A developer insists his plans for new homes will be “great” for his village – despite residents’ fears it is becoming a “suburb” of a nearby town.

Max Tillings says he bought the former piggery site in Main Road, Sellindge, 20 years ago to stop it from being built on.

But after seeing the local GP surgery “not being able to cope” with demand, he has now put forward proposals for a medical centre on the land – alongside 32 new homes.

Earlier this month, anxious villagers expressed their dismay over the level of housebuilding in Sellindge and said it is becoming a “suburb of Ashford”.

But Mr Tillings told KentOnline his plans for the site adjacent to the Duke’s Head pub are “low-key” and will “not interfere with anyone”.

The 52-year-old, who rents out five properties in Sellindge, said: “We are looking to bring services in the village for the local people – namely, a medical centre, local housing and affordable housing.

“I bought this land 20 years ago to stop development on the site. But after seeing the existing doctors' surgery not being able to cope, we have decided to try to help provide the much-needed services. I think this is a plausible and nice thing to do.”

Mr Tillings’ proposals come as Gladman Developments Limited has lodged plans for 105 homes to be built on the other side of the A20, next to the Potten Farm Shop.

Housebuilder Taylor Wimpey has already constructed 250 homes opposite the village's Co-op store. Meanwhile, the 10,000-home Otterpool Park 'garden town' is set for land on and around the nearby former Folkestone Racecourse.

But Mr Tillings believes his proposals differ from many of the others in the village due to it being a brownfield site.

He added: “I have listened to local people who are fed up with vast amounts of green land being destroyed and I have experienced exactly what the locals are saying.

“The former piggery is allocated on brownfield land, not green space land. Our site is dormant and ready to be developed.”

Folkestone and Hythe District Council (FHDC) rejected Mr Tillings’ proposals earlier this year.

He has now re-submitted the application, which is currently under review from the authority.

Mr Tillings, who has owned properties in Sellindge for the past 20 years, believes he has been treated “unfairly” by FHDC.

In 2020, he also submitted an application for six homes on the site next door to the former piggery. However, this is yet to be approved.

Mr Tillings added: “My proposal is on my own land.

“This is a well-screened site and will not take up large amounts of green space, unlike some of the proposals by other big developers.

“The whole situation has been messed about by the local planning authority and is nothing short of scandalous.”

Gladman's plan includes a vision for new public open space, including a children’s play area, seating areas, woodland planting, wildlife ponds and recreational routes.

Within the application, developers say the proposals have been prepared in a “comprehensive manner” and will be set within an “attractive network of well-landscaped green spaces”.

Elsewhere in the village, Quinn Homes is behind plans for 105 homes and a “state-of-art” GP surgery at Elmtree Farm, which was hit by a huge fire earlier this year.

Meanwhile, the company is already building properties at its 128-home Grove Park site on the southern side of the village, near Grove Bridge.

In response to the comments made by Mr Tillings, an FHDC spokesperson said: “All planning applications are considered on their own merits.

“When a local planning authority doesn’t grant permission, it sets out its reasons for doing so in a formal decision notice.”

KentOnline revealed earlier this year how just 0.7% of land in the Ashford borough is in use as housing.

In the Folkestone and Hythe district, the figure is 1%.