A new campaign group wants open spaces to be protected as more of Maidstone's Hermitage Lane is swallowed up for housing.

A rallying walk is being held today at 3pm dubbed SOS - Save our Spaces.

It is calling for parcels of land in between developments to be safeguarded to create nature reserves, linked together with footpaths.

The latest application for the area is off Oakapple Lane, on land known as the pea field, where Taylor Wimpey is planning 187 new homes on one of the last green spaces left in Barming.

At the end of last year, approval was given for 840 homes on fields at the Aylesford end of Hermitage Lane, opposite Aldi and McDonald's.

And 500 homes are being built on Bluebell Woods.

James Willis, a former Maidstone councillor and transport campaigner, said: "We are trying to create a project MERLin - Maidstone Environmental Riverline Link.

"We currently have a green corridor - Hermitage Lane - full of natural diversity and leisure potential, but we need to recognise and protect it.

"I was quite shocked to see the latest housing application for the Pea field development contained very little open space.

"We really need to look at Maidstone and Tonbridge and Malling councils joining up and working together to protect this area for walkers and cyclists. If lockdown showed us anything, it was how much open land is needed."

Mr Willis says the other aim is to look at areas which could be joined up to new trails leading off Hermitage Lane. One idea includes creating paths to emerge at Millennium Park on the Allington side of the River Medway.

All are welcome at today's walk.

The meeting point is 3pm at Allington Lock/Castle Road car park, it will last roughly two hours with the route going to Oakapple Lane. Transport back to Allington will be by boat from East Farleigh.

Guides will be on hand and the event has been risk assessed for Covid-19 concerns.

Read more: All the latest news from Maidstone.