Developers have been given the go-ahead to press on with the second phase of work at 330-home estate at a former gunpowder and aggregates site.

The £40 million Faversham Lakes scheme, which sprawls across 131 acres, has been under construction for more than a year.

A handful of the first 113 homes from phase one are still on offer, and now - having recently gained planning approval - the next batch of 106 houses will be built.

The mixture two and three-bedroom properties are expected to be ready from January 2022.

The site, located at the former Oare Gravel Works, stretches up to the East Kent Recycling site, neighbours Oare Windmill and Davington Primary School.

Sales adviser Keri-Ann Grieves said: “We have seen interest from the younger people who have been brought up in Faversham – we have a lot of first-time buyers from the local area.

“We also have older couples who have moved from the village who want a more country feel rather than the hustle and bustle.

“Then we have people coming from places like Ireland or Manchester, coming here because they have family living in the area.”

The site was originally developed as a gunpowder works, supplying firepower from the 16th century for both military purposes and the blasting of canals and railways.

The facility closed down in 1934 owing to its vulnerability to an air attack, and following military use during the Second World War, it was repurposed for mineral extraction use Brett Aggregates.

Supplies of aggregates were exhausted in the late 2000s and outline planning permission for the 330-home residential development and creation of a country park was granted in 2017.

The firm behind the project - the Anderson Group - took over the reins of the development in 2018.

Once complete, a nature park boasting new footpaths, bird hides and wildlife havens will be formed.

A visitor centre ‘heritage hub’ for the country park is set be created by bringing derelict work buildings back into life.

A new headquarters for the 8th Faversham Sea Scout troop, which has been based at the site for more than 40 years, will also be delivered as part of the multi-million pound project.

The bid for the second phase of work, which attracted four objections from nearby residents, was approved by Swale Borough Council last month.

Opponents said the the homes which are currently being constructed are "ugly American designs and inappropriate for a small market town", while others raised fears over a lack of infrastructure to cope with the population increase.

Permission, however, has now been granted and works on the second phase can press ahead.

Ms Grieves added: “The specifications of the homes knock the socks of the competition."

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