HMO planned for empty Victorian office building

ANOTHER house in multiple occupation (HMO) could be coming to Folkestone town centre, with plans lodged to transform an abandoned eyesore.

- By DANIEL ESSON

Developers have submitted plans to convert a large former office space in Cheriton Place into a nine-bed-room residential property.

The application to Folkestone and Hythe District Council comes just weeks after proposals were revealed for another HMO around the corner in Sandgate Road, where developers want to turn the space above Johnsons dry cleaners into shared accommodation for up to ten people.

That application had “understandably raised interest and concern in the community”, according to Labour councillor Liz McShane, who represents Folkestone Central.

But she has welcomed the plans to bring the long-vacant Cheriton Place property back into use.

She said: “Its renovation into affordable living accommodation is a positive move, especially given the urgent need for such housing in Folkestone and the surrounding area.

The planning documents say the Grade II-listed building was once part of an “historic parade from the mid-19th century” but has stood empty since at least May 2014.