A proposal to turn a historic former veterinary surgery into seven flats has sparked concern from a town council.

Burnham House in Castle Street, Dover, which closed last year after almost 100 years, could now be converted into apartments.

The Grade II-listed building has been empty since the practice shut its doors in June 2024.

The business had been part of the community since the 1920s and was most recently owned by Medivet.

Now, in a planning application submitted to Dover District Council (DDC), new owner Mr A Faseha wants to turn the empty surgery and offices into seven self-contained flats.

The plans include keeping the front of the building largely unchanged, with only “minor” tweaks to the basement windows and doors.

Inside, the layout would be completely reworked to create the new homes.

There is no parking included in the plans, but the applicant points to public car parks nearby, including in Pencester Gardens and the St James’ development.

A statement included with the application says the scheme would offer a “modern, well-designed and aesthetically pleasing” use for the building, and argues that converting it into homes would help preserve it for future generations.

But Dover Town Council (DTC) has objected to the plans, saying the application raises “significant concerns”.

“The repeated use of the term ‘units’ raises concern that this property may be converted into a House in Multiple Occupation,” DTC stated in the planning documents.

Dover already has 66 HMOs, with 31 of these in the Town and Castle ward.

The town council also questioned whether any building work has already started before full planning permission has been granted, and reminded planners that Castle Street is “a street of considerable historical and architectural significance”.

The veterinary surgery was originally known as Castle Street Veterinary Surgery and was bought by Jeremy Stattersfield in 1990.

He sold it to Medivet in 2019, which continued operating under the name Burnham House until it shut last summer due to the poor condition of the building.

The closure prompted an emotional response from residents online, with more than 100 comments posted.

One user wrote: “End of an era. I feel sorry for the staff who are local to Dover that now have to use time and fuel to travel.”

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Staff and clients at Burnham House were transferred to a sister branch in Folkestone.

A decision on the plans is expected to be made by DDC by June 25.