With an internationally renowned heritage to preserve, a clogged road network and deadly levels of pollution, satisfying the government's demand for more housing in Canterbury was never going to be an easy task. Joe Wright takes a look at how much - or little - is being done to hit those targets.

"Canterbury can't be a time capsule."

Depending on your outlook, council leader Simon Cook's comment can frighten or excite.

With a record number of major planning applications being submitted and the national need for houses increasing, Canterbury, Herne Bay and Whitstable are going to significantly grow in size.

But due to the uncertainty over plans for a new super hospital in Canterbury - which would come with an additional 2,000 homes - and the legal wrangle stifling the start of the 4,000-home Mountfield Park, the city’s inevitable growth has hit a stumbling block.

Barely a brick has been laid on some of the biggest housing developments planned for decades - leaving Canterbury’s future shrouded in a curtain of doubt.

The planning inspector wants 800 new homes to be built in the Canterbury district every year until 2031 but, to make matters worse for those afraid of development, recent changes to the national policy could see that annual figure top 1,000.

The bottom line is, houses must be built, yet many claim the city’s congested road network and poor air quality cannot afford any further strain.

Our smoggy city Cllr Eden-Green (Lib Dem) believes the district is falling shy of its "inappropriate" housing targets.

“It may be well beyond 2031 that any of these schemes will take shape,” he said.

“We may end up with a lot of half-completed urban fringe housing estates with none of the appropriate infrastructure - not just roads, but social infrastructure like doctors surgeries, shops, social centres, schools, parks and play areas.

“None of this new housing addresses the huge demand for genuinely affordable housing.

“The potential threat to Canterbury is that it will just become another sprawling, faceless city strangled by traffic.

“This will threaten the tight knit historic centre which is actually our single greatest economic asset.

"It is the historic city that attracts our tourists, shoppers and university staff and students. It’s also what we, as residents, treasure.

"Despoil the historic city and you despoil our economy.”

Canterbury MP Rosie Duffield (Lab) shares fears over a lack of social housing and insists planning policies must be altered.

“The shortage of social housing in the area is a real disgrace,” she said.

“National legislation needs tightening so that developers can’t back out on promises made as part of their community and Section 106 proposals.

“The future of our city could be exciting, but unfortunately under this Conservative council it just looks rather smoggy and cloudy.”

Henry Stanton, spokesman for the Green Party, warns of "permanent gridlock and even more deaths caused by air pollution".

“The development situation in Canterbury is a complete mess - how have we reached this point when it was all supposed to have been planned out?,” he said.

“We have reached a point where, if all the proposed developments go ahead, it will be fundamentally disastrous for Canterbury.

“As a place for people to live and work, the city will no longer be fit for purpose.”

But Cllr Simon Cook (Con) remains optimistic and says housebuilding is a reality which must be accepted.

“We are in the process of building houses - if we don’t build them then we’ll end up with a sterile community and house prices will keep going up,” he said.

“We came up with the best plans that we could within the realms of what was available.

"What others have said is somewhat apocalyptic and over the top.”

Fears villages and rural communities will be swamped by development have always lingered.

Despite southern Canterbury having designated lands of Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, even they are not safe from the eyes of development - as seen with the Highland Court holiday complex proposals.

Rural uncertainty Campaign to Protect Rural England says it would support a vision for a greenbelt surrounding the city, giving it a level of security against housing plans.

The charity’s Hilary Newport said: “I’d love to see a greenbelt around Canterbury.

"They are pushing for one north of Southampton but in reality the greenbelts in the country are eroding.

“We are deeply worried about the level of housing set for Canterbury on land of the highest agricultural quality.”

Meanwhile, Ashley Mills, vice-chairman of Sturry parish council, says his village is heading towards an unrecognisable stage regarding the more than 1,000 homes planned for Sturry and Broad Oak.

“The heritage of the village is heavily at risk,” he said.

“Everyone I have spoken to does not want the developments proposed for Sturry.

"It will not cope and it’ll no longer be a village - it’ll just be part of Canterbury’s continuous urban sprawl.

“The erosion of our green space is destroying the area.

"None of the developments have been properly thought out - they’re just driven by the link road plans which seems to be in the wrong place anyway.”

Huge developments hadn’t been seen for years in Herne Bay and Whitstable, but now both coastal towns are the subject of big plans.

Herne Bay is absorbing thousands of new homes in the council’s Local Plan – with a large chunk already under construction.

Quinn Estates is currently building 572 homes on the site of the town’s former golf club after bosses won planning permission in September 2015.

In Hillborough, a huge plan for 1,300 homes is awaiting approval.

Elsewhere, Hollamby Estates is behind two developments near the Thanet Way.

"The potential threat to Canterbury is that it will just become another sprawling, faceless city strangled by traffic" - Cllr Eden-Green

It recently gained planning permission on appeal for 800 homes in Herne, known as Strode Farm. The firm also has sights set for its Thornden Wood Village in Greenhill.

Meanwhile, plans to build on land north of the old Thanet Way have long-loomed over Whitstable.

The 400-home development, which has outline planning permission, has sparked criticism over the loss of green space.

But it has also been praised for the boost it will provide to nearby nature reserve Duncan Down, which will almost double in size as a result.

By combing housebuilding and all other development opportunities, developer Mark Quinn, who believes similar historical cities such as Cambridge and Winchester have recently been moving in a healthier direction than Canterbury, thinks the district will soon be on the up.

Plans to open a medical school are slowly gathering momentum and proposals for the super hospital are in the pipeline.

Mr Quinn, who has previously stated that the area’s housing shortage is “chronic”, said: “Canterbury is on the cusp of a really exciting period of growth which people here haven’t witnessed for 25 years or so - that might worry people but it shouldn’t.

“Everybody needs to work together and they’ve have got to buy into what has to happen, otherwise, people will go elsewhere.

“There’s the medical school, great universities, the possibility of a super hospital, high quality developments - Canterbury has the chance to be an international city.

“It needs to be different and you have to take the public with you, I think the strength of growth in education bodes very well for the future.”

Cllr Cook shares a similar positive outlook for the city. “Canterbury can’t be a time capsule,” he said.

“We need to build on its assets.

“It really has got an enormous amount of potential - it has so many assets, including being the closest city to Europe.

“We have got all of the wands and now we need to put them all together.

"We have universities that other cities would kill for - we could have a Canterbury science park or we could become a heart for excellence in technological business.

“Canterbury is brilliant as it is but it can be better.”