A council has set a date to reach a decision on a controversial planning application.

The Tonbridge and Malling area three planning committee will consider the bid from developers Trenport for permission to build 950 homes at Bushey Wood, Eccles, at a meeting next Thursday, June 8.

Planning officers are recommending the application be approved.

However, one resident opposed to the scheme, Terry Johnson, said: “I am gobsmacked at what a stitch-up job this is.

“When summing up the public’s comments in their report, officers have chosen to include comments like ‘Kent will no longer be the Garden of England’ while ignoring substantive technical objections.

“Eccles residents raised funds to employ a consultant to put in a report on their behalf.

“He did a damn good job, but planning officers haven’t reported anything he said.”

“I personnally pointed out that Trenport’s traffic modelling was inadequate because it didn’t consider queues at Aylesford level crossing. This has never been addressed and it is not mentioned in the officers’ report. It really is quite concerning.”

The public can attend the meeting in the council chamber at Gibson Drive, Kings Hill, and the council is offering up to 15 speaking slots to members of the public, or groups, wishing to address the committee. It starts at 6.30pm.

The application has attracted 738 letters of objection.

Although the council will make a ruling on what its decision on the outline application would have been, it is no longer in a position to determine the application, as Trenport has already lodged an appeal with the Planning Inspectorate on the grounds of non-determination.

The council is supposed to determine all applications within 13 weeks of their submission, although in this case, National Highways is even now saying it has not received sufficient information from the developers to judge the traffic implications.

The application includes provision for a new primary school, replacement sports pitches with changing facilities; public open space, replacement allotments, and new accesses from Bull Lane and New Court Road.

It will wrap around three sides of the village of Eccles.

If you can’t attend the meeting, you will be able to view it live on this link once the meeting is under way.

You can view the application details on the council’s website here.

Application 22/00113 refers