GOVERNMENT plans for a huge expansion of house-building across Kent have taken a knock with an opinion poll suggesting two out of three people do not believe investment in roads, health services and schools will keep pace with development.

Around 120,000 homes are forecast to be built under the Government’s blueprint for development over the next 20 years, with Ashford and north Kent earmarked as “growth areas.”

Ministers have worked hard to convince local councils they are prepared to meet the costs of infrastructure that will be needed.

But a survey conducted by county councils in the south east showed there was little confidence among residents that the Government would keep to its pledge.

More than two-thirds of those who took part in the survey from Kent said they did not want any increase in house-building without substantial investment in infrastructure first.

The ICM poll reveals that, in Kent, 67 per cent of those surveyed are not confident the money needed for for roads, rail, water supply and sewerage will keep pace with house-building.

Scepticism among Kent residents is the highest of anywhere in the south east. Elsewhere, the figure was around 60 per cent.

Kent residents also lead the way in calling for a slow down in house-building, with 47% calling for a lower rate than in the past five years. In Kent 20 per cent wanted the same building rate to continue.

Kent County Council’s Conservative administration is calling for house-building to be for local residents first and is pressing for the figure for people moving into the region scaled back.

The poll of more than 8,000 people was conducted by ICM across the south east between 11 February and 3 March. Around 1,028 were polled across Kent.

County council Conservative leader Sir Sandy Bruce-Lockhart said: “This is a major, independent survey that supports KCC’s opposition to accelerated house-building and shows the public is with us. The poll highlights our right to be concerned about the delivery of quality infrastructure to match the government’s house-building expansion.”

There were particular Kent worries about water supply and drought if more houses were built, he added.

Kent has estimated that around £10billion of investment could be needed if the Government’s drive for an increase in homes comes to fruition.