Thanet home building plans get go-ahead
The homes are due to be built on farm land in Minster
At a glance
David Wilson Homes has been given permission to start work on the first phase of housebuilding in Minster
More than 200 homes are planned for farmland near the village cemetery
Some locals say the area is a valuable wildlife habitat
The developer says nearly a third of the first phase of building will be affordable properties
- Published
The building of hundreds of new homes on farmland in East Kent has been given the go-ahead, despite opposition from some local people.
David Wilson Homes was given planning permission to build 214 houses next to Minster Cemetery.
On Wednesday Thanet District Council ratified the first phase of work, which will see the first 133 homes built.
Objectors said the land was a valuable wildlife habitat.
One letter of objection said the route was “one of the few areas in Minster that hasn’t been gentrified by development.
“It is a natural habitat for wildlife which sadly Minster is losing rapidly."
The scheme could see more than 200 homes built on farmland
A planning officer told Wednesday’s committee there was a “strong objection from residents and the parish council” to the resurfacing of the “ancient” public footpath.
However, the committee heard David Wilson Homes has since scrapped plans to resurface the route.
The company said 40 of the homes planned for the first phase would be affordable, with 14 three-bedroom homes, 20 two-bedroom homes and six one-bedroom homes.
“Overall the application provides much needed homes within a sustainable location in the district," a company spokesman told the meeting.
A planning officer also told members as part of the development’s conditions, none of the homes would be lived in until Southern Water enhanced the local infrastructure to cope with more usage.
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