Bellway is set to build 180 homes at the Rosewood development in Maidstone after acquiring a parcel of land at the western edge of the site.

A consortium of housebuilders led by Countryside is developing the 116-acre site south of Sutton Road in the village of Langley, around 3.5 miles south-east of the town centre.

Outline planning consent has already been secured for up to 800 homes to be built in the wider scheme. Bellway will be submitting detailed plans for its part of the development, to be known as Rosewood in the coming weeks.

Tom Sherriff, Managing Director of Bellway Thames Gateway, said: “We have worked closely with Savills to secure the purchase of this 10-acre parcel of land, which sits in a prominent position at the western edge of the wider Rosewood development.”

“The land acquisition is an important step towards delivering much-needed new homes on the site, and we are now in the process of finalising our detailed planning application for the design and layout of these properties.”

“Bellway has a proud history of building high-quality homes across Maidstone, with the Bicknor Wood development in nearby Otham being the latest of several developments we have delivered across the borough in recent years. Maidstone Borough Council is aiming to deliver 17,660 new homes by 2031, and we hope to be able to make another significant contribution towards achieving this target.”

More than a third of the wider Rosewood development is set to become public open space, while the masterplan for the neighbourhood also includes shops and office units, and land reserved for a new primary school.

Tom said: “Listed in the Maidstone Local Plan, the Sutton Road site represents a sustainable location for residential development, offering an attractive village setting situated on one of the main routes into Maidstone town centre.”

“Subject to planning approval, we hope to start construction work on the first homes at Rosewood in January 2022.”