A decision is to be made on plans for a development of 450 homes on farmland in north Kent.

Almost 800 letters of objection have been sent to Medway Council over plans for Gibraltar Farm, Ham Lane, in Hempstead.

The Application A decision on the construction of apartments, a daycare center and a shop will be made on August 28th, three years later.

Council representatives have recommended granting planning permission for the nearly 30-hectare site.

The plans’ requirements include that a quarter of the new homes must be affordable and that a daycare center must be available.

Another requirement is a £5.6 million contribution to local infrastructure, which will fund services such as education, refuse collection and improvements to Gillingham and Rainham town centres.

The developer, FD Attwood & Partners, must submit concrete plans regarding the layout, size and design of the new houses.

A planning application for the site was initially rejected by Medway Council in 2016, but was then approved on appeal.

The current version of the plans was submitted in May 2021, but an earlier version was rejected by the council’s planning department in 2019 due to concerns about the sustainability of the development.

An appeal by the developer was rejected.

According to planning officials, the major benefits of the project include a large number of affordable housing units, job opportunities created by the construction and further economic development in the region.

The council has received 789 letters of objection from residents.

Other opponents include the Woodland Trust, Sport England, former MPs Rehman Chishti and Dame Tracey Crouch, and current MP for Faversham and Mid Kent, Helen Whately.