A bid to build a sprawling development of 4,000 homes has been delayed once again following a fiery debate fuelled by opposition councillors and members of the public.

The controversial Mountfield Park scheme to the south of Canterbury was the subject of a High Court battle that ended with the city council having to withdraw its initial support for the project last October.

During a heated meeting of the local authority's planning committee last night, a fresh proposal submitted by Corinthian Land was deferred yet again after objections were made by residents and opposition councillors.

Cllr Connie Nolan (Lab), who represents Barton Ward, raised concerns over the impact on the sewage system

"The assumptions which are made in this report are out of date and no attempt has been made to calculate the effect of increasingly common high-surge spring tides," she said

"We know that Kent and Canterbury are already water-stressed. To pretend that households could be restricted to 100 litres per person per day is frankly laughable, especially when the expected average is 140 litres per person per day.

"The elephant in the room is that in the first phase, sewage will be taken by tanker. The proposal suggests two tankers per day; experts have told me it is more likely to be four tankers per day.

"Do the residents of Canterbury district realise that phase one is in essence a giant cesspit? I don’t think so.

"My discussions with local residents show that they are under the erroneous impression that in phase one there will be the commencement of the water treatment works.

"I urge you to defer this proposal. We can’t stop development, I don’t want to stop development, but we must make sure that as a council we understand that there is a clear duty on us to make sure that no material harm is caused by any development."

The application states that in the development's second phase an on-site waste water treatment plant but questions were posed about who would bear responsibility for its upkeep.

Cllr Nick Eden-Green (Lib Dem) said adopting the bid would be a recipe to sleep-walking into another mess.

"What about the on-site water treatment plan? Who will service it when it breaks down? Who pays for its replacement when it wears out?" asked the representative for Wincheap.

"I wouldn’t buy a house run by some off-grid private sewage system."

A vote of approval last night would have paved the way for Corinthian to start building the first of 140 properties on the site, along with utility infrastructure and road and pedestrian access off New Dover Road.

An outline application for the remaining 3,860 homes, two primary schools, office space, access roads, a waste water treatment works and various community amenities to be built on the 550-acre plot was also also deferred.

Alan Atkinson, Chairman of Bridge Parish Council, raised concerns about the impact the new community could have on local schools.

"The schools are already busy. There is no space for children from an additional 140 homes," he argued.

"This developer must walk as it talks - have them put the schools in right from the start."

Meanwhile, Cllr Mike Sole (Lib Dem) noted that the development could lead to unwelcome congestion in Canterbury's small surrounding villages.

"Anyone living in these new homes looking to make use of services will have to choose between paying high parking charges in the centre of town or making the shorter trip to the villages," he said.

Tom Lynch, a retired paratrooper who lives opposite the site, applied for a judicial review of the original proposal last year.

After the judge agreed the review could proceed, the city council withdrew its planning approval in October, rather than face the cost of an expensive court challenge.

The “core components” of that proposal are the same as before, however, plans for a hotel and conference centre on the agricultural land stretching towards Bridge had been dropped.

New measures were also introduced to address concerns about drainage, affordable housing, transport and the installation of an on-site sewage treatment works designed to prevent further pollution of the Stodmarsh Nature Reserve.

But even with these changes, the proposal was too much for some councillors to stomach.

A director of Corinthian homes, Tim Leathes, spoke in support of Mountfield Park.

"We understand the size and complexity of this project but we are absolutely certain that it will be a positive change," he said.

"There is a shortage of homes here, there is shortage of new places to live and from day one we’ll be working towards helping that.

"We will ensure that this new community will be beautiful and will thrive. No expense will be spared to ensure we have the best possible design.

"Building homes is a serious responsibility and one we take very seriously."

There are plans for all of the homes to have EV charging points and electric bikes, while Corinthian says there will be new cycling infrastructure, extensive parkland and tree planting.

An expanded fast bus service into the city offering subsidised travel for residents will be created, along with business units, shops, restaurants and a care home.

Part of the vast site has also been earmarked for a 1,000-space Park and Ride facility, which would sit next to the A2.

The site - which was included in the authority's housing blueprint, the Local Plan - plays an integral role in achieving the council's building target of 900 new homes per year until 2031.

They argue the two primary schools, office space, community buildings and sports facilities that form part of the project will have a "positive impact on the district’s economy" and outweigh any "harm" caused by the development.

Local authority officials claimed ahead of the vote "no significant environmental effects will arise from" the 'garden city' scheme - but critics fear it will swamp neighbouring streets with congestion.

In a report published last week officers stressed the development would be "highly sustainable" and "deliver a significant proportion of the council’s five-year housing land supply".

After Cllr Colin Spooner (Con) proposed a vote to defer on the grounds that the public speakers made a number of compelling points that required further investigation, councillors voted in support of his suggestion by six to five, with one abstention.

The city council will have to issue another decision on a detailed version of the outline plan at a later date.