Developers of a controversial 10,000-home garden village have resubmitted plans for fewer houses.

Quinn Estates, which is proposing to build Highsted Park in Teynham near Faversham, has made two changes to its applications – despite one being submitted in July 2021 and the other in November last year.

Alterations to the plans show that 7,150 residential dwellings are suggested for the land south and east of the town.

Despite a drop of almost 3,000 properties, Quinn Estates is still promising that the scheme will include highways and infrastructure works, including the provision of a new motorway junction to the M2.

This is as well as the long-awaited Sittingbourne Southern and Northern Relief Roads which would reduce the traffic flow across the area.

However, although the area’s Conservative councillor Mike Whiting feels that the relief roads are needed in Sittingbourne he says “we shouldn’t sell our soul to get it.”

Cllr Whiting explained: “Two applications for the Highsted Park scheme have been amended with significant reductions in the number of houses proposed.

“Although the number of properties has lessened, Quinn Estates is still proposing a huge number of homes for the area.

“Sittingbourne’s infrastructures just can’t handle that, especially the roads.

“The relief roads and plans for them have not changed in a long time and Sittingbourne is very congested.

“There is no other way around the town centre other than the A2 and the M2 and as everyone knows if there is something like an accident on either of them it causes chaos on both routes.”

Cllr Whiting says the relief roads are vital for Sittingbourne and are needed now, instead of after the Highsted Park construction.

He added: “Everyone I speak to says of course we need more housing and how it must be affordable.

“But before we do that we need to sort out the area’s infrastructure.

“That doesn’t only include the relief roads but also doctors’ surgeries and hospitals.”

Quinn Estates plans to demolish and relocate the existing farmyard and workers’ cottages in the area.

It also hopes to create a mix-use local centre and neighbourhood facilities including commercial, business and employment floorspace.

There will also be woodland, and community and sports provisions.

Cllr Whiting hopes that the government comes up with a plan that “meets the needs of the people of Sittingbourne.”

He added: “Let’s get the northern and southern relief roads sorted but let’s not sell our soul to get it.”

Quinn Estates has said it will install “game-changing infrastructure” in the area.

A statement from its planning application reads: “A fundamental part of the proposals is the completion of the Bapchild section of the NRR [northern relief road] and its integration with the proposed development and the wider Highsted Park masterplan, namely the proposed SRR [southern relief road] which would link the A2 to the M2.”

A spokesman for Swale council said of the amendments to the planning application: “It’s not unusual for applications to change after they’re submitted, and we’re continuing to work through the application as necessary.”

To view the application enter 21/503906/EIOUT on Swale council’s planning portal.