Plan for 165 homes at Kent beauty spot approved

The plans were originally approved by Tunbridge Wells council in 2021 before being called in a few months later

The government has approved a controversial housing development previously refused by the Conservatives, sparking fears from campaigners of the area being “lost forever under concrete".

Plans to build 165 homes near Cranbrook, Kent were refused last year by the then government for being “generic and suburban".

Following a successful High Court challenge of this decision the new Labour administration has given the proposal the green light.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said the plan's approval was "in line with the recommendation of the independent Planning Inspector".

The site covers almost 60 acres between Cranbrook and Hartley

Forty per cent of the homes are set to be affordable, with a 50/50 split of shared ownership and affordable rent, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The Berkeley Homes scheme had originally been approved by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council in 2021 before being called in by then Secretary of State Robert Jenrick.

Permission was then refused by then Housing Secretary Michael Gove.

Documents detail how Mr Gove viewed the plans as “of a generic suburban nature which does not reproduce the constituent elements of local settlements".

The site sits within the High Weald National Landscape, previously called an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Local campaigner Guy Dagger, who lives in the area and has been opposed to the plans, said the move was “disappointing on many levels".

“Sadly it will now be lost forever under concrete and a precedent is set making other similarly protected landscapes vulnerable," he said.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “The decision was made by Minister of State for Housing and Planning, Matthew Pennycook MP, on behalf of the Secretary of State [Angela Rayner].

“The decision was in line with the recommendation of the independent Planning Inspector.”

Alex Davies, managing director of developers Berkeley Homes, said: “We welcome the Secretary of State’s decision, which underlines the government’s commitment to housing delivery and growth."