A tourism hot spot dubbed the “Wild West” for developers is set to swell by 200 homes while being served with a new Park & Ride.

Canterbury City Council approved Catesby Estates’ proposals to lay down the Benacre View development in Whitstable amid a slew of objections.

Now, the developer is expected to build 220 homes, a 300-space Park & Ride, and 400m sq shopping and a communal area off Old Thanet Way.

Some claim the controversial development will “ruin the countryside” and argue the town is a “wild west” for developers.

But one councillor placed his head above the parapet saying they would be “delighted” if the estate was in their ward.

Catesby’s plans attracted 75 objection letters after the scheme emerged in August.

And during a long-anticipated council meeting at Canterbury’s Guildhall last night (December 12), planning chiefs hashed out their views over the scheme.

A total of ten members of the public and councillors who are not on the planning committee attended to object.

Resident Peter Slaughter told the committee the area “is easily as attractive as some parts of the Kent Downs AONB and needs statutory protection not trashing with more urban development.”

Former Whitstable councillor Valerie Kenny also attended to slate the proposals, saying she was: “deeply concerned about the impact of such dense housing on our lives, our health and our wellbeing and the continuous impact on our already failing infrastructure and lack of public transport.

“In normal circumstances, it would be refused by the council,” she said.

Mrs Kenny added: “Continued lack of progress in south Canterbury and the suspension of the local plan means that Whitstable has become a target for developers, it’s actually a bit like the Wild West out there.”

CCC cannot demonstrate a five-year supply of land for housing, so has to look more favourably on planning applications which would otherwise violate the local plan.

Gorrell ward councillor Clare Turnbull (Green) also rubbished the plans.

“A lot of people are concerned about the incoherent sprawl of development around Whitstable,” she said.

“It’s true that housing is desperately needed, but does that mean snatching at opportunities to put a load of housing on a piece of land, is that sustainable?

“The cumulative impact of piecemeal developments is not sustainable for our small town.”

Cllr Steve Wheeler (Green) echoed similar sentiments, saying: “I can’t find a single person in Whitstable who’s in favour of this.

“In fact, I can't find a single person in Whitstable who’s in favour of the Whitstable Heights development – they say this has ruined Whitstable already and they live there so they should know.”

The plot for these homes is agricultural land, and directly adjacent to the 400-home Whitstable Heights development.

Cllr Wheeler added: “It’s going to choke Whitstable, it’s going to ruin the countryside.”

However, Victoria Groves, speaking on behalf of Catesby, stressed: “We believe this application will deliver high-quality homes within an attractive green environment as well as provide much-needed affordable homes and genuine community benefits.”

The council’s head of planning explained to members that the authority’s local plan includes a new park & ride site for Whitstable, and this development will give the council the land for that project.

“This site does include the land for the park & ride in the draft local plan, this is the preferred option for that park & ride facility to be provided,” he said.

As an outline application, the specifics of the layout and design of the estate will be dealt with through later schemes.

Due to the council being in “presumption” towards sustainable development, Cllr Ian Stockley (Con) noted: “There are very few grounds we can actually refuse this development on.”

He continued: “I would be delighted if this development was taking place in my ward rather than the development I have got – the sustainability of it is a vast improvement on most developments we’ve seen recently in my view.”

Cllr Stockley’s Beltinge ward is set to host a 180-home Kitewood development.

“We need houses, if we don’t build it here, as one of the speakers said then build it elsewhere, the problem is where?”

“That’s what we’ve got - agricultural land, we haven’t got hundreds of brownfield sites,” Cllr Stockley added.

Chair of the committee Cllr Pat Edwards (Lab) said “regretfully” there were no good planning reasons to refuse the application.

But Cllr Roben Franklin (Lib Dem) said he would abstain “in protest” of the fact housing targets mean this development is “imposed” on the council.

The application was approved with eight votes in favour, three abstentions and one against.