“It’s doesn’t make sense, they’ve let us down and it stinks.”

That was the reaction of Rainham resident Reg Platt after councillors gave the go-ahead to a development of 13 homes on land in Berengrave Lane last week.

Councillors visited the site last month, when residents gathered in force to impress upon them how the area was blighted by traffic problems which would only get worse with further house-building.

However, now those residents have been left deflated after planners decided those fears were not enough to prevent the development and gave it planning permission last Wednesday.

“They just totally ignored them,” said Mr Platt, who said he felt let down by councillors.

“I just can’t understand why they’ve passed it. It’s the impact of the traffic, it’s going to be a very dangerous area.

“They haven’t solved the traffic problems that are here and now they’ve exacerbated it.

“It’s absolutely crazy.”

Medway is under huge pressure to find enough land to build 30,000 homes over the next 20 years.

In June the council’s head of planning Dave Harris told a committee meeting they were “nowhere near a five-year housing land supply” and some greenfield sites will have to be released.

At the time councillors said they may be forced to approve controversial proposals because developers will only win on appeal if they refuse them, costing the authority several thousand pounds in fines if the appeals are successful.

An appeal for 200 homes off Moor Street in Rainham is yet to be decided.
Mr Platt said Berengrave Road was already used as a rat-run between the A2 and Lower Rainham Road – which itself was blighted by traffic jams anyway – and that the additional traffic would make “a hell of a difference”.

The only chance of stopping the development now, said Mr Platt, was a possible legal challenge based on the fact nearby fencing could potentially obscure drivers’ lines of sight when exiting the planned estate but he was not holding out much hope.

“It stinks to be quite honest,” he added.

Councillors approved the plans with an amended condition regarding the financial contribution the developers must make to the area.

A sum of £36,262.59, which originally would pay for improvements at Beechings Way playing field, will now be split with another site in Rainham which has not been identified.