Long-standing plans to build up to 550 new homes have been given outline permission.

The Kingsnorth Green scheme – which will see 51 hectares of land off Pound Lane, Magpie Hall Road, Bond Lane and Ashford Road developed – was supported by a majority of the planning committee last night.

Proposals for up to 750 homes on the site were first submitted in 2015, but were amended by Pentland Homes and Jarvis Homes following changes to Ashford Borough Council’s (ABC) emerging local plan.

The applicants describe the development as being “based around a new village green”, providing homes in a “carefully landscaped environment”.

Cllr Paul Bartlett (Con) said more time was needed to assess the plans and to enable further engagement with key parties, including with developers of other major housing developments nearby.

He added: “We haven’t yet had a full masterplan stakeholder engagement where residents, the parish council, water management, traffic and so on are properly considered.

“This site is being treated in splendid isolation from an adjoining development and, frankly, that’s just not good enough. Kingsnorth deserves a lot better than what is being presented to this committee tonight.”

Local resident Sue McGeever said she only learned about the application the night before the meeting, adding the development “took me by great surprise as somebody that’s going to be directly affected”.

A motion to defer the item was rejected, despite Cllr Jim Wedgbury (Con) saying any delay would give Ashford Borough Council the opportunity to “start banging some heads together” and bring about “joined-up” thinking.

It was deemed outline planning permission should be granted, with most of the concerns raised by locals – including visual impact and strain on local services – likely to be scrutinised at the reserved matters stage.

Cllr Graham Galpin (Con) added: “If we decline to pursue this with that appears to be a rational number of developed units, then we are leaving ourselves very open to abuse by another developer if these walked away.

“I’m very comfortable with it as it stands and letting it go through to reserved matters.”

Meanwhile, a further 350 new homes are to be built in Kingsnorth after getting the go-ahead from Ashford Borough Council’s planning committee.

Taylor Wimpey and Persimmon Homes’ application for 353 dwellings on land south of Park Farm East was unanimously supported last night.

Head of development and management and strategic sites Lois Jarrett wrote: “I am satisfied that the proposal would accord with the provisions of the emerging development plan read as a whole.

“This is a material consideration of sufficient weight to recommend granting planning permission without further delay."