The initial part of a contentious 500-home development was approved by the council last night.

Croudace Homes Ltd has had plans approved to build on land to the east of Hermitage Lane.

Phase one will see 183 homes over seven hectares.

Amended plans submitted recently for this stage have seen a play area scrapped and a large number of three-storey buildings added.

The play area will however be included later in the plans, within phase three of the development.

These taller homes will line the main street of the development linking Hermitage Lane with Howard Drive.

This link road has not eased congestion concerns as access to and from Howard Drive will be reserved for emergency vehicles and buses, meaning traffic to the homes is reliant on using Hermitage Lane.

The housing has been the subject of much protest, with 30 objections to phase one sent to the council.

Concerns range from flooding, congestion, and air quality, to insufficient infrastructure and parking.

NAAG scheduled a mass peaceful protest outside the Town Hall yesterday as Maidstone council met to discuss the plans.