Housing giant Persimmon and Bovis Homes is considering building hundreds of homes in Gravesend.

It has asked Gravesham council for a screening opinion, which will decide whether an environmental impact assessment would be needed as part of a planning application.

An environmental impact assessment would look at the possible effects of the proposal for land alongside Wrotham Road and could take months to complete.

The site, opposite Mid Kent Golf Club, is agricultural land and controlled by Persimmon and Bovis Homes – though part of it is owned by KCC.

If a full planning application is submitted and work goes ahead, the KCC land could be used for further homes or for roads into and out of the estate.

It is proposed that the entrance to the site will be off the existing roundabout in Coldharbour Lane with additional pedestrian access via Lanes Avenue and Marks Square.

Persimmon and Bovis say they are looking at two initial options – to completely develop both sites, putting 425 homes on 26 acres of land, or leave the KCC land empty and build 300 new homes on 20 acres of land. Some of the homes would be flats.

Adjoining ward councillor Susan Howes (Lab) said she would be against plans to build there. She told the Messenger: “Our group has always opposed any plans to put houses there. We’ve always wanted to keep that one bit of green land as you come in Gravesend and we don’t want to lose it.

“There’s a history of development plans for that site going back to before I was a councillor, but the locals don’t want it built on and the council opposes it, as said in our Local Development Framework.”

Trees and grassland would be kept by Wrotham Road, shielding the development from the main road. A decision is expected this week.