A Grade II listed former bear pit that attracted millions of visitors during Victorian times will not be uncovered when hundreds of homes are built around it.

Rosherville Gardens, Northfleet, built in 1837 in a disused chalk pit, boasted a tea room, landscaped gardens, a maze, a lake, a tower, extravagant shows with performances by acrobats and fortune tellers and impressive firework displays.

At one time there was a peacock house and a monkey house as well as the pit to see, and possibly feed, Rosie the bear.

The site was forced to close just before the First World War.

At the end of 2012, when the site was being excavated in preparation for proposed development, the bear pit was found again but it was immediately covered.

Towards the end of last year, developers Keepmoat submitted an outline planning application for the next stage of the massive Ebbsfleet Garden City development, known as Northfleet Embankment East, including the former Rosherville Gardens.

Keepmoat acknowledged the heritage of the site, adding that it had planned "an interpretation of the former Italian Garden" with special attention given to the protection and restoration of green space at the bear pit site.

But residents and heritage enthusiasts campaigned for Keepmoat to uncover and restore the pit, along with the gardens’ other Grade II listed structures, the cliff top entrance, the quay walls, steps and drawdock, and the unlisted Hermit’s Cave within the cliffs.

Keepmoat’s full planning application now has no intention to restore any of the structures but commemorate them with a heritage trail.

Mike Dempsey, regional managing director of Keepmoat Homes, said: “We have worked closely with the relevant authorities and statutory consultees.

“We are commemorating the location of the bear pit, in line with their advice.”

However, history enthusiast Conrad Broadley said: “The application is probably one of the worst examples of regeneration in an historically sensitive area.”

He said it showed no regard to the bear pit, the Grade II listed cliff top entrance and stairway, the Hermit’s Cave, the Henley’s air raid shelter nor the Rosherville Gardens quay and cavernous, under-road tea room.

Mr Broadley said: “They have proposed a farcical heritage trail whereas the truth is the only heritage trail is a bit of grass on the bit they are not allowed to build on because of the heritage which lies underneath.”

He called for rejection of the plans by the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation this summer, adding: “I’m hoping they will take on board it’s not only about housing numbers.”

The planning application is for 628 homes, a primary school, shops, open spaces and changes to road layouts around land off Crete Hall Road, Northfleet.

Ebbsfleet Garden City involves the construction of a number of new “villages” in the Gravesham and Dartford boroughs, with 15,000 new homes.