Planners at Tunbridge Wells Borough Council were set to agree plans for a new hotel tonight, but the meeting has been deferred.

Plans have been submitted to build a 56-room hotel at Salomons Estate, owned by Markerstudy Group.

Construction would require the demolition of two accommodation blocks built in the walled garden in the 1970s.

They are currently used to provide accommodation for people attending training courses and events.

The hotel would be situated near the back end of the site, in Broomhill Road, where a 19th century greenhouse previously sat.

The building would include en-suite, double bedrooms across three floors - two of which would be below ground to comply with height limitations.

Development would also include a restaurant with 70 covers serving hotel guests.

The application was originally submitted to the council in 2013 but has been delayed due to concerns over the potential cumulative impact of the proposal with others for the estate - notably the Father Christmas World application which was unanimously refused.

The application site comprises the main access off Broomhill Road, the walled garden to the north-east of the main house and the parking area and internal site roads to the south.

The building would be set into a slope to give the illusion of a single storey building when approached from the main house, water tower and folly.

When the application was put out for consultation several neighbouring residents lodged objections.

Concerns included the detrimental impact on an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the felling of trees, the impact on the green belt and traffic and disturbance from events.

Southborough Town Council said councillors backed the idea of increasing the commercial viability of the site but have concerns that not enough information had been provided to support the design.

Rusthall Parish Council objected to the proposal due to the probable increase in construction and social traffic. In its response it said Broomhill Road is not wide enough for the proposed volume of construction vehicles and the entrances are not suitable.

"This was an unfortunate administrative error and we have apologised to those concerned" - TWBC spokesman

Kent County Council's Highways and Transportation department said its main issue is the degree to which the redevelopment of the accommodation will result in additional trips to the site.

The application has been recommended for approval and was due to go before Tunbridge Wells Borough Council's planning committee at 5pm today, however it has been removed from the agenda.

A council spokesman said: "The application was taken off the planning committee agenda at short notice when it became apparent that neighbouring parish councils who had submitted comments during the initial consultation period had not been notified and given the opportunity to comment on additional information submitted by the applicant.

"This was an unfortunate administrative error and we have apologised to those concerned. We are confident that this will not have an impact on the overall timescale in which all the planning matters will be finalised and a decision issued, should the committee agree with the officer recommendation for approval."