Councillors have put the brakes on plans for a rail freight interchange on the border of the Dartford and Bexley boroughs with one describing it as the most ill-judged planning application ever to come before him.

The Howbury Park interchange, just off the junction of Bob Dunn Way and Thames Road, both the A206, would be use to transport goods from lorries on to trains, increasing the amount of rail freight into, out of and around London.

The application is for the demolition of existing buildings and the construction of the rail interchange, warehousing, new access arrangements from Moat Lane, associated HGV, car and cycle parking, landscaping, drainage, and associated works, within Bexley borough.

Developers also want to create a new access road from the existing A206 and A2026 roundabout, incorporating a bridge over the River Cray, landscaping and associated works, within Dartford borough.

But at a meeting of Dartford council’s development control board last Thursday, councillors voted unanimously against the plans, in line with the recommendation of their planning officers.

Cllr Ian Armitt (Con) blasted the proposals as “the most ill-judged and ill-conceived planning application that’s ever come before us” before adding: “I don’t think I’ve ever been so violently opposed to an application in my life.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever been so violently opposed to an application in my life,” Cllr Ian Armitt

Cllr Calvin McLean (Con) questioned how thousands more HGV movements a day would not add to pollution or congestion, and said he would not “subject the people of Dartford to 1.8 million more traffic movements a year because it benefits everyone else”.

Ward councillor Matthew Davis (Con) said he supported rail freight in principle but asked: “Can anyone in this room think of a worse location?”

Referring to this month’s Lower Thames Crossing announcement, Cllr Davis said traffic in the area was already so bad the government was spending billions on a tunnel, and adding more vehicles “just doesn’t make sense”.

Several councillors suggested Folkestone or Dover would be better locations.

Hugh Scanlon spoke for agent Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners to say tests had shown there would be no adverse affects in terms of air quality or traffic, and the scheme would create about 2,000 jobs, many for people from Dartford.

A member of the public spoke at the meeting and slammed the possible destruction of wildlife habitat, and said a lack of access to nature was detrimental to mental and physical health.

Bexley council voted in favour of the interchange, but with 61 conditions.

A similar scheme was granted permission to proceed by the government in December 2007 after a lengthy public inquiry.

But the developers didn’t start work and planning permission has now expired.