Campaigners have won a ‘David and Goliath battle’ to prevent thousands of homes being built on green belt land.

Just over a year after Sevenoaks council first presented its ‘Master Vision for Swanley and Hextable’ to locals, its centrepiece housing development has been scrapped.

The 3,000-home garden village was earmarked for land between Swanley and Swanley village, but 2,000 people signed a petition to stop it coming to fruition and their efforts have proved successful.

Pensioner Peter Darrington headed the petition and said blocking the garden village from being built was “a fantastic result”.

“Garden villages have to be discrete and be a totally autonomous development, not backing on to any existing ones,” said the 70-year-old, who lives in what would have been nearby Archer Way.

“This would have backed on to Archer Way and right back onto Swanley Village. The green belt land they were talking about building on was grade two agricultural land, some of the best in the Sevenoaks district.

“We’re not opposing housing and we recognise the need for more housing, but not on the green belt. There’s plenty of brownfield in the Sevenoaks district and Swanley that could be built on.”

“We’re not opposing housing and we recognise the need for more housing, but not on the green belt," - pensioner Peter Darrington

Cllr Michael Horwood (Con) helped make the campaigners’ case at a planning meeting at the end of January, and cabinet members decided to concede defeat to the residents at a meeting last Thursday.

However, they did agree to press on with parts of the ‘master vision’ that were more well received by locals who took part in a public consultation last year.

Council leader Cllr Peter Fleming, who told the Messenger last month that the garden village was needed to make such infrastructure investments affordable, said he was still confident that Swanley and Hextable had huge potential.

“We remain committed to helping Swanley and Hextable realise its full potential going into the future,” he said after the meeting.

“Residents have shown they are ambitious for their area. They want improved health and leisure facilities and starter homes, family homes and new homes for older people, together with improved road and public transport.

“They also want to keep with separate identities while protecting their green spaces for future generation. We will work with the whole community to achieve these goals.”

Cabinet members agreed to carry out a comprehensive transport strategy plan to identify ways in which Swanley’s road network could be improved, with a view to reducing congestion in the town.

New leisure and health facilities, places to shop and eat, better rail links and public transport, and more housing in other parts of Swanley are also still on the table.