Senior councillors have expressed their anger over a neighbouring council's decision to "dump" hundreds of houses on the border of Medway.

Maidstone Borough Council, under its Local Plan for 2037, has proposed to create 2,000 homes at Lidsing as part of a garden village near the Towns.

The proposal also caters for 14 hectares of employment land, 1500m2 of retail and leisure space and a new primary school.

The site is located in the parishes of Boxley and Bredhurst, which is based to the south of the Medway border.

Medway Council's Conservative cabinet continued to voice their strong objections to the plans during a debate at Chatham's Gun Wharf yesterday.

Rainham South councillor Gary Hackwell (Con), who is the unitary authority's portfolio holder for business management, said he is "totally opposed" to the major housing development.

Cllr Hackwell, who grew up near Lidsing, said: "Medway just cannot deal with 2,000 homes dumped on our doorstep."

In March, Maidstone agreed to send its Local Plan documents for examination by the government.

A planning inspector will be appointed for public review, who will report to the council on whether or not the proposed plan be adopted.

In order to get the plan through, neighbouring local authorities have to present a "statement of common ground" which is also sent to the planning inspector.

However, a large number of objections have been submitted for the Lidsing housing scheme, notably from Medway Council and campaign groups, such as Save Our Heath Lands (SOHL) and Against Lidsing Garden Development.

Cllr Howard Doe (Con), who is Medway Council's deputy leader, said: "If those homes go in they will have a tremendous effect on the area.

"I think that has not been taken fully into consideration and it is difficult to believe a neighbouring authority cares."

Chief concerns have been raised over the close proximity of the 2,000 homes to Medway, making the roads much busier near Lordswood and Hempstead.

Fears have also been expressed over the detrimental impact on education and health services, as more residents live on Medway's doorstep.

Cllr Adrian Gulvin (Con), who is the authority's portfolio holder for resources, added: "This is to the entire detriment of Medway and our people. This is not a case of Nimbyism.

"We all want good quality housing for people, but what we do not want is to have that at the expense of Medway services being overstretched."

Meanwhile, Maidstone council said in February that it needed to deliver new homes to meet targets laid down by the government, including community infrastructure to boost jobs, health and education.

Discussions are ongoing between Maidstone Borough Council and Medway Council over the way forward.

Maidstone council has proposed further amendments be made by Medway Council in response to issues raised. These are still under consideration.

No clear timeline has been revealed on when key decision are due to be made.