Residents have one last chance to comment on proposals to build 800 homes on Green Belt land in Fawkham and Hartley.

Members of the No Hartley Expansion group (NHE) are fighting to keep the development out of the Sevenoaks Local Plan before it is considered by the Government’s Planning Inspector in 2019. The public consultation, which began on Tuesday, December 18, will run until Sunday, February 3.

Sites MX52 and MX53 - Corinthians and Banckside, Hartley - have now been removed from the proposed version of the Sevenoaks Local Plan, submitted to the Sevenoaks council cabinet last month.

The sites received more comments than any other areas, with 1,721 people coming forward to express their opinion.

Common complaints included increasing traffic on already congested roads, a desire to protect the Green Belt, and pressure on schools and healthcare providers.

NHE spokesman Margaret Bown, of Hartley, said: “NHE members are delighted that sites MX52 and MX53 have been removed.

“However, it is highly likely that the developer will object to the omission of these sites and there is no guarantee that they will not be reinstated at a later stage.”

In response to the Regulation 18 consultation, Sevenoaks council received four additional proposals to build on Green Belt sites, one of which is just south of the nearby village of New Ash Green. These will be consulted on alongside, but not as part of, the Regulation 19 Publication.

An online petition opposing the proposed development has already attracted more than 1,000 signatures.

The council’s cabinet member for planning Robert Piper said: “We are proposing to deliver a new Local Plan that will protect the overwhelming majority of the Green Belt while providing 10,000 new homes, together with community infrastructure.”

To take part in the consultation, click here.