Wasteland once dubbed a “scar on the landscape” deemed unsuitable for a large housing estate has hit the market for £5m.

The former Wyevale Garden Centre site near Faversham could be set for a new lease of life after becoming barren and overgrown during the last 15 years.

Spanning 22 acres in Norton, the land was previously earmarked for a 67-home estate however, the proposals were thrown when the location was deemed unacceptable.

Now, estate agents Dowley Turner Real Estate (DTRE) has informally slapped a £5 million price tag on the land off London Road.

But the London-based firm says it could also see the plot split into smaller chunks and offered on leaseholds.

Wedged between Faversham and Sittingbourne, the land has stood empty since 2008 when disused buildings were pulled down after falling foul of vandalism.

DTRE bosses told KentOnline: “There's no option off limits at the moment. It's very flexible and we'd be open to receiving interest across all sizes.

“The site could be used for a whole host of different things. It wouldn't be one of these sites that lends itself perfectly to one use type.

“But it's all very much subject to planning and the sort of funds the purchaser would be willing to put forward.

“We're anticipating conversations to be in the region of five million, it’s very much on a case-by-case basis.”

Currently owned by BMW, the site had previously been the subject of a planning application to erect 67 homes on the site in 2015 – sparking protests from furious residents.

Put together by BDB Design, the applicants claimed the sprawling site had become a “scar on the landscape” and said the plan “strikes the right balance between making efficient use of the site whilst preserving and enhancing its rural setting”.

Initially rejected by council officers, an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate to overturn the decision was also snubbed in May 2016 – more than a year after Swale Borough Council first threw it out.

It was decided the plot was “not an acceptable location for housing development”.

Built in the 1960s, it opened as Norton Ash Garden Centre and was a small, family-owned establishment before expanding across the next two decades.

In the 1990s, it was taken over by Country Gardens and was then rebranded under the Wyevale banner for the last few years of its life before closing in 2007.

Commercial uses have often been preferred on the land, with previous bids to expand the entertainment aspect on the site granted.

A plan to introduce a family attraction based on a range of open-air attractions such as an adventure playground, mini golf, water garden or model train was approved in 2001.

However, planning permission was refused in August 2005 for a revised scheme comprising an enlarged garden centre, associated retailing and outdoor display and leisure areas, an indoor sports centre and a centre for skateboarding and BMX cycle riding.

It last had permission to operate as a retail space with a restaurant, farm food hall and outdoor leisure park with room for at least 700 cars.