A 220-home development has been given the go-ahead, despite claims a Kent town has become a house-building “Wild West”.

Developer Southern Grove launched a bid to erect the estate across 40 acres of land off the Old Thanet Way in Seasalter, Whitstable, last year.

The scheme received the backing of locals as the firm pledged to construct a new thoroughfare replacing Church Lane - which has been described as narrow and troublesome.

And at a meeting of the city council’s planning committee on Tuesday evening, Cllr Colin Spooner (Con) branded the current route a “road-rage canyon which strikes fear into the heart of elderly residents”.

Despite this, Labour’s Val Kenny opposed the project, amid fears her town is already overdeveloped.

“I do feel Whitstable at the moment is rather like the Wild West,” the Gorrell representative said.

“We’ve had so many developments come forward, and we’ve had several sites open which would have previously been turned down.”

This comes after city council planners said they had to throw their weight behind the scheme, as the authority has not built enough homes.

Officials noted that the body had “failed the government’s Housing Delivery Test” by delivering less than 75% of its target.

When councils fail to deliver on building aims, national planning policy seeks to ensure a “presumption in favour of sustainable development” is applied.

“Current projections from the council show we have moved out of presumption,” an official explained at the meeting this week.

“It was anticipated that last month the government would have confirmed this.

“Had that been the case the recommendation to the planning committee tonight would have been refuse.”

Papers say 30% of the homes built on the site will be classed as affordable.

Drawings also show part of Church Lane will be pedestrianised, as the new route will replace it as the main link between the Old Thanet Way and Seasalter.

Cllr Colin Spooner, who represents Seasalter, believes it will solve traffic problems in the area.

“It deals with the chronic congestion and safety issues in respect of Church Lane,” the Tory told the meeting.

“Currently, it’s a road rage canyon that puts fear in the hearts of elderly residents.

“This ancient lane will be bypassed and transformed into a pedestrian and cycle route, restoring the lane to what it used to be decades ago in terms of tranquillity.

“It will be of huge benefit to residents.”

Speaking on behalf of Southern Grove, architect Karl Elliot told councillors Church Lane, “which is currently a traffic bottleneck, will become a dedicated pedestrian cycle route”.

He also stressed it has received “overwhelming” support locally, as eight of the 10 letters sent in by residents about the proposal were supportive.

Seven committee members voted to approve the plan, while three opposed it and two abstained.