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A council leader has said there is nothing improper in his friendship with a property developer.

Folkestone and Hythe District Council (FHDC) leader David Monk confirmed he is friends with David and Lucy Westgarth after the couple recently were granted planning permission to build 12 eco-holiday lodges on land they own in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

But the councillor insisted he had no involvement in the application's success, amid accusations about their 'close personal and business relationships' in magazine Private Eye.

Last month, planning councillors approved proposals for the resort on Little Densole Farm in Canterbury Road, Densole for a second time.

The bid had previously been quashed by a top judge after a Judicial Review - a high court proceeding which investigate the lawfulness of a public body’s decision.

An article in Private Eye's Rotten Borough’s section last week said: "Objectors believe more attention should be paid to the close personal and business relationships between the applicants and council leader David Monk and his wife Gill."

It pointed out that Cllr Monk does not sit on the planning committee and added: "The Westgarths and Monks regularly socialise and have businesses that share the same registered office address. Small world!"

But speaking exclusively to KentOnline's sister paper Folkestone and Hythe Express this week, Cllr Monk stated: “I strongly reject the imputations contained within the Private Eye article.

"It is true that Mr and Mrs Westgarth are friends of my wife and myself - a fact that I have never sought to conceal or deny.

"Far from it. Because they are, I have always distanced myself from their planning applications, knowing full well that if I did not such imputations would be made.

"The planning application was determined by the planning and licensing committee and I had no involvement at all in the decision-making process."

'It is true that Mr and Mrs Westgarth are friends of my wife and myself - a fact that I have never sought to conceal or deny.' - Cllr David Monk, leader of FHDC

He continued: "I do not disagree with recourse to Judicial Review but I do think that the financial thresholds are too low and that because they are, we are seeing a massive increase in their use.

"As to the council rehearing the application, a Judicial Review ruling voids the original decision on procedural grounds. It was therefore necessary to take this application again to the planning and licensing committee so that a decision could be made."

In February, Mrs Justice Lang ruled against FHDC's 2017 decision to approve the holiday village the size of four football fields in Densole.

She branded the decision “irrational and unintelligible” in a Judicial Review.

The council wound up in the high court after members went against officers’ recommendations to object the proposals.

In May, members again voted down officer’s recommendations to throw out the proposals, which also include a fishing lake and tennis courts.

Businessman Tim Steer, who put the council in front of the courts and won, said after last months decision: "We'll need to consult with our lawyers and our barristers to see if there is grounds [for a second Judicial Review].

"If they tell me there's at least a 50/50 chance that we could win, then we'll probably do it again."

Planning officers and councillors concluded that the plans would enhance the area, benefit communities and tourism, and any harm to the AONB would be short term.