More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
A decision is set to be made on revised plans to build three blocks of flats near a train station.
Proposals have been put forward to erect the new apartments on the corner of Station Road, Greenhithe, opposite the main line rail link for Bluewater Shopping Centre.
The site fronts the roundabout near the Asda supermarket which connects with Crossways Boulevard and St Clements Way.
A planning application has been submitted to Dartford council for the erection of three buildings up to four storeys in height.
It would provide 47 flats with off-street car parking, communal amenity space, hard and soft landscaping, recycling and refuse storage facilities, as well as new vehicular accesses serving the site from Station Road and Station Approach.
Developers Regent Land originally consulted on the scheme back in January 2020 and had planned to build 66 new homes.
But the plans were later withdrawn after concerns were raised over the "scale and massing" of the scheme and the location of parking.
A further round of public consultation was undertaken at River Hall, Stone Pavilion, to iron out the issues.
As a result, the developers have now come back with a revised bid which would see the total number of flats reduced from 66 to 47 and the bulk of the building broken up into three separate blocks with a maximum height of four storeys.
The scheme seeks permission for 15 one-bed flats and 32 two-bed flats with 53 secure and sheltered cycle parking spaces on-site.
Allocated green space and communal areas have also been enlarged and parkings spaces moved away from the boundary with Woodlands Way.
Regent Land says it is also investigating the potential for a car club sharing space within the local area.
Housing officers have recommended approval of the scheme despite the developers indicating it was not financially viable to deliver any affordable housing on site.
Notwithstanding this, the applicant has made a "commercial decision" to offer 10.6% affordable housing, which is the equivalent of five homes.
However, several objections have been lodged against the project by local residents with most concerns centring on the high density of the housing and existing strains on local infrastructure.
Swanscombe and Greenhithe Town Council has also outlined its objections.
In its submission to the planning portal it claimed the proposals were an "overdevelopment" of the site which is not compatible with surrounding structures.
It also raised concerns over parking, believing the planned allocation could result in an overspill of vehicles into already busy nearby streets.
The town council has urged the applicant to take this into account in mitigating provisions, and where possible, include the provision of electric vehicle charging points.
Nearby, a £1 million upgrade at Greenhithe Station has already been mooted as part of bolstered plans to transform a former quarry into a housing development.
The £81m scheme, dubbed Little Hithe, would see 187 flats built in the disused chalk pit near London Road, next to the railway station.
Construction work to erect more than 200 flats between Crossways Boulevard and St Mary's Road is already under way after plans were approved despite councillor concerns.
A decision on the Station Road plan is set to be made at Dartford council's development control board hearing on Thursday, starting at 7pm.
To view the application in full click here and search for 21/00724/FUL
