New complex for over 55s turned down

A development company hoping to build a sheltered housing scheme on a prominent village road has had its scheme rejected.

Developers submitted an outline planning application to build 44 one and two-bedroom retirement apartments with parking at The Briars along Church Road in Kingsnorth.

PJ Developments Ltd, a Hampshire-based firm, was looking to develop the 4,000 sq m site for the over 55s and install a new access road and footpath leading onto the road to provide “muchneeded housing for the growing retired population”.

Supporting the plans, the owner of The Briars said: “We hope to go some way to addressing the lack of supply of sheltered retirement accommodation in the Kingsnorth and South Ashford area.

“The development would offer a safer, protected environment for the elderly where they can benefit from a warden-controlled complex and be part of a community of their peers.

“These residents may well downsize from larger homes, and so free up more housing for families in the borough.”

Speaking at a planning committee meeting at Ashford Borough Council (ABC) earlier this month, ward member Cllr Tina Heyes raised concerns about the volume of traffic and visibility along the road.

She said: “I am very much against this application due to the location it is in.

“Church Hill already has a high volume of traffic for a relatively narrow village road and Kingsnorth Primary School is literally a stone’s throw away meaning a huge increase in vehicles daily on this already tight stretch of road.”

More than 30 people filed objections against the plans, including Kingsnorth Parish Council.

The development would have provided a parking court with 23 spaces and feature a mix of communal and private gardens.

Council leader Gerry Clarkson proposed a motion to refuse the application which was supported by committee members.

He said: “I think it is clear that there is a good deal of objection to this.

“There is just a whole list of reasons that supports the officer’s recommendations to refuse.”