Fant Farm has been saved after a planning inspector rejected Gleeson Homes' appeal over an application for the site.

Maidstone Borough Council refused permission for the developer to build 225 homes on fields off Gatland Lane, Barming, last March.

An appeal followed but yesterday planning inspector Olivia Spencer threw it out due to the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area, highway safety and local transport infrastructure and the council's housing land supply and planning policy.

Gareth Owen, chairman of Save Fant Farm, said: "This is a wonderful relief. We were backed by the residents of the area and felt we had to fight for them and now our efforts have been vindicated.

"Fant Farm is going to be green fields for a bit longer and we have saved it. This is absolutely wonderful news, I cannot really describe it.

"We had no money to employ specialists or barristers and we had no particular experience all we had was passion and belief."

Helen Grant, MP for Maidstone and the Weald, said: “I am absolutely delighted with the inspector’s decision. This has been a very long battle, one that has been murmuring in one form or another ever since I first came to Maidstone almost 10 years ago.

"Let this be a message to developers they will not have it all their own way in Maidstone in the future, and that our green fields matter." — Helen Grant MP

"All credit must go to the dogged determination of one heck of a campaign team and it has been a pleasure to work alongside all of the people involved in ‘Save Fant Farm’. I also applaud Maidstone Borough Council for refusing the application in the first place.

"In her conclusion the inspector indicated she was largely swayed by the harmful effect on the character and appearance of the area, and in particular on the distinctive character of the Medway valley and its relationship to Maidstone. Let this be a message to developers they will not have it all their own way in Maidstone in the future, and that our green fields matter."

Cllr Matt Boughton, of Fant Ward, said: "I am delighted the Planning Inspector has listened to the community and rejected the appeal on Fant Farm. This is a victory for the community and all the residents who wrote letters, attended the public inquiry, and made our views very clear. I'm particularly thankful to Gareth Owen and all at Save Fant Farm who have worked tirelessly and effectively to reach this outcome.

"It is particularly pleasing that the Inspector has rejected the appeal based on landscape grounds. It is obvious that the development would have a hamful effect on the character and appearance of the area and I'm glad the planning system has recognised this."