A bid has been launched to transform wasteland that used to be home to a 130-year-old garden centre into a housing estate.

Smedley Homes has lodged plans with Canterbury City Council to build 10 properties on the plot in Borstal Hill, Whitstable, which has lain dormant for more than a decade.

Formerly, the site - which is over the road from the town's fire station - was occupied by Carter's Nursery, a garden centre and floristry firm established in 1890.

In documents submitted to the local authority, Smedley Homes says: “It is proposed to develop this former plant nursery site for a small housing development of 10 homes, of varying sizes and design, to create an attractive place to live within Whitstable.

“There will be a mix of house types and sizes, from two- to four-bedroom dwellings, with comfortably proportioned living spaces for even the smaller houses.

“This is an important feature as the availability of houses with good-sized living rooms means those seeking to 'downsize' find it hard to buy smaller houses that have the larger living spaces they want.

“These two-bedroomed houses will therefore have significantly more living space than a typical two-bed house.”

Before submitting the application the developer was advised by the city council to reduce the number of properties to nine.

The firm chose to ignore this advice as “the additional projected sale value for a 10-house scheme will allow more money to be spent on higher-quality external finishes and detailing than for a" smaller project.

Papers show Smedley Homes wants to erect three two-beds, one three-bed and six equipped with four bedrooms.

All of the homes will have front gardens as well as allocated parking spaces with each property having access to their own electric vehicle charging point.

Smedley Homes also promises the development will be “respectful of neighbours”, while fitting comfortably into the area.