When bombshell plans to build one of the country’s largest HMOs in a residential street emerged, neighbours feared their quiet lives would be thrown into disarray.

In a tucked-away residential pocket of Kent, home to young families, the elderly, and several schools, a developer is attempting to carve up an old university building into a 68-room HMO.

But long-standing Broadstairs neighbours have launched a multitude of objections, with complaints ranging from the developer living in “Cloud Cuckoo Land”, concerns over safety, and property prices potentially plummeting.

They worry transforming the empty Northwood Court site in Millennium Way will attract “individuals we have no idea” about.

The potential neighbours of the HMO - a home split into multiple rooms to be individually rented out - also say the development will add to overcrowding in the area.

And as anxiety mounts, more than 150 objection letters have been lodged with Thanet District Council (TDC) in the past month, including from the parish council.

The authority is concerned more cars on nearby roads will make them more dangerous.

But the developer’s team insists the project will provide much-needed rented homes in an area where there is a shortfall, and wages are lower than the national average.

In a comprehensive 40-page report, London consultants Lichfield stress the scheme would “play an important role in helping meet housing needs as well as supporting the local economy”.

Explaining why he vehemently opposes the project, neighbour Steven East wrote: “It is not uncommon to spend several minutes trying to get on and off the driveway.

“For the applicant to say otherwise suggests they have visited the site at a time suitable to their needs or are simply living in Cloud Cuckoo Land, and they intend to impose a potential 68 vehicles into this mix.”

Resident Glynn Pearce adds: “There are far too many schools close to this, the traffic is already congested.

“We struggle getting doctor appointments already, visitors to our house struggle to park, we feel it will devalue our property and strongly oppose it.”

Gillian Barrientos argues more information should be provided to her and neighbours “of the exact nature of the building’s intended use”.

She adds: “I am sure that many are genuine and decent people, but I also fear that there will be a number open to crime and fear the likelihood of robberies and potential intimidation all around the neighbourhood.”

Objecting in the strongest possible terms, Amy Booth adds: “I do not feel it is appropriate to house such people so close to a school that accommodates children aged four to 18”.

In a frosty response to the application, neighbour Christine Jeffery stated that if the Canterbury Christ Church University Broadstairs Campus overhaul goes ahead, it would “significantly alter the character of our residential neighbourhood”.

“It is primarily composed of single-family homes,” she says.

“This development may lead to a transient population, undermining the sense of community cohesion that has been built over the years.

“This shift will affect the sense of belonging among long-term residents.”

The Broadstairs drama is one of hundreds playing out across Kent’s residential streets.

Those living in Castle Dene, Ringlestone, fiercely opposed Geraldine Nkini Ndzi’s plans to convert a five-bedroom detached family bungalow into a seven-bedroom HMO.

Resident Patricia Wright said that the extra vehicles associated with seven adults living at the property, along with their visitors and deliveries, would add to the unsafe and illegal parking existing on the road, which was already spilling over into other streets.

HMOs, while not a new concept, have seen increased regulation in recent years – they are places where people, who are not related, sleep in separate rooms but share facilities such as kitchens or bathrooms.

Previously, only houses of more than three storeys and with five or more people forming at least two households had to be licensed.

But a rule has been introduced that removes the three-storey threshold and applies to smaller homes, sparking an increase in applications.

In the case of the potential Broadstairs HMO, developer Jamie Copland last July sought to turn the building into an 84-bedroom premises.

However, in September last year, TDC rejected the bid, which sought to convert the former Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU) accommodation.

TDC officers raised concerns about the impact on existing residents near the Millennium Way building due to the increase in noise and disturbance from the high concentration of HMO rooms.

In April this year, the plans were resubmitted, asking for 68 bedrooms instead.

“Each unit includes its own shower room and bathroom, along with separate laundry rooms; lounges and kitchens on each floor, with additional communal facilities comprising a large lounge/TV room; workspace; gym and private kitchen/dining room,” the new plans say.

“This is not a case where the current proposals would give rise to the development of isolated homes in the countryside,” documents written for the developer by Tim North & Associates stress.

In a social housing needs study, consultants Lichfield state the importance of supporting those who rent.

“Local evidence prepared for the Neighbourhood Plan identifies the provision of smaller, affordable housing suitable for young adults, particularly those leaving home, as an important component of need in the local area.

“The proposed scheme will clearly help support these people.”

Speaking on demographics, the consultants say people who live in HMOs largely work in a variety of sectors, from higher managerial and professional roles to routine occupations.

“The profile of people in these household types is not sufficiently different to the overall average to suggest that the proposed scheme would yield a particularly homogenous group that would realistically affect the character and amenity of the local area.”

TDC is expected to decide on the plans later this year.