Highways bosses have raised concerns about plans for 240 new homes near the M2.

Plans to build the houses near Ratcliffe Highway in Hoo St Werburgh, near Rochester, were submitted by Gladman Developments Ltd to Medway Council in September.

They include 60 affordable homes and will offer properties from one bedroom to five bedrooms.

If approved, a new vehicle access point from Ratcliffe Highways would also be created for residents who move in to the 30-acre site.

The proposal has already received 30 objections including from National Highways - the government body which run motorways and most A-roads across the country.

It has raised some concerns due to the closeness of the M2.

In a statement, a spokesman said: “We are concerned about the safety, reliability and operational efficiency of the Strategic Road Network (SRN) - in this case the M2 in the vicinity of the site.

“National Highways’ formal recommendation is that we recommend planning permission not be granted for a specified period.

“It is recommended that the application should not be approved until March 6, 2024.

“This is to allow time for the applicant to resolve the outstanding matters.

“We require further information to be provided by the applicant on this application, in order that an informed decision can be made in relation to the potential impacts of the development on the SRN.”

The agency has requested more data which looks at the number of fatal and serious accidents in the area.

The Transport Assessment currently only gives this data for Peninsula Way, Main Road Hoo and the Ratcliffe Highway.

But National Highways would like to see study area extended to the south to include M2 Junction 1 and Junction 2.

A planning statement submitted with the plans says there is a “critical shortage” of housing in Medway.

It said: “There is a need for around 1,700 affordable homes per annum, yet on average only 211 have been delivered in the district (Medway) since 2017/18.

“For many years, the delivery of housing has fallen behind the council’s own targets and below the district’s local housing need.”

It continued: “There is a critical housing shortage in Medway that is being exacerbated by low development completions.

“More housing development is drastically needed to address this situation.

“The suitability of residential-led development at land off Ratcliffe Highway is clearly established through national planning policy.

“Its development will contribute to supporting the council’s housing land supply, meeting local market and affordable housing needs, and would contribute positively to economic, environmental and social sustainability.”

You can view updates on the application by visiting Medway Council’s planning portal and searching for reference MC/23/1934.

The Gladman application was submitted just two months after government pulled the plug on £170m of funding promised to Medway Council.

The money was aimed for infrastructure, such as new roads and green spaces, to support 12,000 new homes being built on the Hoo Peninsula.

Funding was withdrawn by Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove after the project was deemed financially unviable.