Planning officers are recommending an outline application for 65 homes on part of a former airfield site be approved – even though there have been 468 letters of objection.

The scheme proposed by the Tregothnan Estate is at Kings Hiil, between Clearheart Lane to the north, Teston Road to the east and Ketridge Lane to the south.

The site is undeveloped with some mature trees but has been allocated for development since 2008.

The application has been two years in consideration as planners negotiated with the applicant, but they now say they are satisfied that “robust” conditions have been agreed.

Cattering Wood – a designated ancient woodland – lies to the south but this will be protected by a 15m buffer zone before development – although the Woodland Trust had asked for a 30m buffer.

The 3.2-hectare site is above a principal groundwater aquifer.

Kings Hill Parish Council has objected on a number of grounds: the strain the extra housing will place on local services and infrastructure; the harm to the character and appearance of the area, the unacceptable impact on highway safety, and the adverse impact on existing residents in Clearheart Lane, where the access will run.

Teston Parish Council has also objected, principally on traffic grounds.

The developer will be required to make a number of financial contributions in mitigation, including to primary education (£351,828), to secondary education (£363,167), to special education needs (£36,388) and to adult social care (£11,757).

Tonbridge and Malling council is currently without an up-to-date Local Plan and cannot demonstrate a five-year housing supply as required by the government. In fact, it estimates it only has 3.22 years of supply. That makes it very hard to refuse any sustainable planning application unless there are exceptional circumstances.

The development scheme proposes to access the site via an extension of Clearheart Lane.

Clearheart Lane is an unclassified no-through road that serves 40 homes.

There will be a secondary emergency access to the site from the south-west corner via Ketridge Lane formed of an existing unmade access road.

The application will be decided by councillors at a meeting of the Area 2 planning committee on Wednesday, December 6, at 7,30pm, in the council chamber at the TMBC offices in Gibson Drive, Kings Hill.

To see more planning applications and other public notices for your area, visit publicnoticeportal.uk

To view details of the application, click here.

Search for application number 21/00881.

The same committee will also consider an application to convert the Scared Crow public house in West Malling to two homes.

Planners have recommended the proposals are approved.