Taxpayers will have to fork out after plans to build more than 40 homes on farmland in a “quiet rural area” were approved on appeal.

Neighbours said the scheme would shatter their tranquility and “ruin their lives”, and more than 60 objectors wrote to the government planning inspector, pleading for him to uphold the decision to refuse it.

But they were overruled, and now Swale council must pay for the developer’s court costs.

The proposals, put forward by house builders Provectus Developments, are for 44 homes on land north of Elm Lane in Minster, on Sheppey, near the former Minster-on-Sea railway station.

Of the 60 letters of objection, most came from homeowners in Drake Avenue, which will provide access for the new estate.

Alan and Jeanette Harrison, who live there, wrote: “Not only are you ruining our beautiful outlook you are ruining our lives”.

Neighbour Joan Nicholls said: “There is already too much traffic racing up Drake Avenue. It will spoil the tranquility of the road.”

Ian Mackenzie, also a resident of Drake Avenue, said the new homes “will raise stress levels of existing residents, many of whom have retired to the quiet rural area”.

Susan Stockbridge pointed out that the land was prone to flooding from “rainwater run-off from the hill behind Nelson Avenue” which is “far more serious than has been suggested”.

Mick and Ange Church, of nearby Nelson Avenue, said: “The reason we purchased this particular bungalow was for the visual amenity and wildlife that the field offered us. This now looks likely we are going to lose this.”

The plans are just one of a few applications for the area surrounding Drake Avenue and Nelson Avenue.

Planning permission has also been granted for 62 homes off nearby Scocles Road.

However, controversial plans for 64 homes north of Nelson Avenue were refused by a planning inspector after 121 people objected. Another 100 homes were also refused after an appeal in October 2022.

Minster-on-Sea Parish Council had previously noted its objection to the 44 homes proposed for the land north of Elm Lane, stating problems with drainage, access, location and lack of road infrastructure.

The authority added that the scheme would be to the “detriment of a much-loved landscape, precious rural amenity and residents' well-being”.

It said: “To overlooking existing homes, loss of historic long-distance landscapes of the village from the Island's Lower Road, and the inevitable increase in tailbacks at the Scocles Road junction, the proposal can only diminish the quality of life for both Minster residents and the wider community.”

However, the developers say the new homes will help meet the housing needs in an area “which is currently not being met”.

“The proposal will support the rural economy. The development includes a range of dwellings providing opportunity, diversity and choice in the housing market,” it added in the planning documents.

It will comprise 23 three-bed, five four-bed and 16 two-bed homes.

Swale council’s head of planning had “strongly recommended” councillors on the planning committee approve the scheme, but members decided the “harm to loss of countryside, and loss of amenity” outweighed the planning benefits.

They rejected the proposals in September 2022 but the developers appealed the decision in March 2023 stating that the plans had been “wrongly adjudged”.

The proposal went to appeal, and government inspector Timothy Burnham approved the plans on Thursday, January 18 and awarded the developer's costs of the appeal.

He found the council’s “unreasonable behaviour” had resulted in “unnecessary and wasted expense”.

A council spokesman said the council “doesn’t know what the value of the costs will be yet”.