Two more applications for houses in multiple occupation (HMO) have been submitted while a consultation into the council’s policies continues.

Among the latest to be proposed for Maidstone is one from East Malling-based Qualis Properties to convert an office building, which currently has a single flat on the upper floors, into a 10-bedroom HMO, with a separate flat in the basement.

The target is the former Staffline office building at 10 Tonbridge Road.

The developer is seeking to add a single-storey rear extension and a first-floor rear extension to create the extra rooms.

It proposes two bedrooms and a kitchen on the second floor; three bedrooms and a kitchen on the first floor and five bedrooms and a kitchen/diner on the ground floor.

In addition, it will create a one-bedroom flat in the basement.

Qualis insists it will provide quality accommodation for single professionals, who will be heavily vetted before being granted a tenancy.

It says all the rooms will be larger than the minimum standard in law, and will be well equipped with en-suite facilities and a “tea-point.”

The communal areas would be professionally cleaned once a week.

However, no parking places will be provided - excused by the site’s closeness to the town centre - and no outdoor amenity space either. Currently, the building has four parking spaces.

Light to the basement flat would come via a light well and windows opening onto an enlarged below-ground courtyard.

Maidstone Borough Council is currently consulting on a new Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) to better regulate HMOs. The consultation can be found here and it closes on Sunday, April 27.

The policy proposes measures to require one parking place per bedroom, to require the adequate provision of outdoor amenity space for residents to gather together and for the drying of clothes, and to limit the over-concentration of HMOs in one area.

The Qualis proposal has several other HMOs nearby - a 10-bed HMO at 3 Terrace Road, a 7-bed HMO at 9 Terrace Road, a nine bed HMO at 7 Reginald Road, a 12-bed HMO at 1 Reginald Road, and a 7-bed HMO that has been granted planning permission but is not yet built at 3A London Road. All are within 200m of the site.

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

Details of the Qualis application can be found on the Maidstone council website, under reference number 25/501315.

A second HMO application this week concerns Redcroft, No 466 Loose Road, where Yalding-based RND Estates is seeking planning permission to convert a storage room within an existing 13-bed HMO into and additional bedroom to create a 14-bed HMO.

The property has 10 parking spaces, but the applicants say they can add an extra rack to the bicycle store.

Details can be found on the council’s website under application number 25/501293.

Last week, the council received applications for a 10-bed HMO on a landlocked site behind No 74 Week Street in Maidstone, and also an application for a Lawful Developmnet Certificate for No 235 Boxley Road, Maidstone, which, it seems, has been operating as an HMO for over 40 years without the benefit of planning permission.