Members of the New Allington Action Group picketed the Town Hall ahead of last night’s meeting of Maidstone council’s planning committee - but to no avail.

The residents wanted the council to defer consideration of a planning application for “scheme 2” - one half of a larger application that both the council and NAAG had fought at a planning appeal inquiry in June.

They said it was wrong that the council consider Croudace’s application for 420 homes on the “reservoir field” on land off Hermitage Lane until the planning inspector’s decision was known - it is due in October.

Some councillors agreed with them, but a motion to defer a decision was defeated by six votes to four.

The council then went on to determine the application, which was approved by the same margin - of six votes to four.

Several visiting councillors - including Cllrs James Willis, Dan Daley and Fay Gooch spoke against the application, but had no vote

Cllr Willis (Lib Dem) said: “I’m gutted. The site was already allocated in the Local Plan, but this application offered insufficient open space. I’m sure we could have secured a better scheme.”

The second half of the application, known as “scheme 3”, is the more controversial - it is for 80 homes on the “hospital field” but would require the construction of an access road through an ancient woodland.

That is yet to be determined.

Cllr Willis said: “That is where the real fight will be.”