The public has another chance to give views on a controversial scheme to build a new housing estate over an orchard.

The application for 52 homes from Esquire Developments for land at Ivy Farm off Wateringbury Road, East Malling, has already attracted more than 200 letters of objection since it was first put forward in July 2022.

The applicants have recently submitted some new diagrams showing a revised layout and site parameters for the 4.6 hectare plot.

The application is outline only, with all details other than access reserved for a future date.

However, it is the planned 5.5m wide access onto Wateringbury Road that is one of the sticking points.

The developers are seeking permission for up to 52 homes, and under existing regulations, KCC - the highways authority - requires any development of more than 50 homes to have secondary emergency access, which the current plan does not.

The site is dissected by a row of electricity pylons, and the illustrative plan shows all housing kept at least 20m away from the cables.

There is a provision for two drainage ponds and a small children’s play area. But a substantial amount of land underneath the pylons will be left as open space, and in addition, the applicant proposes leaving some of the existing orchards to the west of the site untouched as a community asset.

The details of the application, which suggests 13 affordable housing units could be provided, can be viewed on the Tonbridge and Malling council website, under application number 22/01570.

Comments on the application can be made here.

Find out about planning applications that may affect you at the Public Notice Portal.

Tonbridge and Malling council leader Cllr Matt Boughton (Con) has previously urged residents to respond to the consultation on the application.

He said: “Ivy Farm has never been part of a development strategy for Tonbridge and Malling council.

“There are lots of understandable concerns, ranging from traffic to badgers and local GP capacity.”