Tenants living in the last remaining part of a town’s Napoleonic barracks face eviction after it was revealed repairs could cost more than £1.2 million.

Residents say Grade II-listed Hay House in Sir John Moore Avenue, Hythe, has been neglected by council bosses for years, left covered in cracks and riddled with asbestos.

The tired-looking building was once part of the town’s barracks amid Britain’s battle with the French in the early 19th century.

But now Folkestone and Hythe District Council (FHDC) wants to dispose of the building so it can be sold on the market.

It would mean tenants would be kicked out and either moved to other social housing or have to rent privately. Each would receive a statutory £8,100 payment.

One tenant, who has lived there for eight years, told KentOnline the building is “beautiful” and loves the high ceilings in his flat.

But he adds it needs a lot of cash thrown at it and work to fix it.

“I think it is good the council is going to get rid of it as it needs looking after,” said the resident, who asked to remain anonymous.

“It needs money, as the council is not looking after it, so it does not fall down.

“I have been complaining about things that need doing for the past eight years.

“The building is riddled with asbestos in the ceilings and bathrooms.

“When I had my kitchen done over the past two years, four guys in hazmat suits came to remove some.”

A council report describes how Hay House, formally Paddock House, was built in 1804 and bought five years later for the residence of Lt. Col John Brown, the commandant of the Royal Staff Corps and director of the Royal Military Canal amid the Napoleonic Wars.

He was a military engineer and watercolour artist who conceived the idea of the Royal Military Canal as the main part of the coastal defence of Kent and Sussex against the threat of French invasion.

The Royal Staff Corps were responsible for the construction of the canal, which was completed in 1809.

Brown took up residence in the house in 1809, which neighboured Hythe barracks, and lived there until he died in 1816.

The Royal Staff Corps was disbanded in 1837 and the barracks remained in army use until 1969 and were soon demolished.

Shepway District Council – now FHDC – took ownership of the nearby land in 1976 and the building was renamed Hay House and divided into six flats for social housing.

It is the only surviving part of the Hythe barracks in the Napoleonic period and is deemed a handsome example of early 19th-century domestic architecture.

The six flats are mostly the same as when they were converted in the mid-1970s, with many of the internal features retained from that period.

But the report states: “Although they have been maintained, and any health and safety repairs completed, little or no investment has been made in upgrading the properties.

“As a result, heritage features such as the wooden sash windows and other period features, are showing their age.”

A property condition report prepared in January 2020 reveals it would cost more than £770,000 for remedial works – which, adjusted for inflation, is now estimated to be more than £1.2 million.

The council considered developing the site but says it would “not be a viable prospect” due to it being listed and its layout.

Based on the building’s current condition, a valuation has revealed the site could fetch a market value of about £841,500.

The council report reveals the recommended option is to dispose of the building on the open market.

Other ideas include re-purposing it or the disposal of the building to a local charity or trust.

But the documents state: “Considering the council’s current financial situation and also the current economic climate covering charities and other local trusts and charitable organisations, neither option relating to the wider council taking ownership or disposing of the property to a charity trust may be viable to pursue.

“The council’s planning policy and economic development team has stated – given the building’s location, state of repair, and state of the council’s finances – it would be unlikely the council general fund would want to acquire this building for another use at this time.”

One Hay House tenant has lived there for more than 20 years while two others have been there more than 10.

The council says none of the tenants have expressed any wish to move which is likely to make finding suitable alternative housing for them “more difficult and slower”.

It also says there are 317 one- and two-bedroom homes in the Hythe area.

“If the residents want to stay in the same area, the opportunities to move will be limited,” the report states.

The total cost of decanting residents will be about £52,750 – which includes a £8,100 payment to each of those living there.

FHDC’s cabinet will discuss the report on Wednesday evening.

A spokesperson for the authority said: “Hay House is held in the Housing Revenue Account and consists of six flats.

“A considerable sum in excess of £1 million is required to modernise the building and improve the current standard.

“This sum does not include future energy efficiency measures in line with the district council’s climate pledges.

“Extensive viability studies have been carried out and although the council would like to invest in the building and continue to maintain the flats it simply isn’t financially viable to do so.

“The council’s housing service looks after about 3,400 properties which have many competing demands from gas safety through to retrofitting to improve the energy efficiency and costs of heating for the tenants who live there. We must prioritise our spending for where it is most needed.

“If or when a tenant has to move permanently in circumstances such as this, they are eligible – subject to meeting certain criteria – to what is called a Statutory Home Loss payment.

“The rates for these payments are set by central government and they currently stand at £8,100 per household.

“Tenants would also be entitled to be reimbursed for the costs of removals, and any other expenses incurred as a result of having to move home.

“We realise that moving home can be a big upheaval and we will be working with the tenants to identify somewhere else for them to move to, and to ensure the process goes as smoothly as possible.”