An appeal has been launched against a decision to refuse a 31-home estate, which has already been rejected twice before.
Swale council denied plans for houses and bungalows to be built on fields at the back of Nelson Avenue in Minster.
In 2021, plans were submitted for 64 homes which would have included three- and four-bedroom properties. Some were set to have been two-and-a-half storeys high.
They sparked more than 120 letters of objection from neighbours.
The site borders both Nelson Avenue and Scocles Road – a piece of land that has recently been approved for a 650-home development on appeal.
An existing bungalow would need to be demolished to create access to the estate. There are also several Grade I- and II-listed buildings to the north.
In March 2023, the applicant asked the Planning Inspectorate to decide on the application after Swale council failed to make a decision within the set timescale.
Five months later, it was refused by Inspector Benjamin Webber, who visited the site in July.
He concluded it would be an “unsuitable location for the proposed development given the unacceptable harm it would cause to the character and appearance of the area, including by its failure to preserve the settings of Grade I-listed buildings.”
In October 2024, the plans were revised and resubmitted with 31 homes instead. The new application included 27 three-bedroom and four two-bedroom bungalows.
Those living nearby at the time told KentOnline they were concerned about the congestion it might cause.
Caz Harlin, of Barton Hill Drive, said: “Our road is already used by an increasing amount of road traffic due to the unsuitable nature of Scocles Road, with many road users dangerously speeding over the 30mph limit and often causing queues up the whole road at various times of the day.
“Adding more houses to this area would cause more congestion and possibly more accidents.”
Nelson Avenue resident Sandra Welling added: “The surrounding roads are far too narrow to cope with the added traffic, firstly the construction vehicles and then the added vehicles of future residents.
“The land itself floods badly during wet weather, and the water continues down the hill through Nelson and Drake Avenues into Elm Lane, causing flooded gardens and roads.
“The land is currently used for much-needed grazing for the local riding school and is one of the few green areas left in the Minster area.”
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Swale council refused the plans in December last year.
It stated: “The proposal would fail to protect the intrinsic value and beauty of the countryside and would cause significant and harmful adverse visual and landscape impact, and on this basis would undermine the council’s adopted settlement strategy.
“Insufficient information has been submitted to demonstrate that the ecological impact of the proposal would be acceptable.”
Other requirements, including air quality and contributions towards infrastructure, were insufficiently addressed in the application, it said.
However, on July 1, the applicant, Michael Piper, lodged an appeal.
Planning committee vice chairman, Cllr Elliott Jayes (Swale Ind Alliance), described the move as “disappointing”.
“The field is the last bit of green space that is not council-owned in that part of Minster, and it is beautiful,” he added.
He also shared the update on social media and urged people to share their thoughts.
He said: “Here we go again, the second appeal on this land. Unfortunately, this one will be by written representation. Please make your comments as it says on the attached picture.”
Those who wish to comment on the application can do so online by clicking here.
If you do not have access to the internet, you can instead send views to: Gerwyn Rigby, Temple Quay House, 2 The Square, Bristol, BS1 6PN, quoting reference APP/V2255/W/25/3365951.
The deadline is Tuesday, August 5.
