A council leader has backed plans for a new-style "garden community" with 11,500 homes to be built.

The scheme, by Quinn Estates, would create thousands of properties, shops, GP surgeries and up to four primary schools on farmland in the Highsted Valley near Kent Science Park in Sittingbourne.

It will also provide a new motorway junction and link road between the M2 and A2 at Bapchild.

Speaking at Swale council’s Local Plan panel, leader Cllr Andrew Bowles, (Con), who represents Boughton and Courtenay, ruled out rival schemes at Faversham for 2,500 homes, Sheldwich for 5,000 and Bobbing for 2,500.

He said the Quinn scheme would provide enough housing to meet government targets, fully fund its own roads, schools and health facilities, provide relief for Sittingbourne town centre, reduce A2 traffic and "do the most to remove the threat of large-scale development from the rest of the borough".

He dismissed a development at Sheldwich near junction 6 of the M2 at Faversham saying the promoters of this "should be told its a non-starter".

Cllr Mike Baldock (Swale Group), who represents Borden and Grove Park, said: “The meeting was pretty horrific. The whole garden communities concept was being pushed through as just one option.

"Yet it is the only option that has been pursued to date.”

He said all four models assumed the M2 would be widened between Gillingham and Canterbury but said that had not been agreed.

He said more homes would lead to "significant" traffic congestion and "worsening air quality".

Labour leader Cllr Roger Truelove (Homewood) said he did not like the Highstead plan for "landscape protection reasons".

He added: "My reading is that the developers and the council are over optimistic about its deliverability and viability."

Monique Bonney (Ind), who represents West Downs, said: "This is not in the best interests of the area.

"Even officers admitted building garden settlements would have no benefit to existing communities which could end up even worse off."

The public's view is yet to be taken into account, but council officers admitted some were "very unreceptive" to garden communities.

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