Work to transform 15 acres of farmland into a 160-home estate could begin as early as next year, developers say.

Plans have been officially lodged with Canterbury City Council this month to erect the properties off Bullockstone Road in Herne Bay.

Bosses from firm Stonebond say they will ensure the site will be “appropriate for the location”.

But Herne and Broomfield Parish Council chairman Carol Davis hopes the project will not be given the green light by the local authority.

“We’ve had enough houses here,” she told KentOnline.

“The issue is we don’t have the doctors, and we don’t have the schools. It’s the infrastructure that should be a priority.”

Officials from Stonebond say they will contribute to the city council’s community infrastructure levy, money from which can go towards schools, transport and health and social care improvements.

The plot, called Northwood, was also earmarked for 190 homes in the Local Plan, the local authority’s housing blueprint, four years ago.

But the developer says it is pressing ahead with a smaller scheme to ensure it is a “lower density, landscape-led” project.

“Our designs are centred around a large green space which can be enjoyed by new and existing residents in the area,” a spokesman for Stonebond said.

“The development will include a range of energy-efficiency measures designed to benefit residents and help them live sustainably in the long term, including solar panels and electric vehicle charging points.”

Thirty per cent of the homes will be designated as “affordable”, as is the minimum required by the city council.

This is the second Stonebond site along Bullockstone Road.

The firm was given the green light to build 78 properties at the town’s former driving range last month.

When that scheme was approved, the contentious decision was met with ire as residents branded it “ridiculous” and “unbelievable”.

In all, four housing estates are earmarked for land off the Canterbury-to-Herne Bay rat-run.

More than 660 homes are planned for the former golf course - which is currently being developed by Redrow - and a further 800 will be built on a massive plot at Strode Farm.

Papers show the Northwood site will have a mixture of houses and flats, ranging in size from one bedroom to four.

“All appropriate traffic assessments are currently being undertaken and we are working closely with the council to ensure that a scheme comes forward that is appropriate for the location,” the Stonebond spokesman added.

“We’re also working closely with the local authority to ensure the development is easily accessible with pedestrian links from the north of the site back into the town.

“Subject to planning permission being granted, works on site would be anticipated to start in mid to late 2023 and are expected to last about three-and-a-half years.”

The site will also be home to a village green, with the opportunity to add to it a “a play area and community orchard or growing garden”.