Plans for new housing have been axed just weeks after part of the design was labelled "a white elephant".

More than 30 people wrote to Maidstone council objecting to the proposal for a 20-home development in Ulcombe when it was submitted in October.

The application was put forward by developers Esquire and would have been built off Eastwood Road.

It included plans for a new building featuring a shop and changing rooms.

The homes would have been next to the village recreation ground and eight were to be marketed as affordable housing.

However, developers have now withdrawn the plans.

Maidstone council's head of development, Rob Jarman, confirmed Esquire had pulled the application.

Before the announcement, a number of Ulcombe residents had hit out at the proposal.

Many raised concerns about stretched infrastructure, damage to wildlife and suggested the village did not need the new facilities.

Janine Monk, who lives in The Street, said: "Ulcombe is a tiny village with no amenities to speak of.

"We have very limited public transport and as such are reliant on cars.

"Our roads are already falling apart with the increased traffic from all the new houses in Headcorn; they are potholed and muddy.

"We often have broadband issues and telephone issues; more houses means more strain on an already stretched infrastructure."

She continued: "The size and siting of this building is ridiculous.

"There is no mention of what kind of shop this would be, or who would kit it out or run it. It has the potential to be an unsightly and unused white elephant."

Christina Cox echoed Mrs Monk's concerns.

The Streetfield resident added: "I object to the proposal of 20 new houses along Eastwood Road because of the increased risk of flooding; 25 houses flooded in the village in 2021.

"Ulcombe is in a valley surrounded by polytunnels, and when there is a heavy downpour the rain runs off these and comes down the hills which surround us.

"Building more houses in Ulcombe can only be detrimental to the future of the village considering the environmental impact this will have."

Esquire insisted the cricket and football pitches next to the recreation ground would not have been affected by the plans, and believed the proposed homes would have been “architecturally unique".

The company also added it was keen on “strengthening the concept of the village green as the heart of the local community".

It is not yet known whether Esquire will put forward a new proposal for the area. The firm was contacted for more information.

Prior to it being withdrawn, Ulcombe Parish Council declared it had no objection to the plans.