Villagers who successfully fought off plans for a water bottling plant at a former nursery have a new battle on their hands.

An application to build nine houses on the same site at Ringwould near Deal has been submitted by developers.

Opponents believe the development should not be given permission due to it being on a busy, dangerous road and within a natural beauty area.

The houses are planned for the former plant growing centre but neighbour Robert Botwright told KentOnline: “The land should not be built on as it’s within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

“They might say this is a brownfield site but we say it’s not because no structures were built on the nursery.

”I don’t object to houses being built in principle but not there and in any case nine houses is too much.

“There would also be a problem of light pollution and it is on a very dangerous road. The speed limit there is regularly ignored.”

Other residents have said the land should be left as a wildlife haven or for agriculture.

One woman, who did not want to be named, said: ”It will be on a road that is not just busy but dangerous, I’m frightened to cross it just to post a letter.

“Also there are no facilities in the village while Kingdown has a shop and butchers.”

Objections have been submitted on the Dover District Council planning portal after plans went in last week.

Carl Hedges wrote: “There is no consideration taken at all for the visibility and road access to the homes opposite. Access and visibility is already restricted.”

Quinn Estates wants to build the nine homes, with 18 parking spaces, on 2.6 acres of land at the former Ringwould Alpines Plant Centre on the A258 Dover Road.

The outline planning application to the council was submitted on February 12.

A transport statement by consultants Charles and Associates said the main road would be slightly realigned and narrowed to a carriageway width of six metres (almost 20ft) which would continue to allow bus and lorry movements through the village.

As part of the proposals, it is also suggested the speed limit should be reduced to 30mph.

The report said: “This is considered appropriate for a village context where most dwellings have frontage access, and it would improve road safety on the A258 corridor.”

The design and access statement produced by Clague Architects said: “The proposals represent a sensible infill on brownfield land on a site which is sustainably located.

“The site has a proposed allocation in the forthcoming Local Plan and is a low density, sensitively designed scheme.”

In 2016, villagers, supported by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), fought plans to place a water bottling factory on the site.

If built it would have been 60m (197ft) long and 11m (36ft) high.

Mr Botwright was also one of the villagers against that scheme, calling it “monstrous”.

Locals set up a campaign group to fight it, which was named Ringwould Against Bottling plant In an Environmentally Sensitive area (RABIES) to fight it.

They feared that traffic dangers would be worsened by lorries and transporters coming in and out of the site.

The application, by Kingsdown Water of Walmer, was refused by DDC in August 2017 and an appeal against that was rejected in December 2018.

Ringwould Alpines Plant Centre closed in September 2019 after 35 years when boss Paul Sims retired.

He had sold the site to Kingsdown Water three years before.

A spokesperson for Quinn Estates said of the nine houses scheme: "This is a site that Dover District Council has allocated in its local plan to meet housing need and our proposals are fully in accordance with the allocation.”

The Local Plan shows 10 houses could be built on the land.

The council is set to decide on the proposal before April 9.