THE NATION'S top earners live on the Kings Hill business and residential development, according to a survey.

Market research company CACI found that the 650-acre mixed-use site on the outskirts of West Malling was the highest-earning postcode area in the country.

Its annual Wealth Of The Nation report profiled the income of the United Kingdom's 1.7m postcodes.

It found that while the average annual household income across the nation is £29,374, it soars to £62,000 for residents of Kings Hill.

Kings Hill is being created on a former Battle of Britain fighter station on land owned by Kent County Council.

It is a partnership between KCC and Rouse Kent, the UK arm of Liberty, a real estate investment trust (REIT) based in Philadelphia.

What started out as a business park has broadened into a desirable residential location with generally high house prices, although there are a number of "affordable" units in the development. Prices range from £190,000 to nearly a million pounds..

Housebuilders on the site include Charles Church, Crest Nicholson, Environ Sunley, Hillreed, Wates, Countryside and Sunley Walker.

A high proportion of residents work in the nearby business park, while others commute to London and elsewhere.

The finishing touches are being applied to Liberty Square, a central feature of the residential area that opens officially in October. It will have a number of retailers and eventually a memorial to the late Bill Rouse, a "Go To" individual who worked closely with KCC in creating Kings Hill.

The park also has an 18-hole golf course and clubhouse, other leisure facilities, and an Asda supermarket. Developers are awaiting the outcome of a planning inquiry to find out whether they can embark on the next phase.

Tom Dodd, a Kings Hill resident and business owner, said; "We do feel a sense of pride in living here -- Kings Hill is an American-style development and it feels refreshingly different."