A decision on whether to grant retrospective permission to a controversial housing development has been deferred pending a site meeting.

A revised application for 27 houses and eight flats being built to the rear of Seager Road, Sheerness, was due to be decided yesterday but Swale council planning committee members instead decided a site meeting is needed first.

Cllr Richard Barnicott (Con), who chaired the meeting, said there had been a, "serious breach of planning conditions" and called for a site meeting.

He said: "I think we need to look at this far more closely and look at what we can to to relieve the anxieties of residents."

An agent who spoke at the meeting on behalf of Moat Homes said the landowner took over the project part way through and discovered a number of "fundamental errors" which meant it had to make "corrections and adjustments".

He said with the benefit of hindsight it should have reported the changes to Swale council but part of the reason was dealing with the pressure of delivering an affordable housing scheme to, "very tight government deadlines".

Drainage concerns have also been raised. A representative from the Lower Medway Internal Drainage Board has visited the site to inspect culverts taking water from the site and discovered one of them was blocked and it lodged an objection to the revised application.

An update was given at the meeting that the culvert has since been unblocked and the developer has also pledged a contribution to improve a nearby sewage station.

Residents initially raised concerns about the height of the buildings last year and the council discovered a number of differences from its original plans, granted in 2010.

They include the eaves of the houses being 1.7m higher than agreed, the window design being altered, integral garages being made narrower and a footpath between the site and Beckley Road being removed.

The site meeting was provisionally set for Wednesday, April 17.