A councillor has called housing plans near a country road "sheer madness" after witnessing fire engines, tractors and buses struggle along the narrow route.

Julien Speed, chairman of Lynsted with Kingsdown parish council, fears emergency services heading to accidents in the Sittingbourne area will be stopped in their tracks because of Lynsted Lane's parking situation.

On Saturday, Mr Speed captured a fire engine having to edge slowly past parked cars in the residential road.

He said: "A highways maintenance lorry was parked in the lane as well as vehicles belonging to the road's residents.

"As a result, a fire engine was struggling to get past. Heaven forbid if this were to happen when an ambulance or fire engine is attempting to get to an emergency."

Mr Speed feels the problem is already "bad enough as it is, but would be seriously exacerbated if new housing developments were permitted."

In 2021, those living in the area were outraged after plans for up to 86 properties to be built off Lynsted Lane were lodged with Swale council.

Then in 2022 another application for 10 new houses, which was branded "totally bonkers" for its parking and pedestrian access, was rejected.

Swale’s planning committee voted unanimously against the new home plans on agricultural land east of Lynsted Lane.

While the proposal was for only 10 homes, the developers made clear in their submission to the local plan consultation that the ultimate aim was to build 50 houses on the plot.

One of the reasons it was turned down was because it was stated that the new homes would cause traffic congestion and air pollution in the narrow lane.

However, this could now change. Mr Speed explained: "The application to build initially 10, but ultimately 50, homes behind the F J Williams joinery firm has gone to appeal.

"The Planning Inspector’s decision is expected in the next few months.

"There was another application in 2019 to build more than 80 new houses on land to the west of Lynsted Lane, also immediately behind the A2.

"This plan was amended in 2020 and again in 2021 but hasn’t yet reached the planning committee.

"It would be sheer madness for all this new housing to be built here.

"It would make the traffic congestion far worse and cause an increase in carbon emissions in a location already designated as an Air Quality Management Area – contrary to government guidelines that new developments should be designed to reduce pollution."

Lynsted with Kingsdown Parish Council has considered asking for double yellow lines however Mr Speed explained that this would cause a problem for those living in the lane who would then have nowhere to park their vehicles.

He said: "This is another reminder of why we cannot have more houses built at the Co-op end of Lynsted Lane, either on the west or east side. More houses means more vehicles.

"This would mean more issues for emergency services trying to get down the lane."

A spokesman for Kent Fire and Rescue Service said that although it is not able to enforce parking regulations it does try to raise awareness of issues where possible.

He said: "Our firefighters who drive fire engines are highly trained to operate their vehicle safely, however members of the public can still help us by parking considerately.

"Fire engines are large vehicles, requiring 3.1 metres (10 feet) of space to get through a gap and around 4 metres (12 feet) while dealing with an incident."

Although there is currently no solution to the parking issues along Lynsted Lane, Mr Speed has asked motorists to "park considerately".

He added: "Last week there was also chaos when a farmer met an Open Reach van at exactly the same spot.

"Farm vehicles regularly use the lane and sometimes get stuck.

"There has also been a time where a bus turning into the lane from the A2 London Road simply couldn’t get through because of the parked cars.

"The other day, there were two highways maintenance trucks parked in Lynsted Lane, with the second one further up by the bend.

"The lane is simply too narrow for vehicles of this size to park there.

"If you are parking in Lynsted Lane to visit the shops in London Road, please park considerately to ensure that other vehicles can pass safely in this narrow lane."