Plans for an 80-home estate have been approved after the previous developers behind the scheme went bust.

The new development off Victoria Road West in Littlestone has been in the pipeline for four years but has been finally approved despite fears of “hugely disruptive” construction and failing water infrastructure.

The site in the coastal village on Romney Marsh was allocated for housing in Folkestone & Hythe District Council’s (FHDC) local plan and outline planning permission was given in 2020.

FHDC then refused an application for details of the development - setting out the layout and design - in August 2022.

But the developers appealed to the government’s Planning Inspectorate and won.

Then earlier this year, the developer L&G went into liquidation and ceased production of its modular homes at its Yorkshire factory.

A new planning application brought forward by the new developers - Town & Country Housing and Monson Homes - was submitted to FHDC featuring amendments to the previously approved designs.

These were discussed at a meeting of FHDC’s planning committee on September 10.

Andrew Miles, agent for the developers, told the committee: “This proposal will deliver 80 much-needed new homes of various sizes, tenors and types, including 18 affordable homes and four custom build homes.

“The new homes are designed to be highly sustainable, incorporating higher fabric standards along with low carbon renewable energy systems.”

All 80 of the homes will have air-source heat pumps rather than boilers, planning documents detail.

Ray Jepps, chairman of the Littlestone Residents Association, however, attended to speak against the plans.

“Residents and the town council alike have repeatedly objected to this development,” he stressed.

“However, we are where we are and we have to accept that however flawed the principle of developing this floodplain may be, it will go ahead in some form or another.”

He told of the “woeful condition of the adjacent roads with collapsing surface drains and regular floods” insisting that dykes should be built along the entire boundary of the site to mitigate against flood risks.

Cllr Paul Thomas (Ind), ward councillor for the development site at FHDC, also feared there would be too much strain on the water infrastructure caused by the new estate.

“Littlestone beach is currently a no-swim zone, there are only two in the whole of Kent - St Mary’s Bay and Littlestone.

“We are going to be making a connection from this site onto and adjacent to the Queen’s Road pumping station.”

He also argued that construction would be “hugely disruptive for residents”.

Cllr Tony Cooper (Lab) also took issue over water fears, saying: “Surely we cannot just sit here and say you can have the nod and do that, that’s going to cause demonstrable harm.”

However, a council planning officer pointed out that Southern Water, which is responsible for sewage in most of Kent, raised no concerns about the development stressing the system.

The firm has also repeatedly denied any sewage discharges have been carried out from its treatment site.

“If members were to refuse it based on that point alone here tonight, I’d be concerned about our chances of defending it at appeal,” the officer explained.

FHDC’s planning committee voted to approve the application with seven votes in favour, two against, and one abstention.