The first homes in a “garden village” on the outskirts of Herne Bay could be occupied by the end of next year, the Gazette can reveal.

Plans were submitted last Friday (January 5) to build 450 houses on a 53-acre site in Greenhill.

To be called Thornden Wood Village, it will offer two- and four-bedroom homes, with 30% of them available to rent or for shared ownership through a housing association.

Herne Bay firm Hollamby Estates is leading the development and says if the proposal is accepted almost 100 houses could be complete by the end of 2019.

“The likelihood is the development will be phased and run at about 80 to 90 units per annum,” said Hollamby’s development manager, Chris Crook.

“The scheme is based on 450 units taken from our own market research on what houses are currently being built and the specific requirements of Canterbury City Council and housing associations.”

The site is included in the council’s Local Plan, which has earmarked land across the district for housing development over the next 13 years.

The Greenhill plot’s inclusion in the document for a total of 600 homes increases the likelihood of the application being approved by the authority’s planning committee later this year.

Other features of the proposal include a link road through the housing estate connecting Greenhill Road and Thornden Wood Road, as well as parking for parents dropping off children at the nearby Briary Primary School.

While there are also plans for a community-use building, Mr Crook says Hollamby has not yet been approached by an individual or organisation to use it.

“In the Local Plan it said we needed to identify how that could be delivered and so we’ve identified on the plan an area where that could be provided, but that will be subject to there being effective demand for it,” he said.

“It also says that we should be looking to provide health centres and we’ve met with local doctor’s practices and they don’t see that they need anywhere other than what they’ve currently got.

“We’ve identified that these things can be provided, but we can’t say whether they will, or when, yet.”

Mr Crook says Hollamby hopes to secure a house builder by the time the planning application is considered.

“The precise content and pricing of the properties will depend on who becomes the delivery partner and what stage the market is in,” he added.

“The earliest the planning permission will be approved is about six months and the latest ought to be September.”

Mr Crook hopes building will start by the end of the year.

The council has confirmed the application arrived on Friday and, provided it is valid, will be published online shortly to allow for the normal period of public consultation.