Thirteen new homes protected by a security gate are proposed to replace an empty care home.

Forty-bed Grove Villa, in Deal, was closed in 2019 after being rated “inadequate” by the Care Quality Commission.

Three years later, in September 2022, Impact Developments Ltd sought permission from Dover District Council (DDC) to flatten the residential home off Mill Road and erect 28 homes in its place.

But that original bid divided residents - with 96 writing to DDC to back it and another 90 writing letters of objection - and it was eventually voted down by the planning committee.

Now, the developers are trying again, and have submitted a proposal for 13 homes on the land instead.

If approved, the scheme would be split across four two-storey buildings - one block of two semi-detached houses, one terrace of three houses, and two blocks of four terraced properties.

Each home will have its own parking space, and the whole site will have an additional two visitor spaces.

Parkside - the road just next to the development - is set to get a vehicle security gate under the plans. CGIs show the black metal gate across the road leading into the estate.

The proposals include no affordable housing or financial contributions to providing affordable housing elsewhere.

“The proposal would not be viable if affordable housing contributions are required,” a planning statement written on behalf of Impact Developments reads.

“The development would provide a positive contribution towards boosting the council’s housing supply.”

The developers also acknowledge that they have redesigned and scaled-back the plans due to them previously being refused.

“This redesign ensures that the proposed dwellings are now more in keeping with the context of the development within the immediate vicinity of the site,” they write.

“The intention is to offer a number of three-bed family residential units, with parking and amenity to the front and private gardens to the rear.”

The area’s representative on DDC, Cllr Stacey Blair (Lab), said the new plan “appears to have addressed the concerns of the local residents effectively”.

She said: “The inclusion of off-street parking in the new proposal is noteworthy, as it is designed to minimise any potential impact on the community.

“I also endorse the idea of utilising brownfield sites for development.

In planning documents the developers write that of the Mill Road residents they surveyed, 11 were in favour, one was against and one was neutral on the redevelopment.

The literature also explains that the previous owners acquired 28 Mill Road in 1986, followed a few years later by 24 Mill Road, and a section of land interconnects the two properties.

Numerous new buildings were put on the plot, with the block eventually becoming a multi-building, 40-bedroom care facility.

However, at an inspection by the CQC in 2019 the facility was rated as “inadequate,” with the report finding “people were not safe and were at risk of avoidable harm,” due to poor staff training and other issues.

It is not yet known when DDC’s planning committee will decide on the bid, but an internal deadline of April 16 has been set.