A THIRD contender hopes to build houses and a business park on the outskirts of Faversham. A consortium of farmers and landowners say their 150 acre site is more viable than either plan at Abbey Farm and the Cremer Whiting brickworks. They aim to provide 67 acres of industrial land and 100 homes the same as is allocated for Abbey Farm on arable farmland to the east of Faversham.

Most of the site lies east of Love Lane and south of the Graveney Road. The rest lies north of the Graveney Road, adjoining a piece of land already allocated for industrial development owned by the Prudential. Access would be along the Graveney Road from the Thanet Way and M2.

The plan is still in its infancy and the consortium, headed by the Attwood Trust, will not yet be seeking planning permission. It just wants the land to be allocated for development in the new Local Plan, which is being drawn up now and comes into force in 2006.

Kevin Attwood, one of three farmers and landowners behind the consortium, said: "The problem for Faversham is that Abbey Park contains nearly all the employment allocation for the town in the present Local Plan, but it is struggling against a background of high infrastructure costs and flood risk." Abbey Farm developers Abbey Park Holdings say they need to build at least 180 houses to make their scheme workable. A planning inspector turned down the extra 80 houses last autumn and the company is in the process of applying for planning permission for a new scheme.