Council chiefs are urging the government to back a £300m bid to help pay for schools, roads and other facilities needed when a huge development of 12,000 homes in east Kent gets underway.

Kent County Council and Shepway Council say the money is necessary because of the impact of the Otterpool “garden town” that is planned.

The site is situated seven miles from Folkestone and accessible from Junction 11 of the M20 and Westenhanger train station.

The two authorities have teamed up to submit a bid for a share of a government fund to help boost the number of new homes being built.

The Housing Infrastructure Fund is worth £2.3bn nationally and councils have been invited to apply for a share to help speed up development.

A planning application for Otterpool is expected to be made for the scheme next Spring.

Cllr Paul Carter, KCC leader, said: “Kent is under increasing pressure to deliver new homes and infrastructure for its existing and future residents.”

“It is essential that housing and growth is well planned and sensitively located with infrastructure funded and built in advance of the building of new homes.”

A report setting out details of the bid said Kent and Medway were likely to need 158,500 new dwellings in Kent and Medway for the period to 2031 but faced a £2bn gap for infrastructure.

"Kent is under increasing pressure to deliver new homes and infrastructure for its existing and future residents" - KCC leader Paul Carter

Mr Carter said the government’s fund was an “exciting opportunity to forward fund the necessary infrastructure to accelerate investment.”

The government has already awarded Shepway council £155,000 to develop plans for the controversial Otterpool Park garden town.

The money was granted in July to enable the council to work on developing a masterplan and other aspects to submit a planning application.

KCC - if successful - at this stage of the bid will be expected to draw up a business case by spring with decisions on awards by summer next year.