Residents will have to wait longer to hear back about controversial plans to build 250 homes in a village.

Earlier this year, Trenport Investments Ltd put forward proposals for homes on both sides of Church Street in Cliffe, near Rochester.

The scheme – which includes building on the APCM recreation ground – were due to be discussed at this week's planning committee meeting.

However, ward councillors and The Cliffe and Cliffe Woods Residents' Development Group said there had been a number of concerns surrounding the application, particularly around transport and environmental factors.

The council's planning department therefore allowed the debate, which had been due to take place today (Wednesday) to be deferred.

Papers presented to councillors ahead of the meeting recommended approval of the plans, subject to the developer spending just under £2.4 million on local service improvements.

Ward representatives Cllr Gary Etheridge (Con) and Cllr Elizabeth Turpin (Con) both said they were concerned about the impact the development could have on the B2000, the main route through the village.

Cllr Turpin said: "I'm very surprised highways don't have a problem with it because of the B2000.

"I can't see why they think it's suitable to put forward that many houses in Cliffe when all the people living there are going to be car reliant because they don't have the bus routes.

"They need to make sure that these answers are all in – and the residents certainly don't feel that they have been answered."

Cllr Etheridge added: "The B2000 is not built for that many vehicles. We have got 250 houses and that's an additional 500 cars minimum coming back and forth.

"They have got to pass through Cliffe Woods and have to come down the B2000.

"It's a totally unsuitable place to put that many houses."

Council papers also stated how Medway Council, as the highways authority, wanted the developer to put funds towards an improved bus service and this was backed by planning officers.

However, Cllr Etheridge said he didn't feel this would be practical.

He explained: "If you're going to put additional buses going out there, where are they actually going to turn around?

"There's not even a terminal for them to turn around in."

Cllr Etheridge was also concerned about how much of the almost £2.4m in developer's contributions had been earmarked within the officer's report to go towards services elsewhere in the Towns.

These included over £633,645 towards secondary school expansions "within Medway" and £659,362 towards open sports facilities and allotments "in Medway – including Medway’s Great Lines Heritage Park".

The application site is equivalent to 43 football fields, although the amount which could be developed into housing is roughly the size of 12 pitches.

The council says it has received 123 letters of objection.

Residents have raised concerns about the impact the development would have on the B2000, the loss of the sports field and views across open fields, as well as the increased demand on services.

Objections were also received from the parish councils in Cliffe, Cliffe Woods and Higham.

A spokesman for the developers said: "Trenport has discussed the deferral of the application with Medway Council and agreed that it should be deferred to next month’s committee in order to respond to this very late representation by the Cliffe residents group.

"Trenport has engaged comprehensively with Medway Council in assessing the transport impacts of the proposed development.

"This has included engagement through their pre-application service, use of their Medway-wide traffic model, and extensive liaison with officers in determining suitable mitigation."