Another application has been made to turn a former care home into a house of multiple occupancy (HMO) after being rejected twice before.

The former Greenford Care Home, in Nelson Road, Gillingham, saw applications in February and July this year, but Medway Council’s planning officers refused for several reasons.

The proposals were for a 16-bed HMO, but the first attempt was quashed because the authority thought more evidence was needed to justify the loss of an assisted-living facility.

The second time around, after evidence was provided showing it was unlikely to reopen as a care home, officers said the parking arrangement was a safety risk as cars would be forced to reverse out of the property onto a busy junction.

The seven spaces were deemed to prevent cars from turning around inside the car park, so the new proposals, submitted on October 27, have reduced that to four spaces.

The new application also argues use of the building as an HMO would create less traffic than when it was being operated as a care home.

The applicant estimates the comings and goings of three sets of five to seven staff members on different shifts caused over 30 journeys a day, while under the new scheme there would be only eight.

The application is retrospective, as the building is already being used by students and professionals, and seeks to formally change the use of the property into an HMO.

The designs are largely unchanged from the most recent application in July.

The ground floor would consist of seven bedrooms, two kitchens, three bathrooms, a living room and community room.

The first floor would be made up of nine bedrooms, two of which are en suite, and two new shower rooms.

Plans to convert the property into an HMO come from Mr Kunle Awosanya, after he unsuccessfully applied to tender assisted-living services with Medway Council.

Greenford Care Home, which was owned by Purelake Greenford Ltd, received several ‘requires improvement’ Care Quality Commission (CQC) reports before deregistering with the regulator in August 2021.

Mr Awosanya purchased the building in March 2022 and Purelake Greenford Ltd dissolved in February a year later.

The application is currently being considered by Medway Council’s planning officers.