Another step has been taken towards houses being built on the former Sittingbourne paper mill site, despite the reservations of some councillors.

Developer Essential Land has permission from Swale council, in principle, to build 150 homes next to the Morrisons supermarket, as well as 1,200sqm of leisure space and 250sqm for a community building.

But it had applied to alter a condition of the planning consent which said a linear park – a strip of green space running the length of the development – had to be in place before any of the homes were occupied.

Essential Land argued it would have to dig up the landscaped park to install drainage linked to each phase of house building.

The council’s head of planning, James Freeman, recommended the condition be altered to say the park must be in place before 75% of the homes are occupied.

The matter was considered by the council’s planning committee on Thursday after a request from Chalkwell ward representative Cllr Ghlin Whelan (Lab).

Addressing the committee, he said: “The saga of this site has gone on for the past three years, gradually eroding the pieces you would expect residents to want.

“The heritage building – we were told by the developer, ‘forget it, you’re not going to have it, we can’t afford it, the profits aren’t enough’.

“Constantly we are getting an erosion of what we thought we were getting three years ago and all we’ve had is a bomb site.

“I’m afraid that after 75% are built we may not get any of the green grass areas and that’s the only thing the site is going to get at the moment, and I want to make sure we get it.”

Members voted in favour of following Mr Freeman’s recommendation, with 10 for, five against and one abstention.

An Essential Land spokesman said: “Work can begin once an outstanding Section 106 agreement is finalised.”

A council spokesman said the agreement was being finalised by lawyers and was near completion.