A 50-acre country park at the heart of a brand new community has been officially opened to the public.

The huge space is part of the 330-home Faversham Lakes estate and boasts footpaths and circular walks as well as reed beds, lagoons, wildlife habitats, bird hides and extensive planting.

Other community assets include a new scout troop headquarters and an extended car park for Davington Primary School.

There will also be a heritage centre, retail units and a community theatre when the development is complete.

The site was originally developed as a gunpowder works, supplying firepower from the 16th century for both military purposes and the blasting of canals and railways.

The facility closed down in 1934 owing to its vulnerability to an air attack, and following military use during the Second World War, it was re-purposed for mineral extraction use by Brett Aggregates.

Supplies of aggregates were exhausted in the late 2000s and outline planning permission for the 330-home residential development and creation of a country park was granted in 2017.

It stretches up to the East Kent Recycling site and neighbours Oare Windmill and Davington Primary School

The new park was officially opened by the Mayor of Swale Cllr Simon Clark and Faversham Mayor, Cllr Trevor Martin.

“Getting the balance of new homes, affordability and quality open space is never easy, but this scheme shows what can be achieved with planning and commitment,” said Cllr Clark.

“This incredible park will provide a fabulous space for local people to relax and enjoy for years to come”, said Cllr Clark.

“It’s great to see a development delivering improvements for the wider community, and the opening to the public now – almost exactly halfway through the delivery of new homes – is a real milestone to be celebrated.”

Once complete, the £40 million scheme on the 100-acre site will offer properties providing “spacious open plan living and generous gardens” and all within walking distance of the landscaped parkland, says developer Anderson.

Of the 330 homes provided by developer Anderson, 231 will be private units, with the rest constituting affordable housing owned and managed by West Kent Housing Association.

Anderson CEO Andrew Jay said: “Our investment in placemaking at Faversham Lakes continues with the opening of this vast and publicly-accessible country park. And through doing this, it alleviates recreational pressure on the nearby Swale SPA (Special Protection Areas for wildlife).

“The landscape setting adds to the picturesque country feel our residents enjoy, even though the homes are less than a mile from the nearest town.”

Anderson, alongside West Kent Housing Association, has reached the final cut for the Homebuilder of the Year in the South category in this year’s UK Housing Awards for its Faversham Lakes scheme.

The project is said to have impressed judges with its concept of “boundless living” and houses with spacious open-plan designs, generous gardens and all within walking distance of the landscaped parkland.

The winners will be announced next month.