Developer is compelled to construct flat AROUND a lamppost as a result of it might take too lengthy to get council permission to take away it

Builders of a new block of flats have been forced to put them up around a lamp post – after failing to get permission to remove it.

The bizarre sight appeared on the four-storey block on Jeffery Street in Gillingham, Kent.

The balcony of the new building appears to have been built around an existing lamp post.

This caused locals to be stunned, with some finding it amusing and suggesting it could save on the electricity bill while others joked it was simply fire escape.

However, developer Afaad Ltd claims it chose to carry out the work around the lamppost to beat a tight deadline.

The bizarre sight on Jeffery Street in Gillingham, Kent appeared outside the four-storey block where the balcony of the development has been built around a lamppost

The lamppost will then be removed and the holes in the balcony will be filled in at a later date.

The site, on the junction with James Street, was formerly the Dog and Bone pub.

Plans to convert it into flats were given the green light by Medway Council in 2019.

Construction began in 2022 after permission was granted for the block to be 13.1m rather than the original 11m.

Gillingham resident Barry Knight went to visit the site after seeing photos of the lamppost shared online and could not believe his eyes.

He said: ‘It’s funny but it shouldn’t be. I wouldn’t want to live there.’

This wasn’t the first time the building was at the centre of the town’s attention.

In August, an Arriva bus crashed into scaffolding surrounding the new-build prompting a large-scale response from emergency services.

A spokesman for developer Afaad said: ‘It’s a work in progress – we are still doing the installation. We’ve still got a few months to go so this is not the complete product.

‘It was never intended to be like that but, because it’s a council property, you have to wait for permission. So we can’t touch it.’

Medway Council said it is aware of issues regarding the flats.