Developers behind ambitious plans for a £35 million retirement village have installed almost 30 CCTV cameras in a bid to protect the site.

The Herne Bay Gazette revealed in December how ecological work was delaying the building of the Herne Bay Court project in Canterbury Road.

Now leaders at Bethel Retirement Villages have fitted dozens of cameras and motion detectors after thieves swiped lead from the site.

Neighbour Peter Curtiss said: “This property was granted planning permission in 2013 with a fanfare from the developers saying how £35m will be spent and how good this would be for the local community in terms of the facility and employment.

“But as residents of Parsonage Road, which runs alongside Herne Bay Court, we were promised numerous start dates and continuous updates from both the architects and developers, none of which has been forthcoming.

“The building is now in a very poor state of repair and has been subject to theft of roof lead and constant trespassing which must eventually lead to decay and a vandalised site.”

Bethel Retirement Villages spokesman Michael Taylor says security has been stepped up following the lead theft last year.

The retirement village will be built on the former Christian holiday camp site. It will include 117 apartments for people aged over 55, along with a village clubhouse, health centre and spa.

“The site now has 26 monitored cameras plus motion detectors on site as well as a local security response which is on call 24 hours a day,” Mr Taylor said.

“Herne Bay Court has undergone extensive ecological mitigation measures, dictated by the relevant consecutive seasons when work was able to be done, which have now come to an end.

“This work has had an impact on the timescales for the development.

“An announcement on the development timeline will follow in due course.”