An inquiry begins today into plans to build 200 homes on farmland off the A2.

Gladman Developments has submitted plans for Moor Street in Rainham, where the summer boot fair is held.

The application has already been rejected by Medway Council but will now be the subject of an inquiry which is expected to last six days.

Medway Council refused permission for the development in October last year, on the grounds it would harm the rural character of the area, result in the loss of farmland and adversely affect the character of the Moor Street conservation area.

It was also decided it would have detrimental impact on A2/Otterham Quay Lane junction leading to “increased congestion and delays at peak times”.

Swale Borough Council and Upchurch and Hartlip parish councils all objected, and 116 letters of objection were received by the planning department.

Residents raised concerns about added pressure on schools and GP surgeries. Councillors agreed and said the development would have an “unacceptable impact” on local services.

"These are the last areas of green in the east of the borough..." - Cllr Howard Doe

Rainham and Upchurch have seen several plans for more homes. Another application for 300 houses off Otterham Quay Lane was rejected by councillors last year but Persimmon, the company behind the blueprints, has also appealed.

An application for 136 homes off Mierscourt Road, Rainham, was submitted last month and a decision is expected to be made on an application for 41 homes on land next to Jubilee Fields in Upchurch.

Outline permission has also been granted by Swale council for 50 homes north of Canterbury Lane, Upchurch.

Rainham councillor Howard Doe said the local infrastructure could not cope with more houses. He chaired a meeting against the Moor Street proposal last year.

He said: “These are the last areas of green in the east of the borough. If they get eaten up, it is not only the loss of the land but a strain on the roads and schools. Rainham and Hempstead has already met the requirement for homes over the last 50 years.”

Gladman’s planning statement said its proposal responds to the “identified need to deliver additional homes in the district of Medway”.

The development would take six to eight years to complete, with between 25 and 50 homes being built each year.