Hundreds of campaigners turned out in protest against the council’s proposed sale of a prime strip of beachfront land.

Demonstrators arrived in their droves at Whitstable’s Oval Chalet site to voice their opposition to a planned holiday home development.

Canterbury City Council says the empty plot - a former roller skating rink - needs developing.

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But campaigners say the current plans won't benefit the local community and that the site should be protected as open public space.

They claim the authority did not get best value for the site, sat behind the Tile Warehouse, when selling it to Sea Street Developments.

They are calling for a review of the deal.

Suzanne Blaustone, co-chairman of the Oval Chalet Preservation Community Group, told KentOnline that around 400 people had attended.

“I’ve lived here 20 years and I’ve never seen a turnout like this on a single issue," she said.

“What it tells us is that a lot of people love this town and this space and they want to see it developed a public open space.”

Ms Blaustone said the council’s sale of the land had been carried out behind closed doors.

“What’s happened is that despite all of the work that citizens and civil groups have done for the better of the people of Whitstable, we were turned down by the council and they sold this public space in a secret session to a single developer," she said.

“The developer has come back with their own proposals which include no properties for the local people.

"It means we don’t create a neighbourhood, we create party-hood. You don’t have residents, just holidaymakers.”

She added that today’s protest will hopefully prompt the council to think again.

“I believe in the best of our council," she said. I hope they saw the turnout today and will say we have to find a democratic way to rescind this decision and make a decision that will sit with the people.

“I believe we will find a way forward.

“We’re using every avenue we know. We have the council and the people on our side. The only ones who say we can’t change this are the officers, not the elected councillors.

City council chief executive Colin Carmichael had compiled a report reviewing the decisions made by the previous council to sell off the land.

Labour councillor Bernadette Fisher previously said: “Shamefully, the committee decided against any action on the chief executive’s report, riding roughshod over the clearly expressed desire of the people of Whitstable.

“The upside is that the town is united in its horror that such an iconic site should have been sold.”

Canterbury City Council spokesman Rob Davies said: “The decision to sell the land, subject to the developer achieving planning permission, was taken in December 2014 by the previous council.

"A new council was elected in May and has reviewed that decision, and is proceeding with the sale because legal advice has made it clear we are bound by the terms of the contract we have entered into with the developer.

“The Oval Chalet is a very sensitive site and, together with the adjacent Tile Warehouse, is in need of development. By developing both sites the aim is to achieve a good scheme that will benefit the town.

“We sought an independent valuation for the Oval Chalet land and the price we got for it is in line with that independent valuation."

“There is a planning application in for the site and this is going through the standard planning process. No date has been set for this to be decided.”