Former nursing home to provide ‘affordable living’
A former care home and clergy house is to be transformed into a house of multiple occupancy (HMO).
The Haven in Church Road, Tovil, near Maidstone, was deemed “inadequate” last August after a Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection was carried out following the death of a resident.
It was visited in December 2022, but the report was not published until March three months later.
Investigators found the care home “unsafe”, the leadership “ineffective” and said people living there were at risk.
The business closed shortly after, with residents finding new places to live.
The building is still in the same ownership of Mr and Mrs Bhanji, of Kingston Road, south London.
An application was submitted by the pair to Maidstone council in July to convert the property into a 29-bed HMO. Tenants will use the rooms formerly occupied by the care home patients.
The rooms have en-suite sinks and toilets, with some residents to use communal showers if they don't have their own.
The ground floor is to be converted to a large shared kitchen with six hobs, plus there will be two communal living areas and a communal conservatory. Parking spaces would be increased from five to nine, with six cycle spaces provided. The substantial building was once the vicarage to St Stephen’s Church, which was demolished in 1990, although you can still walk around its graveyard, and the building is still remembered in the Tovil Parish sign.
Information released on the application's planning statement says: “The building currently stands empty. The proposed change of use would make a positive contribution to housing in the area, providing a particular type of accommodation for a particular need.
“It will allow affordable and sustainable living in an urban area.”
The application was put before Maidstone council’s planning committee following objections by Tovil Parish Council.
Despite being recommended for approval, prior to being given the green light there were objections to it on the grounds of a lack of outside amenity space for the new residents.
They also raised concerns about the number of parking spaces, which cannot be mitigated by on-street parking because of the restricted availability in the area.