Angry residents fear their village might be swallowed up in urban sprawl after developers submitted plans for up to 800 new homes.

Hollamby Estates has handed over outline plans for the Strode Farm site near Herne.

The plans given to Canterbury City Council would see construction of a new Herne relief road from the A299 roundabouts through to Bullockstone Road and also include shops on the 85-acre site.

But residents and parish councillors have expressed their horror at the prospect of the village losing its separate identity.

Parish councillor Carol Davis said: “We are very concerned about it. The main reasons are all the extra traffic.

“We are worried a development would destroy the ambience of the area, with lorries passing through.

“If they are passing up Bullockstone Road it would make it worse for them.

“This is farmland next to the urban area, and a barrier between our village and the Thanet Way.

“We are not part of Herne Bay, we are a village in a semi-rural area.

“Our greatest concern is the relief road going up Bullockstone Road.

“The road reaches Canterbury Road on a blind bend. It’s very dangerous there anyway, without adding further traffic to it.”

But project manager Chris Crook said that the development would be phased over a decade, and could create more than 200 jobs.

He said: “This will be a responsible development that regulates the flow of new homes in accordance with the market demand and the speed at which you can deliver new homes sustainably.

“We want to get this very green feel to it very early on.

“We want to protect the mature oak tree, but will also invest in landscaping and planting new trees.

“This will be a location for families, with low rise buildings and options for social housing.”

Mr Crook said that Hollamby Estates was in talks with the council and KCC Highways about a new £6 million relief road, which would link up with Bullockstone Road.

Hollamby Estates have announced that they are to host a further public consultation at Herne Mill on Wednesday, April 9 from 4.30pm to 6.30pm.

More details about housing development plans across Herne Bay can be seen in a special report in this week's Herne Bay Gazette on pages 4-5.