A former Swale planning officer has criticised an application for another large housing development in Sittingbourne.

Brian Lloyd, who now works at the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), argues the plan for 130 homes on land next to Cryalls Lane, opposite Westlands School, should not go ahead.

The proposed development by Canterbury-based BDB Design would be on frequently farmed high-grade agricultural land, next to a plot recently removed from the council’s Local Plan as a site for building.

In 2012, the government adopted the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which requires councils to boost their housing supply.

Swale council has estimated it could build 540 houses per annum, despite the NPPF guidelines stating there should be 740.

In documents submitted to the council as part of the Cryalls Lane application, BDB Design states: “Other land to the east [of the site] had been allocated for residential development in an earlier draft of the local plan, but has since been removed.

“However, this draft plan is not NPPF-compliant and… cannot be regarded as carrying significant weight as a material consideration.”

Mr Lloyd said the Cryalls Lane proposal was problematic because of the threat to agricultural land.

He said: “We objected to the Cryalls site on the previous plan because it is not a good place. We will object to this application.”

Cllr Jean Willicombe, for the Woodstock ward where the homes would be built, is also against the proposal.

But she defended the council’s position on housing, arguing it was not leaving itself vulnerable to being exploited by developers after it under-allocated housing.

BDB Designs was unavailable for comment.

Last month, Gladman Developments sent in its proposal to build 580 homes of Swanstree Avenue, Sittingbourne. The land is not a brownfield site and it is also not in the revised Local Plan.

Gladman Developments also hopes to build 300 homes on land at Pond Farm in London Road, Newington. Again, the area is agricultural land and not in the Local Plan.

An application to build 600 houses at Stones Farm, Bapchild, does appear in the plan but is also destined for agricultural land.