Villagers fear they have not seen the last of plans to build 115 homes on prized farmland even after council bosses rejected them for the second time.

The development proposed by Gladman was to run along Tothill Street in Minster, near Ramsgate, just north of Foxborough Lane.

After scores of locals objected to the first bid last summer, Thanet District Council threw it out and has now done so again.

But despite news of the renewed refusal of the plans reaching villagers, long-time resident Andy Local says the reaction in Minster has been quiet as many believe the developers may appeal the decision.

“Last time it was rejected, we did celebrate,” said Mr Local, 62.

“But now that they’ve come back again, now it’s a very muted celebration because you just know that they’re going to come back again.

“We’re just going to be in this constant battle and it’s annoying - people keep wanting to turn the village into a town.”

The new plans purported to ease higher traffic in the area by knocking down a building along Tothill Street and creating a new road for emergency vehicles to get to the estate.

Nevertheless, ruling on the newest plans on June 27, district planners found once again that the application had failed to mitigate the effects of having extra cars on local roads.

And even as Gladman - which was bought out by housebuilding giants Barratt in 2022 - pledged some 30% of the houses at the scheme would be affordable, officers said the developers had failed to enter into a legal agreement to secure the discounted properties.

But foremost among concerns for Mr Local - who has lived in the village for 20 years - is the fact that the development would mean building over high-quality farmland.

“That farmland has been farmed for generations,” continued the retired hydrotherapy business owner.

“It’s some of the best farmland in Thanet, why turn it into houses?

“They were growing asparagus there and before that it was wheat and other crops, we need to be able to grow food - you can’t eat concrete.”

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Thanet has the second-highest housing target in the county, aiming to construct 1,258 new properties a year.

Minster parish councillor Derek Crow-Brown said housing targets were of serious concern, adding: “It was a common sense decision, the site isn’t on the local plan.

“People call the objectors NIMBYs but there are some really smart people that live here, they analyse every possible decision, and know the area well.

“They are quite worried about building on prime agricultural farmland - it shouldn’t be built on, especially as we’ve got the war in Ukraine affecting food production.”