A 3,200-home 'super estate' linking two Kent villages has been included in a council's latest housing blueprint.

The sprawling development at Cooting Farm in Adisham - on the edge of the Canterbury - is the largest scheme in a new document published this week.

It will see the small village swell in size and link with neighbouring Aylesham.

Other huge developments unveiled in the draft Local Plan include 2,800 homes to the south west of the city - with one site earmarked to include a new 'super hospital' and football ground.

Littlebourne Road, which already has estates being built at the former Howe Barracks site and St Martin's Hospital, is set to take a further 1,400 homes on land neighbouring Bekesbourne Lane.

Towards the coast, 1,300 homes are planned for a sprawling site at Brooklands Farm in Whitstable, and a further 250 at Bodkin Farm in Chestfield.

In total, the council is proposing to build 13,000 extra homes by 2045 - a figure which is on top of the 16,000 already earmarked for construction by 2031.

It would mean an average of 1,252 new properties being built in the district each year until 2045.

Away from housing, two long-awaited secondary schools on the coast are planned - along with a special educational needs school in Whitstable, and six primaries dotted around the district.

Whitstable is also planned to at last get its own version of a park and ride system, while Highland Court business park on the outskirts of Bridge will be significantly expanded with a particular focus on wine production.

Land is also allocated for the much-mooted huge reservoir at Broad Oak, which has been under consideration since the 1950s.

Council leader Ben Fitter-Harding says the Local Plan - which also includes radical traffic ban proposals for Canterbury - will safeguard the district's future.

"At whichever point I step away from this role, I want to be sure that the hand I played in whatever comes next is going to be something that is really valuable," he said.

"I want the district to be enjoyed for generations to come, and I believe what we have planned can achieve that.

"We have to deliver the housing that our residents need to live and work in the district, but we don't want to cram in houses.

"Therefore, we have low-density sites proposed. We've had to use more land to deliver it, but isn't it better to have better housing and more open space? That will help mental health and wellbeing.

"Rather than cramming everyone in like sardines in a tin, we want the housing allocations to breathe.

"About 50% of the space in the developments will be allocated open space.

"They will be protected, so they will be maintained for years to come - the open spaces will not be allowed to be built on."

Developers will be told to ensure their schemes deliver a minimum of 20% 'biodiversity net gain', while those boasting more than 300 homes must have a minimum of 20% tree cover across the site.

The proposals have been drawn up following a call for sites from the council, which saw hundreds of plots put forward by developers, farmers and residents.

Wincheap councillor Nick Eden-Green says there has been no joined-up thinking in the authority's proposals.

"No proper thought seems to have been given to building communities," the Lib Dem said.

"The sites are those put forward by developers without any overarching strategy and no thought to the basic tenets of good town planning. There will be a string of faceless housing estates.

"It will mean, alongside the current plan, concentrating some 16,000 more houses on the eastern, southern and western fringes of Canterbury on a dozen or more disjointed independently developed sites.

"The whole emphasis, once more, will be on Canterbury. It will increase the size and population of the city by over 50%."

Water quality issues have stalled house-building across much of the district over the past two years, causing the council to fall well shy of its construction targets.

The authority believes its draft Local Plan can tackle problems holding back work by calling on developers to build homes that use much less water, and introduce measures such as rainwater harvesting.

Sites of more than 300 homes within the Stour catchment will be required to build on-site waste water treatment works to clean the water there and then.

These works will be adopted by the water companies and be fully regulated by the Environment Agency and Ofwat.

Here we look at some of the most significant developments planned for the district...

CANTERBURY

Land at Merton Park: 2,075 homes

The biggest development for the city would see 114 acres of green space between Wincheap and Nackington Road developed.

Quinn Estates has its sights set on building the 2,075 homes in exchange for delivering the shell of a new 'super hospital' as a replacement for the K&C.

The plot has long been eyed up for development. However, until now it has not been allocated in a Local Plan.

If the NHS does not choose to build the super hospital, the land would instead be made available for residential development.

A new sports hub for the city, including updated rugby club facilities and a new football ground for nomadic Canterbury City FC, is also set to be part of the scheme.

Another park and ride will also be created catering for 500 vehicles, while a primary school will also be built.

Land at Cooting Farm, Adisham: 3,200 homes

This is a new garden city-style development envisaged to be fully self-sufficient, with residents not having to travel out of the boundaries of the site to get their essentials.

The scheme is expected to come to fruition during the 2030s. After 4,000-home Mountfield Park, it will become the second-largest housing development in the history of the district.

Council papers state: "Sustainability will be at the core of the new community which will be developed in accordance with garden city principals creating connected, vibrant and sociable neighbourhoods which support net zero carbon emissions living."

Two primary schools are also due to be built. Improvements to Adisham railway station will also be made to help it cater for the dramatic influx of residents.

The scheme will see Adisham and Aylesham merge into one big settlement on the border of the Canterbury and Dover districts.

Aylesham is in the process of undergoing a mammoth expansion, with 1,200 new homes being built. Construction on the remaining 290 is set to begin in January.

As well as the 3,200-home garden city, the city council is also proposing to allocate land for a further 400 homes to the south of the village. A 120-acre country park with walking/cycling routes, bird hides and play areas is also earmarked.

Land to the north of Hollow Lane: 735 homes

Over the other side of the A2, another large development will see farmland between Hollow Lane and the back of Thanington built on.

Shops, a primary school and 4,000 sq m of business space are to be allocated.

Land south of Littlebourne Road: 1,400 homes

Yet more housing is earmarked for the A257 - one of the major routes in and out of the city.

A total of 1,400 homes and a new primary school are proposed for land neighbouring Canterbury Camping and Caravanning Club Campsite.

Land south of Bekesbourne Lane: 645 homes

Immediately to the south of the large Littlebourne Road site, hundreds of more homes are planned for fields bordering the railway line.

Former Odeon Cinema, St George's Place: 50 homes

Odeon officially closed its doors two months ago, having been a Covid vaccine centre for the past two years.

Fifty homes are earmarked for the site off the ring-road, with new commercial facilities launching on the ground floor.

Milton Manor House: 95 homes

Thanington already has 1,150 homes approved for construction under the existing Local Plan. Now a further 95 homes have been allocated on the edge of the under-construction Cockering Farm site, with the new homes stretching near to Milton Manor Roundabout.

Canterbury Golf Course: 74 homes

Earlier this year, the council proposed cutting through the golf course with its eastern bypass.

However, with the planned road now looping further east, dozens of homes have been allocated at the venue.

They are proposed to be built on the existing driving range and clubhouse site.

The council says a new and improved clubhouse would be built in its stead.

OTHER SITES INCLUDE....

Becket House, New Dover Road: 67 homes

Land at Station Road East (snooker club): 37 homes

Land at former Chaucer Technology School: 70 homes

Land to the west of Rattington Street, Chartham: 170 homes

Bread and Cheese Field, Hersden: 150 homes

The Hill, Littlebourne: 300 homes

Land north of Popes Lane, Sturry: 110 homes

WHITSTABLE

Land at Brooklands Farm: 1,300 homes

The largest scheme proposed for Whitstable, the 1,300-home development will act as an extension to Chestfi eld.

As well as a new primary school, a SEND school - a facility for children with special educational needs or disabilities - will be built at the site.

Land south of Thanet Way: 270 homes

Following years of unfulfilled aspirations, a plan for a park and ride to serve the town has been drawn up.

Called park and bus - due to it being served by usual Stagecoach services - the system will operate from a new development to the south of the Old Thanet Way opposite Duncan Down.

The facility will cater for 200 spaces.

As well as new shops and community facilities, 270 homes are planned.

Bodkin Farm: 250 homes

Along with 250 homes, the first of two new coastal secondary schools will be built on land off the Old Thanet Way at Chestfield.

The council hopes the new schools will significantly help reduce traffic heading to the city.

The authority states: "There is currently an imbalance in the location of secondary school provision across the district, with many pupils from the coastal area travelling to schools in Canterbury."

HERNE BAY

Land to the west of Thornden Wood Road: 150 homes

The other new secondary school will be based in Herne Bay, along with 150 new homes.

Of the 13,000 properties allocated in the draft Local Plan, Herne Bay will take on the fewest.

The council believes the town has borne the brunt of numerous developments over the years, and therefore has opted to focus the biggest housing schemes away from the town.