Work to transform a former driving range into a 78-home estate could begin as early as next year, developers say.

Plans to build the houses off Bullockstone Road in Herne Bay have been officially lodged with Canterbury City Council by construction firm Stonebond.

The company insists the scheme will create “high-quality family properties”, as it hopes to complete the project by the end of 2025.

A spokesman for the firm says 30% of the estate will be classed as affordable.

“This will give local people a great opportunity to live here," he said.

“Our proposals will create 78 high-quality, family houses and we’re putting green space at the heart of the new development.

“Work is expected to commence in early 2023 and the build programme is approximately two-and-a-half years.”

Planning papers show a fifth of the properties will have four bedrooms, while the rest will have two or three.

The site sits next to a 572-home complex at the town’s former golf course, which is currently being constructed by Redrow and is also earmarked for completion by the spring of 2025.

Property tycoon Mark Quinn has also launched a bid to squeeze 95 more properties onto land originally earmarked for a pub and offices on the sweeping plot.

Meanwhile, Stonebond is vowing to add a 70-metre stretch of pavement to Bullockstone Road - finally providing the route with a footpath between the Redrow site and Herne Bay High School.

Greenhill councillor Dan Watkins says this will put an end to pupils having to walk in the way of cars as they head to class.

“It’s really bad at the moment,” the Conservative added.

“It’s dangerous. As far as I know there haven’t been any serious accidents there, but I think we’re lucky there haven’t been any.

“Putting that pavement in will make that road much safer. Stonebond need to put that in at the start of the project.”

In documents submitted to the local authority, Stonebond also noted that, in the absence of a pavement, “residents and children currently walk in the road”.

The driving range land features in the city council’s current Local Plan, which will act as the district’s housing blueprint through to 2031.

"This is absolutely ridiculous. How many more houses do we need?"

Its inclusion in the document is expected to ease its route to receiving planning permission.

However, the scheme has already attracted a flurry of objections from concerned locals who fear Herne Bay is already earmarked for too many houses.

Neighbour Rebecca Croll argues the "ugly" properties put the town's "services under even greater strain".

Resident Nicky Biggs added: "This is absolutely ridiculous.

"How many more houses do we need? We do not have the infrastructure to cope with these additional houses.

"Please, please be sensible - do not allow this."