Housing estate approved despite safety fears

Fears have also been expressed about road safety

Plans for a 97-home development in Kent have been given the green light despite concerns an access road could be "extremely dangerous".

Proposals for the estate at Orchard Farm, Kennington, emerged years ago when the scheme was meant to comprise homes people would build themselves after buying plots of land.

However, a revised outline application for the site off Canterbury Road was submitted to Ashford Borough Council (ABC) earlier this year, with the self-build aspect dropped.

Kent County Council's highways department raised no objections with the plan regarding road safety.

Describing the access road from Canterbury Road as "narrow", ABC councillor Steve Campkin said: "I'm not convinced that if an emergency vehicle needs to get through, they can mount the kerb.

"It's about accessibility – I think this is extremely dangerous and not very good."

Other objections were raised about the location of sewage facilities on site.

Councillor Chris Morley, of Kennington Community Council, said: "It is highly undesirable on health and amenity grounds to have housing in such close proximity to the processing of human waste.

"Sewage treatment is never odour-free and this surely would be a recipe for a future statutory nuisance."

A planning officer said the exact location of those facilities will be decided through future applications, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Adam Roake, the applicant, said the scheme would be "policy compliant".

In the bid, developers describe the location as "5.7 hectares of derelict farmland situated on the north-eastern edge of Ashford".

ABC's planning committee met on 23 October to make the final decision on the application, with council planning officers recommending approval.