Proposals to put a temporary pause on major housebuilding across a district is being discussed amid fears the local infrastructure is “overwhelmed”.

Thanet District Council’s (TDC) Green group is calling for a moratorium for applications of developments of more than 10 homes.

But the Labour-led administration does not think the authority has legal powers to be able to enact the move, which is set to be fully considered later this year.

At a meeting of TDC’s full council on July 13, Cllr Mike Garner (Green), proposed the motion.

“The motion is asking council to pause the granting of new planning permissions for builds of more than 10 dwellings to allow for a review into the impact our current housebuilding programme is having across Thanet,” he said.

“We’re all familiar with the concerns about Southern Water’s infrastructure, it’s been mentioned a few times already tonight.

“It’s not fit for purpose, either to consistently guarantee a supply of fresh drinking water to us all, or to effectively deal with the associated sewage or any heavy rainfall without polluting the sea.”

At the meeting, council leader Rick Everitt (Lab) responded: “I recognise that it deals with real concerns in our community and indeed within the council.

“I do think that there is a risk however that it encourages the public to believe that the council can do things that it can’t do.”

The council voted to discuss the motion properly at a meeting in October, giving officers time to prepare a report on the legal and financial consequences of such a move.

Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Garner stressed: “We’re not saying that there shouldn’t be housing developments of more than 10 homes, we’re just saying that while we do this review we pause them.

“There are a lot of questions, there’s a lot of disquiet in Thanet about the state of affairs with housing and I just think we should take time to pause and review this situation before we start the programme again.”

Conservative group leader Cllr Reece Pugh said his party will debate its position before the October meeting.

He added: “There’s development that’s still happening, so whilst this won’t stop everything it will stop other large scale developments coming on board and getting planning permission when actually we don’t have the infrastructure.

“Southern Water is dumping too much undiluted sewage into the seas even with a tiny bit of rainfall, the system can’t cope.

“The roads are really busy, you’re in traffic wherever you want to go, and the same with education and doctors and dentists.

“We’re becoming overwhelmed and I think this motion is a step in the right direction.”

TDC’s new Labour administration, which took over from the Conservatives in May, however, are prioritising affordable housing.

Giving an update to councillors at the meeting, Cllr Everitt said: “The 400 homes we intend to secure across the four-year life of this council will make a dent in our housing list, it will change the lives of those Thanet residents who benefit for the better, it will start this month with 42 new build properties at Spitfire Green.

“But I say to the council as I said to the director of place when he first shared his detailed report with me: I want more.”

TDC has 1,600 households on its housing waiting list, and last year the number of households in emergency accommodation in the district doubled.

Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Everitt reiterated: “The Labour group supported this motion being debated because it covers a topic that is of significant public interest.

“However, our view is that council has no ability to ‘pause’ the determination of major planning applications.

“What would happen if it tried is that the applications would end up being decided by the government’s planning inspectorate instead, on the same policy basis, and the council taxpayers of Thanet would have to pay extra costs.

“Agreeing to debate the motion means officers will set out the legal and financial issues around the proposal so that we can have an informed discussion for the benefit of everyone.”

The motion is set to be properly debated at the full meeting of TDC in October.