Residents have welcomed plans to build a Tesco Express on farmland opposite a sweeping new housing estate which received huge opposition.

The supermarket giant has now been revealed as being behind the proposals for a new branch on Mansfield Farms’ land in Sturry.

The shop is under construction opposite a controversial 456-dwelling development - approved as part of the same application as the new store.

Although the Woodlands estate attracted a strong public backlash when blueprints surfaced three years ago, proposals for the chain store submitted in 2022 have been better received in the village.

Neighbour Patricia Bullen, 80, says: “None of us wanted any of this development here - it used to be a wide-open field.

“But the new Tesco will be nice to get the odd thing now and then.

“I think having a Tesco here might kill the business of the corner shop or the farm shop next door.

“I can’t see people going to those shops if the Tesco is there selling similar stuff for cheaper.”

With Canterbury City Council having approved proposals for the 5,188 sq ft store, it is currently being built next to the Butcher of Brogdale and Broad Oak Farm Shop.

But the prospect of having the UK’s largest supermarket chain as its nearest competitor has left Butcher boss Oliver Moore, 24, unfazed.

“I think it will be quite good for us,” he says.

“It will bring in more people here and once they know we are here they will get their fresh meat from us.

“Tesco won’t be able to compete with us on price.”

But long-time Broad Oak Farm Shop worker Joanna Miles is more apprehensive over what the future holds.

“I really don’t know how it will work,” she says.

“It’s possible that it will attract people to this area and then they‘ll say well I can get our fresh fruit and veg from the farm shop or it could go the other way.

“It’s possible it could do us a favour but then again, most people like to shop all under one roof.

“It should be better here either way once all the building work is done.”

In January, Ms Miles said roadworks associated with the housing scheme saw customers dwindle.

The shop temporarily shut before reopening under the Butcher of Brogdale’s management earlier this year.

It is understood the shop will permanently close again in September.

The village already has a Premium convenience store and Co-Op half a mile away.

But the closest supermarkets are almost two miles away in Canterbury’s Maybrook retail park and Military Road for those wishing to do bigger in-store shops.

Sturry resident Ken Bullock explained: “When we go out to do our grocery shopping we usually go to the Sainsbury's in Herne Bay because the traffic getting into Canterbury is so bad.

“So having a Tesco just over the road will save us time and money.”

Construction of the Woodlands scheme off Herne Bay Road is currently underway, with Tesco hoping to open its doors for business next year.

Split between developers Barratt Homes and David Wilson, the almost 47-acre plans on land formerly known as Broad Oak Farm, has long been a contentious project.

It was used for farming purposes with agricultural buildings to the north, and open and semi-enclosed fields with polytunnels occupying south facing slopes of the Stour Valley.

Initially, up to 650 houses were proposed for the site, but over years of back and forth between Canterbury City Council and developers, the number was significantly reduced.

As various aspects of the proposal were reconsidered four rounds of public consultation were held.

It saw Sturry Parish Council, the Society of Sturry Villages, Canterbury’s Council for the Preservation of Rural England and scores of residents object.

People argued against the loss of agricultural land and biodiversity and raised concerns about how the urbanisation of the Broad Oak area would affect the character of the village.

The current plans - approved by district planners in March 2021 - are for 456 homes comprising 402 houses and 54 flats and also include an outline bid for a new commercial unit.

The scheme will also include 15.8 acres of green open space, including trim trails and play areas, and the developer has committed to planting more than 150 new trees, 14,000 hedgerows and saplings and creating 10,000 metres of hedgehog highways.

A Tesco spokesperson said: “We’re always looking for the best ways to serve local communities and are excited to be opening a new Express store at Mansfield Farms, Sturry, early next year.

“We will keep the local community updated with our plans as we get closer to opening.”