have a severe impact on the local road network”.

Documents lodged with the local authority argue: “It has the potential to generate a modest number of daily journeys.

“However, some of these will be bypass trips, with users of the gym visiting on the way to or from work.

"The traffic issues now being encountered, along with the further housing to be built nearby, will create congestion at Minster Roundabout..."

“It is concluded that there are no grounds for refusal of the application in relation to traffic issues.”

Blinkbox wants the new gym earmarked for the land to boast a rock-climbing wall, café, sauna, spa facilities, “hydropool” and changing rooms.

Meanwhile, the company is also eyeing up establishing a putting green outside and creating 35 parking spaces.

The two-acre plot sits on a roadside services off the Minster roundabout, featuring branches of McDonald’s, Table Table, Premier Inn and a Co-op petrol station.

The site was used to cater for overnight parking of HGVs travelling overseas from Ramsgate.

But the developer says the demise of ferry journeys from the town’s port to Dunkirk and Ostend prompted a slump in demand for lorry bays, resulting in the park’s closure nine years ago.

It is currently home to a mobile hot food station.

Papers penned by the builder state: “It has remained unused [as a lorry park] since 2013.

“The project will help to develop the rural economy and is designed to improve the appearance of the site.

“The scheme is adjacent to major new housing developments and will provide a community facility in a sustainable location for their use.”