Angry residents are hoping to persuade councillors to reject an application to add an additional storey to a block of flats in a town’s conservation area.

Tunbridge Airspace Ltd has submitted a proposal to add four one-bedroom and two two-bedroom flats on top of the existing three floors of Mountfield Court in Grove Hill Road, Tunbridge Wells.

Under recent legislation, property owners are allowed to extend upwards by two storeys without seeking planning permission but that does not apply if the building lies within a conservation area, which this one does.

The brick-built property, originally intended as council flats, dates from the mid-20th century, but is surrounded by traditional Victorian properties and is close to the town’s key heritage asset of Calverley Park.

The application has been opposed by 67 residents and also by the Royal Tunbridge Wells Town Civic Society.

Householders in Mountfield Gardens, which wraps around two sides of Mountfield Court, have formed their own group of 30 members named the Mountfield Guardians to oppose the application.

Their spokesperson, Jill Dawson, said they had several objections. One is that they believe the proposed fourth storey, on an already elevated site, would dwarf nearby 2.5-storey Victorian homes and overlook existing bedrooms.

They also claim the applicants’ drawings were incomplete, missing dimensions and crucial elevations, which had the effect of obscuring the true mass and scale of the development within a conservation area.

They also feel that the proposed glazed balconies and patio doors of the new flats would jar with the conservation area and fail to respect its character, and also claim that none of the proposed units meet today’s accessibility standards, limiting access for individuals with mobility challenges.

She said the proposal would also increase parking pressure in an area where demand for parking consistently outstrips supply.

Mrs Dawson said: “We support efforts to address housing needs in Tunbridge Wells, but this proposal fails to meet modern standards for sustainability, accessibility, or community benefit.

“We believe the council has an opportunity to set a precedent for responsible and respectful development within our cherished conservation areas.”

The Tunbridge Wells Civic Society described the proposal as “overbearing in context and, with no on-site parking, would inevitably add to local congestion”.

Nevertheless, planning officers are recommending permission is granted despite the council’s own parking management section saying it should be refused.

There is no on-site parking, even for the residents of the 21 existing flats.

Between them, the existing residents have already taken out 14 residents’ parking permits, and the town’s parking officers expect the new flats would generate a demand for at least a further four when the supply of parking spaces locally is already over-stretched.

The application would have been approved by planning officers under delegated powers, except that Cllr Corinna Keefe (Lib Dem) has called it in for determination by the planning committee at its meeting in the Council Chamber in the Civic Centre on Wednesday, December 4, at 6.30pm.

The meeting is open to the public, and the Mountfield Guardians group is calling on as many people as possible to join them at the meeting.

Mountfield Court is not the only block of flats in Tunbridge Wells picked out for upward development.

Hamilton Court in Chilston Road is currently having 11 flats added to its roof.

Find out about planning applications that affect you at the Public Notice Portal.

Details of the Mountfield Court application can be found on the Tunbridge Wells council website.

Search for application number 24/01752.