A decision on a scheme to develop farmland in Sholden has been deferred until the findings of a transport survey are known.

Persimmon’s plans for 70 homes would be accessible from Hyton Drive off Church Lane, Deal, but the district’s planning committee decided to defer a decision about granting permission until the Deal Study is completed in three weeks.

The site is north east of the existing Timperley Place development by Persimmon and on a floodplane category 3a – which has a reduced risk of flooding after the Deal sea defence works.

The planning meeting on Thursday last week heard that the Environment Agency says the likelihood of flooding is now once in every 300 years, but committee members said this assessment “means nothing” when nearby Albert Road has been flooded three times in one year because of sewer and pump house problems.

In just a couple of years that area’s risk changed from one in 100 years to one in 10 years, and is now to become one in 50 years.

The proposed site “once covered in dykes” now has an overspill pond for surface water which would be connected to the Southwall Road dyke during development, but residents were still concerned about flooding when it rains heavily. Conditions, imposed by the DDC planning officer dealing with the case specifies a connection to the sewer must be made before occupation begins.

Ancillary to the report, councillors were told that 45 metres of hedgerow will be removed out of breeding season. They were also told the designated open space, which includes a park, will be protected to ensure there will be no further development.

Traffic and road problems were discussed, including the potential widening of 11ft wide Cornfield Row which is presently so narrow cars can’t turn around without venturing onto people’s drives.

The Highways officer was present and confirmed it would be widened by a minimum of 4.8 metres making it “no narrower than Roman Close.”

A resident, Mr Conlan, complained the site lacks an arterial road for through traffic serving the present development of 230 homes with potential for a total 300 homes. All related traffic enters and exits the main road network via the junction of Church Lane and Hyton Drive, which he described as “a converted cul-de-sac”. Councillors were concerned about the extra strain on the junction. This has been calculated by the Highway officer as presently 291 movements at the junction, 37 coming from the new development if it gains consent. This is an increase of 12.7%, decreasing to 3.3% by the time traffic reaches Middle Deal Road and about 1% by the time it reaches the North End as it disperses naturally with motorists taking different route options.

Councillors were not convinced by Mr Conlan’s argument.

The decision to defer was made after councillor Trevor Bond informed the committee that he and other members had been told the Deal Study concludes in three weeks.

They agreed to defer a decision until they had studied its findings.