Additional reporting by Luke Thompson

Worried residents fear a treasured green space on their estate used for community events could be turned into housing.

The plot in Beech Close, Faversham, which backs onto a “globally rare chalk stream”, is set to go under the hammer next week with a guide price of £5,000 plus fees.

Neighbours say it is “unthinkable” that houses could be built on the land – and dozens turned out last week to make their opposition heard.

Laura Polden told KentOnline the first she knew of the impending sale was when a friend alerted her husband, leaving the couple “immediately worried”.

The teaching assistant, who has lived next to the green space for six years, inquired how much it would cost to take the listing off the market - but was quoted an unaffordable £37,000.

“We use this space all the time for community events – we do easter egg hunts, we’ve had jubilees – and nobody round here wants to lose it because it’s such an asset,” Mrs Polden said.

“We’ve had some great ideas put forward, [to use it as] a community asset or as a local green space.

“We don’t want to lose any of our spaces and we really can’t afford to take our foot off the gas now.

“If they start building on every single pocket, it won’t be the same.

“We’ve already seen developers try and take over small chunks of land and people get really fed up with it.”

The land is understood to be largely owned by a private company.

Residents say the Stonebridge estate – which Beech Close is a part of – was specifically marketed as being a “parkland estate” when it was built in the 1970s. They say certain chunks of land were purposely left vacant to provide those living there with a green space to enjoy.

A campaign group comprising of residents, councillors, the Faversham Society and Friends of Westbrook Stream all attended a rally held last week to signal the community’s opposition to the plot being turned into housing.

Despite successful attempts to get preservation orders put on three trees on the land, there is still uncertainty as to what could be in store for the area.

Some residents can remember the planting of the beech, willow and maple.

Jo Williams and her late husband Russell were one of the original homeowners and played a key part in keeping one of the trees alive in Beech Close’s earlier days.

“When the council planted the beech, we noticed they didn’t come back to water it in the middle of a drought so we spent a year or so every night watering the tree to keep it alive,” said the retired school lab technician.

“It’s such a beautiful tree – my husband would love to see it if he was still with us – but this is the sort of place things happen.

“This is such a tight-knit community – we get together to do things.

“To risk having another house there would be unthinkable. We simply can’t afford to let it happen.”

Faversham town councillor Rob Crayford told KentOnline: "This green space is treasured by residents.

“This land is privately owned. However, highway rights apply and Kent County Council has recently planted new trees here.

“This community-led campaign shows the power of communities working together to broadcast their collective voice and has enabled tree preservation orders to be obtained quickly, protecting trees that have been on this plot for decades.

“I hope residents can enjoy use of this green space for many more years”.

According to the Friends of Westbrook Stream, the waterway which the land backs on to is “a globally rare chalk stream, designated as priority habitat – a range of semi-natural habitat types that have been identified as being the most threatened and requiring conservation action”.

Cllr Trevor Martin, Mayor of Faversham, added: “The green space at Beech Close is an important part of the design of the area and it provides a valuable community space.

“The need to retain this area as green space is, in my opinion, quite clear.”

There were similar concerns raised by residents in Ashford when a 1.25-acre site was snapped up at auction by a property company.

But after the plot was sold, the community were able to get it designated as a village green.

Auction House London’s sale of the Beech Close land is due to take place on Wednesday, October 25.