It might be renowned for its research into apple production, but East Malling Trust's plan to squeeze 1,600 homes between three villages has been slammed as "rotten to the core".

Hundreds of residents turned up to an exhibition on the proposals for the huge housing scheme at East Malling Research Station last week, dubbed "Bradbourne".

If approved, the plans would see an estate built on agricultural land across Ditton, Aylesford and East Malling, with an east-west link road between Allington and East Malling.

It has already been slammed as "monstrous" by Chatham and Aylesford MP Tracey Crouch and caused distress for two pensioners whose homes would be demolished under the plans, and who found out through neighbours.

"It's horrific," said Jill Sheldon, of Mill Street, East Malling. "Especially the road they're planning to come all the way through. It doesn't bear thinking about. We're a village; we've got village roads and country lanes and we've already got a traffic problem. I have a problem getting out of my drive."

"We walk across there, and all the land is going to be taken away."

Dawn Gibson of Mill Street said the development would lead to increased traffic on roads and congestion at junctions like the Wateringbury crossroads, which already suffered from high levels of pollution.

"If you look at Mill Street going towards West Malling it's so narrow, and there's a chicane there", she added. "There's a school on that road too so you've got school traffic and station traffic. Can you imagine another load of cars on it? We're not big enough, and they don't maintain the roads now.

"Coming into the village you could get high lorries and there's the railway bridge there. Nobody's given it any thought.

"If that road goes through it won't be a village any more, it will be a new town.

"They're selling the land because they want to keep the research station but there's got to be a better way."

East Malling Trust – a charity which supports horticultural and plant-based research from its 500-acre site – says the earmarked area is not identified as green belt land or an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

They also point out that Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council hasn't got an approved Local Plan in place and isn't delivering houses at the rate required by the government.

But residents said that was no excuse for destroying the rural landscape and transforming village communities so radically.

"We've lived here for 40 years and since we've been here it's become a massive housing estate from Langley to West Malling," said Laurence Andrews, of Teapot Lane, Aylesford. "This is another step in that direction.

"We used to bring our children up here to teach them to cycle", added the 69-year-old. "It's unbelievable the amount of housing they're proposing to put in this area.

"I live in Teapot Lane and you can wait for an hour to get out onto the A20 due to the amount of traffic. This will only make it worse."

Chrstine Lee, 63, of Russett Close, Aylesford, said it was time planners listened to the voices of residents.

"Every time we've had a proposal for houses, I feel that everything I've said has been ignored", she said.

"They're saying we're behind on the amount of houses the government wants to be built but look at how crowded we are. There are other areas we should be building. All these guys want is to make some money. They need to keep their business going and the research is important, but at what cost?

"It would bring double the amount of cars to the area. There would be an impact on the roads and on emmisions. The amount of money they need to spend on the roads will go up.

"Once you concrete the land you can't go back."

Michael Stamford, of Cottenham Close, East Malling, added: "There won't be any space left between Maidstone and West Malling.

"You know what Hermitage Lane is like in the morning already. It's just the sheer volume of traffic. The new road will impact on the village and it's going to put pressure on the roads all around."

Brenda Jones, who lives in Orchard Gate off Kiln Barn Road, feared the development would bring a building site to her doorstep for the next 10 years.

"There's 37 houses where we are and we're going to be completely wrapped around by a building site," said the 75-year-old. "We'll be enveloped on three sides where currently there's fields and orchards. I'm really concerned about that.

"It's 160 homes per year, and there's 1,600 homes. It will be 10 years of my life. I don't want to be in my 80s and living on a building site."

She also feared rat-running from the new development on the roads at Orchard Gate, and that the housing estate would have a devastating effect on wildlife.

"They talk about nature and the development being eco-friendly, but it's not, it's too big," she added. "It's too big for Kiln Barn Road, it's a nightmare. I don't see how they can justify what they put on their information boards. It would have a big impact on the lives of these people."

East Malling Trust says the development would contain walking and cycling links to the station and include an element of affordable housing.

But MP Tracey Crouch said efforts to sell the idea were unlikely to win many residents over, and she said the plan lacked a "single redeeming feature."

"It was horrifying," she said on Facebook after attending the public exhibition. "I have seen some pretty awful, damaging, ill-thought through proposals in my time as your MP but this one was the worst I have seen.

"The fancy pop ups highlighted the complete lack of infrastructure - not just in and around Ditton or Hermitage Lane but East Malling (you're not in my patch but good lord the impact on your village is dreadful - just wow) and there was no mention of a doctors' surgery or secondary school, let alone the environmental impact on both scarce supplies of water nor pollution from an extra 3200 cars.

"Their slick PR pictures didn't reference the houses already approved so still had them as green land, therefore gives a fake impression that somehow this new community is in isolation when we all know it effectively means Allington, Aylesford, Barming and Ditton all become one big extension of Maidstone with no green space in between.

"However the most outrageous part was the impression – one I got too so I can forgive the emails that are already pouring into my inbox – that somehow Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council have already given the green light for this, and that it was all part of the council's plan.

"After checking my blood pressure on my watch, I called the council leader and he confirmed there have been no discussions with the East Malling Trust about a planning application. He is as angry as all of us about what has been presented and is now trying to stop a planning application from being submitted."

Long-standing West Malling resident June Briggs said the plans were "rotten to the core," adding: "We simply can’t absorb so many extra people in this area. There's no infrastructure, but it goes on and on. I'm so angry."