Residents say work on a new housing development on former farmland is causing “incessant” noise and dust, with vibrations so fierce their houses shake.

Vistry began building 250 homes on land in East Malling, locally known as Forty Acres Field, in May.

Permission was granted on appeal by a government planning inspector after Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council (TMBC) councillors rejected the scheme twice.

Those who live next to the site, which is accessed via Winterfield Lane, say noises of beeping, revving and grinding are constant throughout the day, and dust from the work is covering their homes.

Caroline Shepherd, 45, lives in Pinewood Close opposite. She said: “I work from home and we are 30 yards away from the building site. They just started work one day, we got no communication about it.

“The noise is the first thing I noticed. There’s just constant beeping. It starts at 7.30 in the morning and doesn’t end until 5pm. It’s incessant, and there’s always revving and grinding.

“My two boys’ bedrooms face the field and there’s so much dust coming in and getting in their beds, on their toys, I’m having to do a deep clean every week.

“I dread to think what we’re breathing in. My eyes get sore from the dust.

“These are our homes. These are our children. I’d just like reassurance that the air is okay. I don’t want my boys to get health problems from what they’ve been breathing in their rooms.

“Our neighbours have had to redo the paintwork inside their house because it was ruined by the sand and dirt from the building site.

“It’s really affecting our day-to-day life now. It’s been getting us down quite a bit.

“We accept we lost the battle, we’ve lost the site and they’re building the houses. But it would be nice to have some consideration for the residents living here.”

A resident in London Road, directly opposite where the building work is taking place, said: “My main concern is that my house is shaking on a fairly regular basis.

“We notice it a couple of times a week but my other half and I both work full-time, so it could be happening every day and we just aren’t there.

“It causes the glasses to rattle in the cupboards; my wife’s jewellery on the bedside table shakes on the third floor. The house shakes so much I’m worried it will cause structural damage.

“I’m not one to complain for the sake of complaining so I went to the site manager first and spoke to him, and he said to let him know when it was happening so he could figure out what machine was causing it.

“But I contact him every time the house shakes and I’m getting no responses – he’s stopped replying.”

The resident continued: “One neighbour told me the vibrations were so bad their letterbox was moving, and a pane of glass in their internal window shakes.

“We suffer with dust here as well. We’ll wipe our windowsills one day and the next day it’s covered in dust again.

“We can’t have the windows open at the front of the house. Even in our bedroom three floors up I can hear building works and beeps.

“There’s just a constant drone of noise, and the shaking is unnerving. We’re literally opposite the site, the entrance is just a few doors away.

“We don’t know what on earth we’re breathing in. It’s just awful. And every neighbour I’ve spoken to has the same problems with the noise and dust and vibrations. We’re all sort of suffering.”

A spokeman for Vistry Kent, said: “Our Area Build Manager met with the residents who live on the boundary of the development last week to provide an update on the construction work.

“This outlined the proposed nature and length of the works, landscaping, and the noise and dust suppression measures that are in operation at the site.

“We are not currently aware of any activity on the site which would be responsible for vibrations affecting neighbouring properties.

“We will continue to communicate with the local residents and keep them informed as the work progresses.”

A spokesman for Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council said: “The council is aware of the concerns raised about the Forty Acres Farm site, and is currently investigating these matters.”

In 2021, the application attracted 621 letters of objection and two petitions which both nearly reached 1,000 signatures.

This was all discounted by the inspector, because the council could not prove it had a five-year housing land supply as required by the government.

The inspector acknowledged the development would alter the character at the site and spoil the view but said it was outweighed by the shortfall in housing.

Cllr Roger Roud (Lib Dem), who represents East Malling, West Malling and Offham, said last month: “It is really disappointing.

“This was an active farm producing crops to feed us, full of wildlife – bats and skylarks. Now it is just closing the gap between East and West Malling.

“We used to be the Garden of England; now we are its patio.”