Villagers have reacted angrily to plans to build new homes and restore a former manor with links to author Jane Austen.

The scheme for the derelict 19th century Danefield House in St Mary's Grove, Tilmanstone near Dover would also create three more homes on the site.

One of Danefield House's past owners was a relative to the celebrated author.

The bid by Quinn Homes would see the mansion restored to its former glory having sat vacant since the 1970s.

But a total of 49 out of 51 members of the public, commenting on the Dover District Council planning portal at the time of publication, said they oppose the plans.

Most believe the small village couldn't take the extra traffic, particularly on its narrow roads, and some say they fear it could pave the way for further development.

They also say there would not be enough buses for the new residents who would have to use cars.

'The risk would be increased with more vehicles using the inadequate lanes...'

Neighbour Julie Sanders, responding to the application on the council's planning portal, said: "My fear is, once planning is allowed, in time more people will apply for planning, (and) it will get granted.

"Then the village will end up like Thanet. No fields, no countryside, no wildlife. All the villages will just merge into one. There are enough empty properties in the towns without building houses that no-one can afford or want in the village."

Vivian West said: "The narrow lanes around the Danefield site have no pavements, and only room for one vehicle at a time with few passing places. This causes a risk for walkers like myself.

"It is also the route by which vehicles can gain access to and from the main road.

"This risk would be greatly increased with more vehicles from the extra properties using the inadequate lanes."

Mr West said there were not shops in Tilmanstone and villagers also needed to travel out for a doctor's surgery and chemist while too few buses serve the village, he added.

David Fountain said: "The highway to which access is proposed is a narrow single track where even pedestrians have to back into hedges to allow vehicular passage."

Concerns have been echoed by Kent County Council's highways team.

Its submission to DDC, the department said: "St Mary's Grove is not a sufficient width for vehicles to pass one another and widening/passing places should be implemented as necessary to accommodate this site.

"The site is not considered to be a sustainable location.

"Bus services are limited to one or two each way services Monday to Friday with only one service on a Saturday.

"It is likely that residents will rely almost exclusively on a private car."

Two residents have so far written in support of the application saying this is a brownfield site needing development.

'For too long this site has been derelict...'

Marjorie Ovenden said: "There is an intention to restore the original house.

"For too long this large site has been derelict and development such as proposed is preferable to this brownfield site remaining unused ."

Quinn Homes based in Bridge, near Canterbury has put in an outline planning application seeking permission to rebuild the manor house and add three new homes, with eight new car parking spaces, plus bicycle ones, on a site of three hectares (7.4 acres).

The development, on an area called called Danefield Grove, would result in a total of four four-bedroom homes.

The new houses would be self-built, allowing the future owners to design and construct them by themselves, and also custom built, made to a particular customer's order.

A report to the council by Quinn Homes said the project involved the "re-imagination of a derelict house, which was a stand-out build of its day as a manor/rectory style home".

It added the project helps prepare for an expected rise in Dover district's population by 2030.

It said the development would include affordable housing and the design was in keeping with neighbouring properties.

A transport statement for the applicants said the proposal would provide safe access via St Mary’s Grove.

There would be a priority junction from the road and visibility splays for 30mph would be achieved.

That report acknowledged the limited services in Tilmanstone but neighbouring Eythorne has a primary school, village shop, pub and sports club and is only three miles away.

The transport statement concluded: "The proposed development would result in a negligible increase in peak hour traffic movements on the surrounding network and its transport impacts cannot be considered as severe.

"It is considered that there are no sound highways or transportation reasons to refuse the application."

Quinn Homes told KentOnline it had no further comment on the opposition.

Danefield House was built by 1840 on a field known as La Dane Field and was originally called Larchfield House until 1891.

By then the owner was Major C A Rice whose mother was a niece of Austen.

He lived at Danefield House with his wife and three children and five servants and a schoolteacher also resided there.

Colin Varrall, chairman of the Elvington and Eythorne Heritage Group, told KentOnline: "The Rice family were the most well-known occupiers of the property.

"They were landowners and owned a much larger property called Dane Court Manor, also in Tilmanstone."

The family was at Danefield House until the Second World War when the military took it over and billeted soldiers there.

After the war, the house was bought by the Mullin family who it is thought occupied it into the 1970s. A fire destroyed it in 1975 and it has been derelict ever since.

An early owner, when the property was still Larchfield House, was William Sidney Smith.

He was nephew of Admiral Sir Sidney Smith, of Dover, and son of John Spencer Smith, MP for Dover from 1802 to 1806.

Jane Austen, who spent a lot of her time at Godmersham Park near Ashford, where she is said to have written much of her work, is best known for novels in the 1810s such as Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice.