A restaurant, petrol station or even more homes could be built on part of a sprawling housing estate earmarked for offices after no companies could be found to occupy it.

The 300-home Perry Court scheme in Faversham is now nearing completion, with the Aldi, Premier Inn and care home elements all open and residents moving into the final phase of houses.

But a 7.4-acre parcel of land next to the new supermarket - which has permission for office or light industrial use - remains empty in the absence of any firms willing to take it on.

Now, residents are being asked what should occupy the site instead, with potential uses ranging from a retirement complex to a day nursery.

Leaflets have been posted through letterboxes, and a website titled ‘Re-imagining Perry Court, Faversham’ has been launched by Hallam Land Management to gather opinions on how the land could be put to “beneficial use”.

The website reads: “In 2017 Hallam Land Management Limited was granted planning permission from Swale Borough Council for new housing, offices, research and development and light industrial uses – a mixed use development - at Perry Court.

“At the present time, the housing development which Barratt David Wilson are constructing is close to completion, and the care home, hotel and food store have all been built and are open.

“However, Hallam has not been able to secure a developer or occupier to build the offices which the planning permission would have allowed. This part of the overall site remains undeveloped with little prospect that it will be developed for those uses.

“Hallam are therefore considering how the Perry Court development can be completed.”

The patch of land, which runs parallel to the M2, has planning permission to be used for offices, research and development or light industrial uses.

Despite years of marketing, the company says there has been “very limited interest” in bringing these uses forward.

Discussions with one firm looking to relocate to Faversham and build 12,000 sq ft of office space on the land had been under way “for a considerable period of time”, according to Hallam.

But the move was put on hold due to Covid-19, and the plans eventually fell through.

Hallam says other interest in “small bits” of the site is “neither viable or deliverable”.

However, there has been interest in alternative uses, such as a restaurant, a petrol station, specialist housing such as retirement or affordable care, a day nursery, or a “trade counter scheme”, where goods are sold to businesses at reduced prices.

The company also says more housing could be an option because the site is within the town’s settlement boundary, where development is generally allowed.

Hallam says that while these uses are not currently in the council’s Local Plan for this site, they could be brought forward if it can be demonstrated the plan for offices is unachievable.

Swale Borough Council says Hallam would need to show that what is currently approved for the site is not viable.

A spokesman said: “Perry Court was allocated for a mixed use residential/employment site in the adopted local plan in 2017 and the planning application was approved in accordance with this in 2019.

“If the developer was looking to alter the allocation or planning permission, they would need to provide evidence to demonstrate that they have appropriately marketed the site for employment use without success and provide accompanying viability evidence.”

Hallam says discussions with the council and feedback from the community will help inform how an alternative development can be brought forward.

Residents have until Thursday to submit views online or by emailing nwoodward@hallamland.co.uk.