Kentish Express Ashford & District
Blow for plan to build 80 new homes
Outline proposal sent back to drawing board
A decision on whether to allow up to 80 residential properties and a 60-bed care home to be built in Hamstreet has been deferred.
Ashford Borough Council’s planning committee called for Hallam Land Management to go back to the drawing board with its proposal for the land which borders Huntbourne Wood at a meeting last month.
Members raised concerns about the indicative plan including a junior football pitch – deemed unnecessary by residents – plus the inclusion of only one entry/ exit point for the estate.
Speaking as ward councillor at the July 31 meeting, Cllr David Ledger (Ash Ind) expressed his fears that local facilities would not be able to cope with the demands of a further 80 families and 60 care home residents.
He added: “With the Warehorne application that came before you a couple of meetings ago, this is all a big impact on current residents.”
Orlestone Parish Council chairman Andrew Othen also pointed out the “overwhelming majority” of residents voted against the site being developed in a 2018 referendum, and urged councillors to help protect the countryside.
The site is included in the authority’s Local Plan, meaning development is likely to happen eventually, but council leader and non-voting member Cllr Gerry Clarkson (Con) said the authority should seek the best possible deal for Hamstreet.
He stated: “I’m going to propose a deferral of this so that a number of these issues can be actually thrashed out, and then they can come back to us because I do think we need to listen to what residents are saying.”
The issues which planning officers will discuss with Hallam Land Management include the potential funding of a new village hall, removing the proposed football pitch, the impact on parking, and improving access.
Earlier in the meeting, a representative of the applicant said the outline proposal brought before planning committee members “wasn’t just about housing” and had taken “some five years” to develop.