Work at a controversial 4,000-home estate will not begin until least 2024 and will take up to 20 years to complete, say developers.

Mountfield Park, planned for the land just south of Canterbury, has been the source of great concern for residents who fear construction will bring “monstrous” traffic and road changes.

More than 200 objections have been raised since the bid for the 550-acre plot was first launched in 2018 and the project has also been the subject of a high court battle.

After years of delays, Canterbury City Council finally gave the green light at a recent planning meeting for building to begin.

But developers say ground will not be broken at the site until the first quarter of 2024.

“We are now about to begin an intensive process of detailed design and we want to do this with input from the community, as agreed,” said a spokesperson for Corinthian Homes.

“We expect that process to take at least a year.”

“We know that development causes considerable concern.

"But we are confident that as we talk to the people of Canterbury, they will be proud of the step forward they have taken in extending their famous city.

However, residents at the planning meeting in which the project was approved said they felt their concerns had been ignored.

Stephen Peckham, of the Alliance of Canterbury Residents’ Associations, said: “Over the last decade residents have been largely ignored and there has been no attempt to engage with us.”

He added: “For local people at the moment this is not a good development.”

Among the many complaints about the project are worries over traffic and that rural and agricultural land will be lost.

In the December planning meeting, Alan Atkinson, chair of Bridge Parish Council, described the road changes and congestion which could result from the development as “monstrous”.

Others fear the scheme will have a negative effect on the “identity” of the village of Bridge, saying the development is out of character with the area.

Corinthian Homes expects the project to take between 15 and 20 years to complete.

“New homes will only come once founding infrastructure has been put in place,” added the spokesman.