Application to turn care home into HMO rejected

Several attempts to use the former Greenford Care Home, in Gillingham, for assisted living have failed

An application to turn a former care home into a 16-bedroom house in multiple occupation (HMO) has been rejected for a second time.

Kunle Awosanya applied to Medway Council in July to turn the former Greenford Care Home, in Gillingham, Kent, into an HMO.

A previous application submitted in February was rejected as more evidence was needed to justify the removal of a care facility in the area.

On Monday, the council threw out the revised application because of concerns over the impact on traffic.

It had been argued that other nearby care homes sufficiently met the local need and attempts to run the former care home as an assisted living facility had floundered, after four attempts to win contracts from the local authority failed, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Planning officers acknowledged the building was no longer viable as a care home as the industry has moved towards larger facilities.

Officers also said that the designs for the building were acceptable in principle.

The second application has been turned down because of concerns over its impact on local traffic

However, the application was rejected on the grounds of increased traffic – particularly the danger of cars leaving the property on to a busy junction.

Within the grounds of the site, the plan submitted allowed for seven parking spaces, but officers said the parking plan was too dense, allowing little room for manoeuvre.

Officers said that the impact on safety and the disruption to free-flowing traffic made it unacceptable.