Furious residents are calling for all building to stop on a vandalised seafront housing estate which had sat abandoned for years.

Campaigners believe The Sands - a £20 million development in St Mary’s Bay on Romney Marsh - does not comply with planning permission and want the project to be “taken back to the drawing board”.

The 85-home scheme, on a four-acre plot between the A259 and seafront, was expected to welcome its first residents in the summer of 2019 but supply issues delayed construction.

KentOnline revealed last October how contractors were nowhere to be seen and the vandalised buildings had become a home for pigeons and rabbits.

However, earlier this year GC Construction Ltd took over the site and confirmed plans to put some of the homes on the market.

The property development and construction company, based in Manchester, resumed work on the site in April and said it planned for some of the homes to be occupied later in 2024.

But now more than 275 residents in St Mary’s Bay have signed a petition asking for some of the buildings to be demolished and for the plans to be reviewed.

Folkestone and Hythe District Council (FHDC), which received the petition this week, says there is “no route of appeal” as a “lawful planning decision” was made in 2016.

But St Mary’s Bay resident Phillip Hendley, who set up the campaign, says there are multiple reasons why he believes the development should be put on pause.

“The houses closest to the A259 and the first house they erected on a footpath next to the site need to be demolished,” said the 68-year-old.

“The plans need to go back to the drawing board and they need to reassess the heights of the buildings and not have them as close together.

“They are trying to sell them as new-builds. But there is nothing new about them.

“They have been vandalised for years and have been the home for pigeons and rabbits.

“We are not going to stop the build, but we want it done properly.”

Mr Hendley believes the project does not comply with planning regulations and is concerned about fire safety.

The former police officer added: “I can't see a fire engine getting into the site properly.

“The houses are so close together and the risk of fire spreading to the houses is massive.

“The buildings do not need to be that high and there needs to be less of them.”

In 2016, plans submitted by Stanford-based developer FDC Homes Ltd were approved by FHDC for 59 houses and 26 apartments.

The site was later sold to Compass Builders Ltd and work commenced in early 2018, but a “national shortage of plasterboard” delayed the expected launch the following summer.

In February, it was revealed a potential buyer had shown interest in the half-built estate after Compass Builders Ltd fell into administration.

Karen Kemp, who has lived in St Mary’s Bay since 2010, also believes the planning regulations have not been followed and has described the site as a “major flood risk”.

“The closeness of the buildings means they do not comply with fire regulations,” she explained.

“The buildings are too high. They are higher than what was originally proposed by the first developer.

“The buildings have been raised 8ft from the ground level and the site is a floodplain.

“When people move in the risk of flooding will only increase.

“Also, the original fence line for the development has not been followed.

“One of the new homes goes into the public footpath and it must be demolished.”

The site was previously home to a holiday camp known as The Sands Motel.

But the budget family resort was demolished after being damaged in the Great Storm of 1987 and remained unused.

Della Wood, who has lived in St Mary’s Bay for more than 20 years, says her “once beautiful village is being destroyed".

The 76-year-old said: “I took my dog for a walk when the homes were originally being built years ago.

"I could not believe the size of this great crack going around the base of one of the buildings. The foundations are not safe.

“I think they need to stop what they are doing and not build anymore. Nobody is going to buy these houses.

“St Mary’s Bay is missing the car park which used to be on the site. Once we had 300 cars in there.

“Now people are having to park elsewhere, such as Dymchurch. The return of a car park would help this community greatly.

“Fewer people are coming to St Mary’s Bay because of this.”

When The Sands was approved in 2016, 66 people objected to the scheme, with many fearing the development would be “out of place”.

In 2019, several of the new-build homes were up for sale on Rightmove, with prices ranging from £130,000 for a one-bed apartment to £490,000 for a four-bed townhouse.

None of the buildings on the site are currently listed for sale online.

The petition was submitted to FHDC on Monday.

A spokesman for FHDC said: “There isn’t a route of appeal for a valid, lawful planning decision made in 2016.”

GC Construction Ltd was emailed twice by KentOnline for comment but did not respond.