A public inquiry looking into moving Princes Parade road as part of a new divisive housing development will start today.

The hearing will last four days and is being held at the Leas Cliff Hall's Channel Suite in Folkestone.

It comes as planning permission was granted in 2019 to create 150 homes, a hotel, leisure centre and open spaces on green land along Princes Parade in Hythe.

Work started earlier this year, including investigative testing at the site.

As part of the scheme, Princes Parade road will be shut and moved closer to the Royal Military Canal - an action which has long been protested by those against the project.

A separate planning application for this part of the project has been submitted to the Department for Transport by Folkestone and Hythe District Council (FHDC), which is behind the whole development.

FHDC say the relocation of the road will “generate a vehicle free link from the proposed leisure centre and housing development to the beach and existing promenade”.

As a result, a petition was launched by Kent County Council members Cllr Rory Love (Con) and Cllr Andrew Weatherhead (Con) calling on the Secretary of State for Transport to hold a public inquiry into the stopping up order.

It gained thousands of signatures and was successful, with the public inquiry now going ahead.

Members of the public are free to attend the hearing but temperatures will be taken beforehand.

It will also be streamed online on the council's Youtube Channel.

A fifth day will be held at the Civic Centre on November 3 for closing statements and a site visit by the inspector.

The Princes Parade scheme has been opposed for many years and has been subject to several protests and even a court battle headed by action group Save Princes Parade (SPP), which was eventually lost at Judicial Review.

Mark Brophy, from Save Princes Parade, said: "Anyone who visits Prince's Parade can see that moving the road next to the Royal Military Canal is a terrible idea.

"People currently enjoy the coast road for its unhindered access to the beach.

"It is an important alternative to the A259 and provides ample parking.

"Moving it will result in a loss of over 80 parking spaces while simultaneously the development itself would increase the need for parking - surely a backwards step?

"Add to that the exorbitant ongoing maintenance costs to deal with drainage issues and you have to conclude that the idea must be shelved.

"It's no wonder that Hythe Town Council, Sandgate Parish council, the ward councillor for the area and hundreds of members of the public have submitted objections detailing the reasons why the road should remain as is.

"The hope of all these objectors is that the inspector will see through the council's misdirection and determine that the stopping up of Prince's Parade is unnecessary and damaging to the area.

"It will not provide any benefit to local people but will increase pressure on the road network surrounding it."

• A new exhibition by photographer Kathy Roddy showing photographs taken along Princes Parade has now opened at Sandgate Library. It will run until October 29.

Read more: All the latest news from Hythe