First look at plans for largest housing estate

Designs include market square, cycle paths and tree-lined avenues

Architects have given a first glimpse of how the town’s largest ever housing estate could look after setting out the first infrastructure plan.

The first phase of the Chilmington Green development will start with access roads linking to the A28.

Masterplan architects JTP have been brought in by housing companies including Hodson Developments and Pentland Homes for the first phase, to be known as Chilmington Rise.

The main road will be called The Avenue, a tree-lined thoroughfare with cycle paths, and will see the construction of a main access roundabout off the A28 opposite Little Moat Farm.

As the main access road extends southwards, it will include a public square, a high street and then a market square, each breaking Chilm- ington Rise into smaller neighbourhoods.

To the south west there will be the Orchard Village neighbourhood, and to the south east there will be the Chilmington Brook neighbourhood.

The first phase includes details of three areas of public space at the site, including Chilmington Square, the Market Square, and Chilmington Gardens.

Chilmington Square will include a play area for children and a meeting area that will be overlooked by homes.

Then the Market Square will contain parking spaces, a fountain, market stalls, a kiosk and a bus shelter.

Finally Chilmington Gardens will include footbridges, natural play areas, wildflower beds, picnic areas and shrub planting.

In its planning statement, JTP states: “Chilmington Rise will be the front door of the new development as it includes the main access from the A28.

“It will play an important role in establishing the identity of Chilmington Green as a whole.”

The architects are following a vision set out in Letchworth and Welwyn Garden Cities for planned communities with “formal composition” and “tree-lined avenues”.

The overall site of Chilmington Green has been earmarked for some 5,750 homes up to 2030 and was first granted outline planning permission in October 2014.

It will also contain four primary schools, a secondary school, shops and a “discovery park” where Ashford Borough Council has earmarked future sports pitches.

Specific planning applications for Chilmington Rise and the other neighbourhoods will follow as construction work progresses.

How the market square will be set out; inset, how it will look

The 5,750 homes will be split into different ‘village neighbourhoods’

The area of Chilmington Green that is due for development, with up to 5,750 homes