Plans have been put forward for the next phase of Kent’s largest self-build housing estate.

The Orchard Farm development in Kennington, Ashford, will be the first of its kind in the town, and eventually take up 5.7ha on unused farmland, with 122 homes.

Developers are lodging the proposals in stages. Outline permission for the first 25 homes was granted in August 2020 and the full application was put forward in March. The greenlight is now sought for 97 homes.

The project, spearheaded by Dutch self-build company Steenvlinder, alongside Kent developers Urbanise, will see the land separated into "clusters" of individual plots, with infrastructure – including water, electricity, and roads – already built.

The plots are then bought by individuals who build their own homes within guidelines in their "plot passport" provided by the developers.

Planning documents lodged alongside the latest application last month, read: “Our vision for Orchard Farm is to create the first sustainable self-built community in Kent.

“As a developer our overarching purpose is to empower self-builders to be able to shape their environment.”

Orchard Farm Kent Limited, the partnership between Steenvlinder and Urbanise, is seeking full planning permission for 33 homes, and outline for up to another 64.

This means details of the design, layout and size of the 64 Kennington homes will be dealt with through later applications.

Anyone buying the land will be able to build their house entirely by themselves or with the help of a developer-appointed architect and builder.

While guidelines have to be followed, self-builds give allows buyers to design the layout of their home inside while choosing how it will look externally.

The style guide includes “the farmyard as a primary unit for the development,” documents state.

They go on: “The access roads would become lanes partially lined with short terraces reflecting the worker’s cottages prevalent in the area.

“These lanes would lead to farmyards, which would each comprise of a discrete cluster of about six houses arranged around a traditional semi-public shared farmyard.”

Meadows and hedgerows will be spread throughout the site, while fruit trees, wildflowers and footpaths will also be added.

Of the 122 homes, 30% are earmarked as affordable housing, and these will be built directly by the developers, rather than as self-builds.

It is not yet known when ABC’s planning committee will decide on the bid, but an internal deadline of March 12 has been set.