There are better sites for a garden village and rugby stadium that would avoid an “act of irreversible environmental vandalism”, campaigners say.

Three parish councils have joined forces to fight plans to build on Pedham Place Golf Club, in the green belt on the outskirts of Swanley and the M25.

Sevenoaks District Council wants to include it in its next Local Plan as a site suitable for up to 2,500 homes, plus a 28,000-seater stadium, previously eyed up by Wasps Rugby Football Club.

But Farningham, Eynsford, and Crockenhill Parish Councils have formed a partnership to fight the scheme and have together engaged the services of Tibbalds planning consultants to present their case.

They point out the site is on the highest, most visible, point of the Darent Valley, which sits within the Metropolitan Green Belt and the Kent Downs National Landscape.

The proposed site would be accessed from the A20 adjacent to J3 of the M25 where it meets Junction 1 of the M20, which, they say, has long received criticism for poor traffic management and air quality.

The parishes argue the development proposals conflict with national planning policy and that the location is fundamentally unsustainable, with limited access to public transport, which will result in more car journeys adding to local congestion and pollution.

They say there must be better sites within Sevenoaks to meet its housing targets which would “not result in an act of irreversible environmental vandalism.”

The district council is currently trying to find room for 10,600 new homes in the plan period, which goes up until 2040, but fears that the new Labour government will substantially increase that number despite the fact that 93% of the district falls within the green belt.

Daryl Burns, the chairman of Farningham Parish Council, said: “Our council is conscious of the additional challenges placed on the district council, and we want to work positively to support them in developing an effective Local Plan as quickly as possible.

“However, we fundamentally oppose the continued inclusion of Pedham Place as a potential part of the solution.

“Pedham Place is both greenbelt, and a national landscape, and does not meet the draft definition for grey belt as set out by the new government, meaning that it will not be deliverable.

“We believe that continuing to pursue Pedham Place is a folly, which will ultimately waste public money and delay the implementation of the Sevenoaks Local Plan.”

Vince Robson, the chairman of Eynsford Parish Council, said: “We believe Pedham Place is in the wrong place to meet the housing needs as identified in the Sevenoaks Housing Needs Assessment, specifically for affordable housing and specialist housing for older people.

“The extraordinary infrastructure costs associated with bringing Pedham Place forward will inevitably ensure affordable housing is unviable.

“The future housing needs in the north of the Sevenoaks district can be met in part from the current oversupply of homes by Dartford borough, where the housing targets are likely to be reduced by 10%, and which has a much closer relationship with Farningham, Crockenhill and Eynsford.”

Rachel Waterton, the chairman of Crockenhill Parish Council, said: “In addition to the proposals for 2,500 new homes, there were also proposals put forward for a stadium within the Crockenhill Parish.

“Any type of development of this scale, in such proximity to our villages, is simply not feasible and would be disastrous to our rural setting.

“There are no exceptional circumstances or need for such condensed housing or a 28,000-seater stadium within the Sevenoaks district - with the O2, Brands Hatch, the London Golf Course, and the proposed Millwall Training Ground all being within a nine-mile radius.

“In these situations, the environmental benefits of rolling green landscape and rich agricultural land are significantly advantageous to our existing residents.

“Our outlook, in its current state should not be excused as ‘previously developed land.’

“It is part of the greenbelt that we value immensely. Once it’s gone, it’s gone.”

The stadium plan in any case may already have fallen by the wayside with promoters, Wasps RFC, now looking elsewhere.

Rob Moorhouse is an associate director at Tibbalds. He said: “Tibbalds is passionate about supporting people-friendly places, and we are recognised to be national experts in delivering sustainable new settlements.

“We agree with Farningham, Eynsford and Crockenhill Parish Councils that Pedham Place is not the right solution to meet Sevenoaks’ future housing needs as it is in a fundamentally unsustainable location.

“We intend to build an evidence base which we hope will help to refocus Sevenoaks council on a more sustainable distribution of housing such as a greater focus on optimising opportunities on brownfield sites, especially those near the fifteen rail stations within the district.”

However, the developers Gladman Developments and the Ramac group, who are jointly promoting the Pedham Place location as a “20-minute village” argue that they will provide schools, shops and doctor’s surgeries within the development - making it sustainable.

They say the idea is that its residents would find everything they needed within a 20-minute walk of their homes.

They pointed out the site was also close to the M25 and the railway line, for wider travel opportunities.

However, the plans rely on improvements at the M25 J3 to facilitate access, and National Highways has warned that no such improvements are in the pipeline.

Residents of the three villages involved are strongly behind their parish councils, and have held several protest walks and even a tractor drive to show their opposition.

The collective parish councils have asked that Sevenoaks formally withdraw Pedham Place from future Local Plan considerations.

Su Hewitt is a champion for the Protect Our Green Belt Campaign. She said: "It's great news that the parish councils are looking after the residents in this way.

“The direction of the new government giving extra powers to district councils to remove green spaces from future generations makes local residents and their parish councils very worried.

“There's a real feeling of being the underdog to these decisions, especially when considering the land and infrastructure issues we know about.

“The prospects of the potential of this vast encroachment in a traffic and pollution-sensitive area that meets no sustainability criteria or local needs here are extremely concerning.

“We hope the parish council's mission is accomplished to prevent Pedham Place development and the WASPS stadium from being considered for the Sevenoaks Local Plans ever again!”

Roger Gough is the County Councillor for Sevenoaks North and Darent Valley. He said: “I can’t speak for an official KCC position, but I can – and do! – speak as a local representative.

“I strongly support and welcome this initiative by the three parish councils most affected by the Pedham Place and Wasps proposals.

“The impact of these proposals on the Darent Valley and on our communities would be hugely damaging, they are not sustainable developments and would affect higher performing and strategically important parts of the Green Belt.

“We already have severe pressures on the nearby A20 and the M25 and it is hard to see how the infrastructure required could be funded.

“These are arguments that I and many others have long made and it is good that they can now be put forward strongly with expert help.”

“The parish councils are rightly standing up for our local communities and I will help and support this in whatever way I can.”

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Richard Knox-Johnston is from the London Green Belt Council. He said: “The Green Belt is already under great pressure and the NPPF consultation envisages further considerable loss of countryside.

“Developing on the Green Belt will not solve the housing problem as there is already permission for over 1 million homes which the large developers have yet to build.

“Parish councils, under the terms of the consultation, are likely to lose much of their power either to influence or to plan their future.”

“Young people need affordable homes and when the six large developers build in the Green Belt, they normally construct 4/5 bedroomed houses as these provide the greatest profit.”

“Sevenoaks is preparing its Local Plan 2040, to determine where development should go over the next 16 years.

It has yet to take the plan to the Regulation 19 public consultation stage.

The proposed boundaries of the Pedham Place settlement lie fully within the parishes of Farningham and Eynsford councils. The site that was proposed for the rugby stadium lies within Crockenhill parish.

Pedham Place currently operates as an 18-hole golf course, with a driving range.