A bid to build 160 homes on 15 acres of farmland has been given the go-ahead despite neighbours’ concerns.

Developer Stonebond has been granted permission to roll out the estate on land off Bullockstone Road, Herne Bay, currently earmarked for more than 1,500 new-builds.

The company says the project will provide “high-quality homes” for local people “set within a beautiful landscape” while enhancing the natural environment.

But some have criticised the plans, claiming the area already has more than enough houses.

Herne and Broomfield Parish Council chairman Carol Davis told KentOnline: “We’ve had enough houses here. The issue is we don’t have the doctors, and we don’t have the schools. It’s the infrastructure that should be a priority.

“It's just more houses, which is a problem, especially with the traffic until the service road is linked up.

“Where is all that traffic going to go, it’s either going to go past the school or it will go the other way on a road that is completely inappropriate.

“Also with the new crematorium opening next week there will be even more traffic.”

KentOnline previously revealed how just 1.6% of land in the Canterbury district is currently used for housing.

In response to the 160-home bid, the NHS requested a £138,240 contribution towards the development of Heron Medical Practice, Beltinge and Reculver Surgery and Park Surgery.

Proposals for the complex were given the green light in September and work is expected to begin by the end of the year, taking about three-and-a-half years.

Stonebond says it will contribute to the city council’s community infrastructure levy, money from which can go towards schools, transport and health and social care improvements.

The plot, called Northwood, was also earmarked for 190 homes in the Local Plan, the council’s housing blueprint, five years ago.

But the developer says it is pressing ahead with a smaller scheme to ensure it is a “lower density, landscape-led” project.

“Our designs are centred around a large green space which can be enjoyed by new and existing residents in the area,” a spokesman for Stonebond said.

“The development will include a range of energy-efficiency measures designed to benefit residents and help them live sustainably in the long term, including solar panels and electric vehicle charging points.”

Papers state 30% of the homes will be designated as “affordable”, as is the minimum required by the city council.

This is the second Stonebond site along Bullockstone Road. The other, to build 78 properties at the town’s former driving range, was approved last year.

When that scheme was given the go-ahead, the contentious decision was met with ire as residents branded it “ridiculous” and “unbelievable”.

In all, four housing estates are earmarked for land off the Canterbury-to-Herne Bay rat-run.

More than 660 homes are planned for the former golf course – which is currently being developed by Redrow – and a further 800 will be built on a massive plot at Strode Farm.

“The proposals have been carefully developed and the design has evolved with careful consideration of scale, appearance and materials that relate to the surrounding context,” the Stonebond spokesman added.

“These plans provide sensitively designed, high quality homes that are appropriate to meet local need.

“The development will contribute positively towards the character of the area through and thorough, thoughtful and considered proposal.”

Last month, KentOnline shone a spotlight on the county’s housing crisis, as families struggle with rising mortgage payments, rents and getting on the property ladder.

Close to 12,000 new homes – the equivalent of 1,000 a month – will need to be built in the county every year if government housing targets are to be met.

And with the last annual figure for new builds revealing just 6,820 were built during 2021/22 – according to the Office for National Statistics – the county is set to fall far short of expectation.