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Residents are “devastated” after a council narrowly approved plans for 150 homes in the countryside.
Gladman Properties wants to build on two fields in the green wedge between East Malling and West Malling.
But opponents, pointing to the abundance of wildlife living in or off the fields, including red kites, kestrels and owls, said the application would turn the land into an “ecological desert.”
In total, 29 objectors attended the planning committee meeting at Tonbridge and Malling council last week and nine were allowed to speak.
They outlined a raft of concerns, including that the land is sandwiched between two conservation areas and close to a number of listed buildings, and that the estate would spoil panoramic views from a public footpath known as the Cinder Path.
There were concerns that there was no room to create a second emergency access from the site, off Clare Lane, East Malling, but that without one, it would not meet county building standards and would be potentially dangerous.
Fears were also raised about flooding in Clare Lane, with residents noting the site sloped towards the properties there.
Another pointed out that there was no pavement on Clare Lane to access West Malling Station, no bus service to speak of, and no accessible shops nearby, meaning residents would be reliant on cars and contribute to congestion.
One objector, who lived at Cobbs Hall, a listed building dating back to 1646, said the property already shook due to heavy traffic on the road, and she feared the situation would get worse, starting with the construction traffic to the site.
She added woodpeckers and buzzards to the list of wildlife using the land, and urged councillors to “put green before greed.”
Councillors were hampered by the fact that Tonbridge and Malling doesn’t have an up-to-date Local Plan and could not demonstrate that it had the government’s required minimum five-year supply of housing sites.
It currently has 3.97 years.
Therefore, planning officers advised, there had to be a presumption in favour of development applied unless the scheme had “very severe adverse effects” on the landscape or heritage buildings. They said that, while in their view there were adverse effects, they were not “severe.”
Officers said Gladman “did not intend to build a suburban estate,” but instead planned “a farmyard-style” development that would seem like a natural extension to the village.
Of the 6.8 hectare-site, two hectares would be left as open green space and a very large oak tree on the site would be retained as a central feature.
It would also produce 40 affordable homes.
The applicant’s agent, Amy Aldridge, pointed out that all the bodies that had to be approached under law were satisfied that there were no adverse effects and she said that the scheme would make a welcome contribution to meet the borough’s housing shortfall.
Cllr Michelle Tatton (Lib Dem), however, said: “Just because we don’t have a five-year land supply doesn’t mean we should accept development at any price.”
She listed in detail how views and properties around the area would be affected.
Cllr Trudy Dean (Lib Dem) added that it had been the council’s intention to include the land in question in an extension to the borough’s greenbelt, if its last draft Local Plan had been approved.
She circulated a list of grounds that could form the basis of a decision to refuse.
She was immediately challenged by the council leader, Cllr Matt Boughton (Con), who suggested she had come to the meeting “pre-determined,” which is against the rules.
Other councillors also spoke against the scheme.
Cllr Roger Roud (Lib Dem) pointed out that East Malling Station could only be reached by climbing 30 steps and was therefore unsustainable for the parents with pushchairs or for wheelchair users.
He described the likely effects on East Malling as “severe” and argued the scheme should be refused on highway grounds alone.
Cllr Dan Harman (Con), who was not a member of the committee, urged his colleagues to refuse permission, saying: “Enough is enough.”
Cllr Bill Banks (Lib Dem) said the application “fell short in so many areas.”
Cllr Steve Crisp was concerned about food security if the borough kept building on agricultural land. He said: “We shall end up with somewhere to live, but nothing to eat.”
He urged colleagues to “Vote with your heart, or nothing will change.”
But there were also contrary views.
Cllr Martin Coffin (Con) said: “I don’t see a way of refusing this.
“I don’t think we should take the risk of losing control [if the application went to an appeal inspector.]”
Council leader Matt Boughton (Con) spoke strongly in favour of granting permission. He said: “There is a group of people that we haven’t heard from here tonight and that is the people on the housing waiting list.
“There are 138 families in temporary accommodation at the moment. We absolutely have to build more homes.”
Cllr Boughton reminded his colleagues that: “Every one of us lives in a house that was once a green field.”
He added: “We have an opportunity here to change people’s lives for the better.”
He proposed the application be approved and won the ballot by eight votes to seven.
Voting in favour were Cllrs Chris Brown, Robin Betts, Matt Boughton, Martin Coffin, Sarah Hudson, Wendy Palmer, Kim Tanner and Mike Taylor.
Voting against were Cllrs Bill Banks, Paul Boxall, Steve Crisp, Trudy Dean, James Lark, Roger Roud and Michelle Tatton.
Details of the Clare Lane planning application can be found on the council’s website under reference number 23/03060.
There had been 135 letters of objection to the plans, including one from the Maidstone and Malling MP Helen Grant.
Louise Batty, one of the objectors, said after the meeting: “We are all so disappointed and worried about what is now going to happen to our historic village.
“I teach autistic children and use nature a lot in that; it’s so good for their mental health. But step by step, nature is being taken away.”
