A further 180 homes could be built in a village – despite outline permission for 700 having recently been given the go-ahead.

Land Allocation Ltd has unveiled proposals to develop a 15.6-acre site in Elm Lane, Minster, backing onto Nelson Avenue.

A screening application, which assesses the environmental impact of a development, and marks the first step of the planning process before an actual application gets started, has been submitted to Swale council by AAH Planning Consultants.

It said: “Our client is seeking to apply for outline planning consent for residential development, including access. It is proposed to develop the site for up to 180 dwellings. The project is proposed to be located at the chosen site because it is one of the most suitable locations where residential development can be built in the wider area.”

Councillor Elliott Jayes, who represents Sheppey Central, said: “This seems to be very early stages and is more testing the waters. The main issue, I can see, is access as Elm Lane is not suitable for the increase in traffic and use that 180 homes would generate.

“The site is not in the Local Plan nor was it previously put forward as a potential site in the land availability assessment report considered recently by the Local Plan Panel.”

He added: “Ultimately it is in open countryside which goes against the current Local Plan policy. It isn’t allocated in the Local Plan and access seems to be a major hurdle to overcome.”

The application comes not long after outline planning permission for up to 700 homes at Minster’s Barton Hill Drive was granted following an appeal.

To view the latest plans, search for the reference 20/500867/ENVSCR here.

Read more: All the latest news from Sheppey