Housing targets have been a contentious issue for decades – but it could be that they are finally on their way out.

Successive governments have required Kent planning authorities to determine their housing need according to a formula laid down by Westminster, and then to prepare Local Plans that facilitate that quantity of new building.

It has resulted in huge housing numbers being imposed on communities, with voters being told by their elected representatives that they “have no choice.”

The policy is enshrined in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), the over-arching Government policy that all borough and district councils must work to.

But now the framework itself is under review, with one of the biggest changes being suggested being the scrapping of housing targets.

Helen Whately (Con), the MP for Faversham and Mid Kent, said such a move would be welcomed by her constituents.

She has conducted her own survey of voters in her constituency and of the 2,142 responses that she received, more than 80% were in favour of abolishing mandatory housing targets.

She said: “House building in Kent is a hugely contentious issue. My constituents cherish their beautiful countryside and fear the impact of further development.

“They are concerned about protecting the local environment and worried about the availability of local services and infrastructure.”

Recognising that there was still a need for new house-building to meet demand, she said her constituents would support retirement homes, eco-homes and the use of brownfield sites over more building on productive agricultural land.

She said: “There’s a reason why Kent is known as the Garden of England. It’s blessed with some of the loveliest countryside you could hope to find, and for centuries has produced crops like hops and apples in abundance.

“It’s a huge reason why people choose to live here.”

“The respondents to my survey overwhelmingly opted for protecting high-quality farmland - across every age group.

“In fact, just 3% of respondents said that the local environment wasn’t a concern to them.”

But Mrs Whately conceded that when it came to scrapping housing targets, there was a divide in opinion.

Those who were already homeowners, by and large, want to see targets scrapped.

Those who are still renting were three times more likely to want to see them retained.

People were more likely to accept development if it came hand in hand with improvements to the natural landscape, but their biggest worry was the failure of infrastructure to keep up – with water supply and water quality high on the list.

Mrs Whately said: “Kent residents have had enough of hosepipe bans and sewage discharges – issues that have both been exacerbated by local development.

“Last year I called for water companies to be given a bigger role in the planning process and for water supply to be given the same importance as other considerations like road safety. I’m reiterating that call today.”

She said: “When new housing is built, it’s crucial that it comes with a proportionate boost in local services.

“People won’t support development if it makes it harder for them to see a doctor or a dentist, and that’s exactly what the data we collected shows. Of my respondents, 91% felt that in the past development hadn’t come with the necessary infrastructure improvements in health services, roads and schools.”

Mrs Whately has conveyed the results of her survey to the Housing Secretary Michael Gove.

Her constituency includes Bearsted, Hollingbourne, Faversham and parts of Swale.

In December last year, Mr Gove announced he was dropping the Government’s previous national target of 300,000 new homes each year.

He has yet to announce how this will affect individual councils’ Local Plans.