A troubled homes developer is seeking permission to build a large housing estate in a Kent village.

ilke Homes put forward plans for 88 homes and a 1000 sq m commercial site off Lodge Road, Staplehurst on May 12.

It comes after their previous bid submitted to Maidstone council for 94 homes on the same site was withdrawn in October last year.

The Yorkshire-based modular homes builder was founded in 2018, boasting green credentials and claiming to build the first homes which would guarantee residents no energy bills.

However, it is currently trying to attract buyers after filing notice of its intention to appoint administrators.

In their Staplehurst housing plans, ilke state they want to provide development of the “highest architectural quality that responds to the local character”.

“The site layout provides a sustainable addition to Staplehurst, with a 20% biodiversity gain, and is designed to create a safe, inclusive and interactive environment,” they add.

The scheme would also provide 40% affordable homes, telling of how ilke “deliver high-quality homes for first time buyers, registered providers, local authorities and developers.”

“The proposals will provide much needed housing, as well as up to 1000sqm of employment floorspace for a range of uses,” they say.

The new scheme has attracted nine written objections from residents, on top of the 64 sent in to ilke’s 94-home scrapped bid from last year.

“The doctors is already running at capacity, the school is very stretched, there is a two-year waiting list at the village nursery, there is no NHS dentist accepting new patients, trains at peak times are already standing room only,” wrote Emily Mower.

“The village simply can't sustain an additional 100 families with the infrastructure it has.”

ilke Homes also hopes to deliver up to 449 highly energy-efficient homes on a 21-acre site in Thanet in partnership with the housing association, The Riverside Group.

But Ilke was put up for sale earlier this month as part of a move which the company claims will safeguard its almost 1,000-strong workforce and its "£1bn order book".

In a statement to the BBC it said: "ilke Homes now requires new investment to meet overheads, achieve further scale and become cash flow positive."

It comes after the firm posted “six straight years of losses”.

The troubled firm has given itself two weeks to find a buyer after this week posting a notice to appoint an adminsitrator in a bid to protect itself from creditors during last ditch attempts to secure a sale or new investment.

But its financial position has prompted concerns among residents over the long term viability of the project.

Amy Clifton wrote in to planners, asking: “How viable are ilke, and how can a local authority authorise an application with such large unknowns over the developer/builder?”

Resident Malcolm Buller also told the planning department in written submissions that the design of the proposed homes is “poor”.

“They scream that they are from the same mould. Where are the architectural gems?” he added.

Several of those who wrote in expressed fears around traffic and congestion on Lodge Road.

“Access to the estate will be via Lodge Road through an already congested area,” wrote Andrew Hardy.

“This area is mostly used for industry and large vehicles and lorries already use this area - adding many new vehicles into this infrastructure will cause traffic issues.

“I believe the new dwellings will have insufficient parking which will lead to further difficulties on Lodge Road,” he added.

“Whilst I am not against the building of the estate per-se I feel that access via Lodge Road is highly problematic and better solutions should be found.”

The plans submitted are for a full application for the 88 homes, but only an outline application for the commercial space - meaning the details of layout and other issues will have to be dealt with in future applications.

It is not yet known when the planning committee will decide on the plans, but Maidstone council has set a deadline for decision of October 19, after which the application will expire.