An “eyesore” building could be knocked down to make way for six new townhouses - but residents are concerned about the access road being blocked.

The run-down boarded-up site is off Stanley Road in Cheriton, Folkestone, between retirement home Laurel Court and homes in Milky Whey.

Now developers want to demolish the former telecommunications office, which is also located near a popular park, to make way for four two-bed and two three-bed properties.

Documents submitted to Folkestone and Hythe District Council (FHDC) by Helix Planning Ltd argue the abandoned building needs to be replaced as it is “not in a good position”, “lacks garden space” and “overlooks neighbouring homes”.

Three of the houses would be built in place of the derelict building, and another two would be placed to the left further down the dead-end road.

If approved, each home will have an electric vehicle charging point and a private garden, while there will be 12 car parking spaces.

But some neighbours have expressed concerns over the proposals, saying the private access road is not suitable for the number of new homes.

Six objections have been lodged with FHDC, with one person saying while they would “love to see the old derelict building demolished”, they worry about the impact on the roads.

The unnamed resident said: “It is an eyesore. To develop the site there would need to be an access point.

“The present access from Stanley Road is via Laurel Court's private road.

“This road is used for residents and their visitors, but also for ambulances.

“It is very important, therefore, that this road be kept clear. There would not be access for cars to-ing and fro-ing to the new development.

“Six houses could have as many as 12 or more cars. There would have to be another access point for these and also for demolition vehicles and builders.”

Also concerned about the impact on the roads, Irene Pullen said: “There is only one access road to the site that is not very wide.

“Stanley Road, that leads to this access road, is also a very busy road due to people parking on the road and pavements outside the park and there is also a primary school.”

She also raised concerns about how the construction stage would impact residents, adding: “We are concerned about the residents in Laurel Court having no electricity or water at some point during the building process, carers not being able to get to Laurel Court due to lorries, work vans and other machinery blocking the entrance.

“These are frequent visitors as there are many elderly adults that live here.

“There will be noise and mess caused by the heavy machinery and traffic going on and off site.”

Another resident, Mr R.W. Burgess, agreed, saying the narrow private road, which is the only way into Laurel Court, “would not stand up to the heavy traffic needed for this development”.

But the director of highways and transportation at Kent Highways says the proposals “provide sufficient parking for all of the dwellings together with adequate cycle storage”.

They added: “Access is proposed off the existing private road serving the adjacent Laurel Court development.

“I therefore have no objections to the application.”

Developers Blackberry Property Limited, who bought the site in 2018, are behind the proposals.

Company director Dennis Tautkevicius says the plan is for the homes to “improve the area”.

"It is a derelict site that used to be a telecommunications centre but because everything is digital, it is not needed for that purpose any more,” he said.

"The old building is too close to the other houses in Milky Whey, that's why we need to demolish it.

"Each house will have two parking spaces and a decent-sized garden, so there is plenty of space for six homes without being overcrowded.

"We are trying to improve the area.

"Some residents at Laurel Court are against it, they are under the impression we will be using their private access but that is not correct.

"We used to have access to the telecommunications centre from Shaftsbury Avenue.

"But about 20 years ago when Laurel Court was designed, that access road was given to Laurel Court and in exchange, they gave us the right of way through Stanley Road.

"There are concerns we will block their access, but we will never do that, we have plenty of space on our plot which will be used for loading and unloading materials.

"During the pandemic, we were approached by the government.

"They asked us to covert the building for asylum seekers.

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"We were offered a grant, but we said no because we didn't want to upset the residents.

"This is why we are keen to build these homes to improve the area, we are not asking for something completely unreasonable."