An empty shop overrun with pigeons has been branded the "most disgusting" building in the town centre - but the landlord says his hands are tied by planning rules.
The former Evans unit on the corner of High Street and North Street, Ashford, next to Tops Pizza, is feared a "health hazard", with one woman saying she was kept up at night due to its terrible condition.
It comes as an ambitious scheme from 2022 to renovate the building, which has sat empty since 2017, failed to come to fruition.
The former clothes store is currently on the market.
But Sharon Turton, who lives in Ashford, says the state of the building made her feel sick and she is calling for it to be urgently cleaned up.
She said: "I don't usually go into the town centre, and this is the reason why!
"I walked past this shop, and it was horrific.
"When I looked above it, there was chicken wire with what must have been 100 pigeons all squashed in.
"There was no glass, just chicken wire - and right next door is a pizza place."
The former MidKent College lecturer says it is "the most disgusting building in the town centre".
"I still feel sick to my stomach, and it was yesterday that I saw it," she added last week.
"I couldn't even sleep, I was so upset by it.
"The animals looked like they were not in good shape. The one in the window looked really sick."
When KentOnline visited the site last week, thick layers of bird droppings covered the building, with discarded tools and rubbish strewn across the interior floor.
A dead pigeon was also visible inside.
A sign is displayed in the window warning shoppers about the birds - but it insists they are not stuck inside.
"Any pigeons in this shop have free ingress/egress via the holes above the shop window and via the upper floors - they are not trapped," it reads.
"Any young pigeons/squabs on the floor are better left to the attention of their mothers than being interfered with by humans."
The building's owner, Mikhel Pipariya, says he was ordered by Ashford Borough Council (ABC) to stop work on the Grade II-listed property - and that is when the pigeon problem started.
He told KentOnline essential structural repairs had already been carried out when he was served an enforcement notice, preventing the building from being fully sealed.
"During the construction period, there were no issues regarding pigeons," he said.
"But once the stop-work order came into effect, the site unfortunately became a habitat for them."
Mr Pipariya added that he has looked into ways of tackling the infestation, but the cost of removal and prevention has been "significant".
For now, he says, leaving the birds undisturbed is the most practical option until restoration work can resume.
An application has been lodged with the council seeking listed building consent for the redevelopment of the site into six flats.
Plans include structural repairs to the historic timber floors and frontage, alterations to partitions, retention and removal of historic finishes, and new external windows.
Mr Pipariya added: "We are working closely with our architects and the local authority to agree a way forward that allows the redevelopment to proceed in line with planning requirements. At that point, the building will be properly sealed and restored."
In 2022, property owners Miso Construction released computer-generated images showing how the site could be transformed with new restaurants and coffee shops.
The plan was also for two neighbouring units. One, which became Itaca's, a Georgian-style restaurant and wine bar, has subsequently closed, and the next stop along, now called Fusion Multi Cuisine.
The property is being marketed with Stafford Perkins for £26,500 per annum.
Dr Turton says she has contacted the agents, but was told responsibility for the site lies with the council.
"I emailed everybody, and the letting agents turned around and said they're blaming the council," she said.
"They said they have someone who wants to let the place and are asking the council to clean it up.
"But because the council aren't doing it in a hurry, they claim there's nothing they can do.
"That is a health hazard, even if it wasn't next to a pizza place.
"I live in Ashford, but I don't even go to town because it's so depressing. It used to be so vibrant."