The scheme has been recommended for approval
A decision on whether to grant planning permission for 75 homes on the edge of a village is due to be made 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 proposals would see the demolition of very high frequency (VHF) masts – which includes a tall radio transmitter which is now redundant – and other buildings on the three-hectare site.
A quarter of the planned housing would be affordable homes.
Stoke Road, on the eastern side of Hoo, has been the subject of several recent developments, including the adjacent Walnut Grove estate and Abbots View across the road, both from Jones Homes.
The new application, from Dean Lewis Estates Ltd, is to be considered by the Towns’ planning committee next month (January).
A total of £1.6 million of developer contributions has also been included as a condition for approval of the scheme, for infrastructure improvements.
This includes £17,000 towards Hoo Library, £23,350 to Hoo Leisure Centre, £142,000 for nurseries and nearly £600,000 for schools.
Another condition is for a Second World War pillbox on the site to be sold to the parish council for £1.
The Hoo Stop Line was an anti-invasion defence line which crossed the peninsula and part of it stretches through the proposed development.
As this is an outline application, the layout of the houses which could be built will be settled at a later stage if this is approved.
But the arrangement of the new buildings would have to be done in a way so as to not significantly damage the historic features.
The application has received six letters of objection from people living in the area who oppose the loss of rural land, the impact on infrastructure and air quality.
Hoo St Werburgh parish council has also objected, raising concerns about the effect on the environment and saying the plans represent an overdevelopment.
Parish clerk, Sherie Babington, wrote on behalf of the council: “The proposal for up to 75 dwellings in this location is considered an overdevelopment of the land off Stoke Road.
“The cumulative impact of existing and proposed developments in the area will place unacceptable pressure on already constrained infrastructure and local amenities.
“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.
“The application represents excessive development which will Irreparably damage local character and heritage, remove vital green space and biodiversity, increase pollution and traffic, and overburden stretched local services.
“For these reasons, the parish council requests that Medway Council refuses this application.”
Medway Council’s Independent Group has also written to oppose the scheme.
But council 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 add that, although not yet adopted, the land has been included in the authority’s draft Local Plan as a location for housing.
