Decision by Maidstone Council to reject plans for 440 homes in Otham overturned | Updated: 14:32, 08 January 2021 Maidstone Borough Council's (MBC) decision to reject plans for more than 400 homes in Otham has been overturned by a government inspector, leaving the authority potentially with a costly bill. A planning enquiry in November jointly considered two appeals by housing developer Bellway: one an appeal for non-determination of an outline application for 440 homes, and the other a refusal by the council of a detailed application for 421 homes, both on land west of Church Road, next to St Nicholas Church. The planning inspectorate overruled MBC's decision to reject plans for 400 homes on this site