Development will turn town into car park

Thank you for highlighting the proposed Wates Development.

Along with a majority of Tenterden residents, I am horrified by this proposal. Limes Land was specifically excluded from the Local

Plan, the inspectors advising that no such development should be permitted as the town’s infrastructure would be unable to cope with such a mass of housing.

Both Tenterden Town Council and Ashford Borough Council have rejected the planning application from Wates.whose consultation meetings for Tenterden residents were well attended. The reaction was almost exclusively negative.

The site has been pasture land for centuries, with no trace of housing having been built upon it. Grazing land is well known for attracting an excellent range of bio-diversity - insects, birds, bats, flora and fauna including reptiles from the ancient ponds. A ‘Country Park’ may be suitable for an urban setting but has no place in the countryside. An area of orchard and some cycle tracks along with

250 houses would not be of any ecological benefit; why replace open countryside with a ‘Country Park’? It certainly wouldn’t attract wildlife.

The A28 is Tenterden High Street with the majority of the increased traffic being directed into it. Traffic from this development, Tent1 and also from the proposed development at Westwell Court will meet in the middle and turn the High Street into a car park.

Before any decision is made about this awful application, it is essential that there is a full biodiversity report as well as one addressing the traffic concerns from the

KCC traffic department and the police.

Tenterden is a small cohesive community; this and other similar developments will destroy that.

Jenny van Eyssen get a penalty, so he obviously learnt something at Arsenal! Pleasure to play against a quality player.

Goldwell Lane, Great Chart

Tributes have been paid to former Arsenal player Ron Saxby