A former hotel in Maidstone, Kent, which underwent a £500,000 refurbishment just last year, is now proposed for conversion into a 42-bedroom House of Multiple Occupation (HMO). The owner, Mark Smith, stated that he was forced to close the Grange Moor hotel, rebranded as The Apartell, in December due to a decline in customers.

Proposals submitted to the local council outline the transformation of the three-star hotel into co-living accommodation units. The plans include communal workspaces, a gym, laundry facilities, garden and allotment spaces, private parking, solar panels, bicycle storage, and recycling areas.

Smith indicated that he had consistently declined offers from organizations seeking to use the hotel for asylum seeker accommodation, expressing a desire for the property to serve local residents in need. He purchased the hotel in 2023, noting it had been unsold for several years and had previously been considered for asylum accommodation.

The proposed conversion has met with significant opposition from nearby residents, who have raised concerns about the project's scale and intensity. Objections submitted to the council cite worries over the strain on local infrastructure, including overloaded GP surgeries and schools. Residents have also expressed apprehension regarding potential increases in crime and the impact on the neighborhood's character, with some describing the area as having become a 'ghetto' and questioning the management and security arrangements for a large number of unrelated adult residents.

These local concerns emerge within a broader national context. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has outlined a strategy for a mixed model of asylum accommodation, involving military sites, former student apartments, bedsits, and HMOs. Prime Minister Andy Burnham is also pursuing plans to house asylum seekers in more affluent areas, even at a potentially higher cost to taxpayers.

Recent Home Office figures reveal that as of the end of March this year, 97,519 individuals were receiving asylum support. Of these, 20,885 were housed in hotels, while 3,866 received only subsistence support. The remaining 72,768 were accommodated in 'other' facilities, including dispersal accommodation often set up as HMOs.

Maidstone Council has declined to comment on the specific proposal.