Controversial plans for a development of 950 homes will be examined at a public inquiry that starts today.

The proposal from Trenport is to build 950 homes, a new primary school, new sports pitches and new allotments at Bushey Wood in Eccles.

The development would wrap around three sides of the village, dwarfing the existing homes in its scale.

The scheme covers a 63-hectare plot and would involve demolishing the existing St Mark's Primary School and building a new larger one.

Trenport lodged an appeal with the government when Tonbridge and Malling council failed to determine its outline application within the statutory 13-week time period.

In June of this year, the borough council determined that had it still been in a position to rule on the application it would have refused permission because the applicants had supplied insufficient evidence about the effects on the road network.

The application attracted 738 letters of objection and there has been a vociferous “No” campaign from local residents.

The hearings started today (Tuesday, October 17) and are expected to last four days. They begin at 10am each morning and are open to the public to attend.

They will be held in the Civic Suite in the council’s Gibson Building in Gibson Drive, Kings Hill.

Campaigners against the proposals are planning to attend in numbers, with their placards.

You would normally be able to view details of the application here, under application number 22/00113.

But currently, Tonbridge and Malling council has a technical problem with its planning website which is not functioning.