Plans for 75 homes to be decided in the New Year

Plans to grant planning permission for 75 homes on the edge of a village are due to be decided in January.

An outline application for a plot north of Stoke Road, Hoo St Werburgh, has been recommended for approval by Medway Council officers.

The developer, Dean Lewis Estates, said a quarter of the properties would be affordable homes, as reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

However, Hoo St Werburgh Parish Council said the plans "represent an overdevelopment".

Parish clerk Sherie Babington wrote on behalf of the council: "The site currently comprises open paddocks and green space which contribute to local biodiversity and air quality. The proposal would result in the loss of this valuable natural asset."

Ms Babington added the development would "damage local character and heritage, increase pollution and traffic, and overburden stretched local services".

The application has received six letters of objection from residents whose concerns included loss of rural land, the impact on infrastructure and air quality.

Medway Council's Independent Group has also written to object to the scheme.

However, planning officers have recommended the proposals for approval, saying the "approximate 24 homes per hectare is a similar density to the nearby area".

They also added, although not yet adopted, the land has been included in Medway Council's draft Local Plan for housing.

According to documents, the proposals would see the demolition of Very High Frequency (VHF) masts, including a tall and redundant radio transmitter and other buildings on the three-hectare (7.4 acres) site.

A total of £1.6m of contributions from the developer to improve local infrastructure has also been included as a condition for approval of the scheme.

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