An application to create 23 new homes for the elderly in Goudhurst is upsetting many villagers.

Court Royal Developments is seeking permission to build 12 two-bedroom apartments, five two-bedroom bungalows and four two-bedroom houses on a hectare of land adjacent to The Parsonage, off Balcombes Hill.

On Tuesday around 30 residents crowded into the committee room of Goudhurst Parish Council to raise their objections to the parish planning committee.

The land is owned by Plaxtol Investments, and has had several previous applications refused.

The site falls outside the village envelope, but it is within the conservation area, as well as within the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Court Royal said the homes would only be for people of state pension age and that the facility would be operated by the Abbeyfield Society.

The firm is proposing 25 parking spaces.

But objectors said that the steep nature of the site hardly made it suitable for the elderly.

James Shenton of Back Lane said: “This is going to be very modern development, and because of the height of the buildings is going to be very intrusive in the area, spoiling the stunning views from Back Lane and of the Church Tower.”

Parish clerk Anthony Farnfield said: “There is a lot of strong local feeling against the site.”

The developers argued that the plot is convenient for the adjacent doctors surgery and would make use of the existing entrance, with no changes necessary to the road.

Residents responded that the surgery was already at capacity and that the limited parking would mean more cars parking on the surrounding narrow roads.

The parish council decided to object to the application on a number of grounds.

The site has already been considered and rejected as a housing allocation site by Tunbridge Wells borough council in its draft Local Plan.

*The public can comment on the plans via the Tunbridge Wells borough council website: www.tunbridgewells.gov.uk

Planning application 14/506621 refers. The deadline for responses is this coming Monday (February 16).