Military veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan look set to be defeated – by council planning officers.

Friends Stewart “Twiggy” Roberts and Adam “Legless” Francis have been working on their dream to create a drop-in hub for military veterans on land next to Mr Francis’s home in Headcorn.

Mr Roberts owns the vehicle repair business HX Motors, currently based in Sutton Valence and specialising in Land Rover repairs, where Mr Francis, who has prosthetic limbs, is employed as a mechanic.

Both men served in the military – Mr Roberts is a former Royal Marine Commando with five foreign tours under his belt, including Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan, who – 10 years after his service ended – was struck down with PTSD and spent six months in therapy.

Mr Francis is a former Royal Engineer, who had both his legs blown off by an IED while serving in Afghanistan.

Their garage has already become an informal drop-in centre for other veterans in the area, and both men are adamant that the support and advice that they can give veterans who may be struggling on Civvy Street is inestimable because they speak from the experience of having gone through the traumas themselves.

Two and a half years ago they developed the dream of moving the business to larger, purpose-built premises in Headcorn, where veterans could be given proper training in mechanics to help them find full-time employment, and where military charities could be based to offer counselling and support.

They have arranged with Mid Kent College for Mr Francis to undergo an NVQ assessor’s course, so that he, in turn, can ensure that veterans working at the garage can leave with a qualification.

Two military charities – Veterans Lifeline and Veterans of War – have expressed an interest in opening a branch at the new hub, while two others - The Bridge and Help Our Wounded – have both committed to moving to the Headcorn centre.

The veterans have submitted a planning application to Maidstone council which will be determined at a meeting in the Town Hall on Thursday (September 21).

Council officers are recommending refusal.

They say allowing a new business in the countryside is against policy, that the building would be dominant in the landscape, would cause a loss of hedgerow, and create “unacceptable visual harm” to the rural character of the area.

“We do hope that the councillors will think that ex-servicemen are at least as important as horses...”

A short distance away the council has previously granted permission for Fiddlers Green Stud, a large equestrian centre, to be built. Its indoor sand school building alone measures 22m by 73m and it is supported by 13 stables and a canter track.

Council officers did concede: “There is strong common ground between officers and the applicant on the principles behind the project. Officers continue to be strongly supportive of the project’s aims, but consider that this is the wrong site for this building.”

The application site, described as land adjacent to Dancing Green, is on the north-west side of Lenham Road. Its boundaries are defined by well established trees and hedgerows.

Lenham Road contains a number of farmsteads and Gypsy Traveller sites.

The proposed 8,000 sq metre steel-framed building would house HX Motors on the ground floor in a workshop purpose-built to enable disabled veterans like Mr Francis to work there.

The upper floor would be entirely devoted to being a drop-in centre for veterans and as offices and counselling rooms for military charities.

Mr Roberts said it was his intention to employ more ex-veterans directly in the business.

He said: “We have sufficient custom to take on another veteran right now, but we don’t have the space in our current premises.”

The new building would be owned by a charity called Veterans’ Operating Base, with the motor business paying rent to operate there.

It would be designed with wide doors and low counters specifically to enable disabled veterans in wheelchairs to work there.

However, their dreams will come to nothing unless councillors decide to vote against the advice of their officers and grant permission.

The veterans have reason to hope.

Headcorn Councillor Martn Round (Con) has expressed his full support for their ambition and Cllr Lottie Parfitt-Reid (Con), the cabinet member for housing and health, said: “Looking at the scale of the vast riding school next door, it’s hard to see how a commercial building of that scale could be granted and not the veteran’s hub which will provide much needed veterans’ support not just in our borough, but across the county.”

Mr Roberts said: “There’s a real need for this sort of centre. In my grandad’s age there were working men’s clubs and RBL clubs where ex-servicemen could meet up, but they are few and far between these days.

“There is nowhere ex-servicemen can go to get that kind of comradeship and mutual support today.

“We do hope that the councillors will think that ex-servicemen are at least as important as horses.”