A developer could give councils £6.5 million if its plans for almost 300 homes are green-lit.

Taylor and Wimpey, which will build on Ufton Court Farm in Tunstall near Sittingbourne, is set to make the contribution to Swale council and Kent County Council.

A different housebuilder, Urban Wilderness, had originally secured planning permission in principle in July.

But Taylor and Wimpey is now set to lodge its reserved matters proposals to the council in spring.

It declined to comment on who it purchased the land from and for how much, but did confirm it had not bought it from Urban Wilderness.

The new application will deal with the finer details of the development, such as the mix, layout and design of the homes.

The funds it has promised would go towards local infrastructure, including education, healthcare facilities and highways.

It held a public consultation for residents to get across their views. It ends at midnight tomorrow (Tuesday, March 4).

A Taylor Wimpey spokesman said: “It’s important to us that we listen to the views of the local community as we develop our plans for new homes on land at Ufton Court.

“Our proposals are in line with the approved outline planning consent and will provide much-needed new homes, as well as green space as a play area for residents to enjoy.

“We encourage people to take a look at our website for further details and provide us with their feedback.”

Swale council had rejected the proposals for 290 homes to be built on a site covering the size of 40 standard 11-a-side football pitches in November 2023.

This was after it received more than 200 letters of objection from members of the public.

It said the site fell outside the boundaries of Sittingbourne and was not allocated for housing in its Local Plan.

It added that it would risk spoiling the character of the countryside, would mean loss of top-grade farmland and it missed the authority’s target of 40% affordable homes as it would only provide 30%.

But the plans, submitted by Urban Wilderness in November 2022, went to appeal in December.

Planning inspector, David Spencer, allowed the proposals for 290 homes, of which 87 will be affordable, in July.

He pointed to the need for house building in Swale as the primary reason to allow the proposals.

Some 5,430 homes are earmarked for construction between April 1 last year and March 31 2028 across the borough.

However, Mr Spencer says the council’s development plan is “not delivering the required number of homes needed by some margin”.

He also addressed concerns about roads in the area which were labelled as “totally unsuitable” when the proposals were at the consultation stages.

Access will be via a new roundabout at the junction of Minterne Avenue, College Road and Riddles Road, near the Beauty of Bath pub.

He said the new layout was an “improvement” and added there was “no reason to refuse the appeal on highway grounds”.

At that time Cllr Mike Baldock (Swale Inds), who represents Borden and Grove Park, called the location of the development “ludicrous” and said his residents would not receive any benefits from the scheme.