Plans unveiled for 100-home estate on green belt

It is not yet known when a decision will be made on the plans

Plans have been unveiled for an estate of 100 homes on the green belt on the edge of a village in Kent.

Developers Redrow said the 50 affordable homes proposed for the development in Hadlow would help address the "dire" lack of housing options at below-market rates in the area.

But some residents are against the scheme as they have concerns about the extra strain on local services.

Situated off Carpenters Lane and The Paddock, the site proposed for the estate is at the north-western end of the village and is the size of about seven football pitches.

Caroline Anderson, chairwoman of the village hall committee, organised a public meeting regarding the development that was attended by about 70 people.

"We can't cope with the traffic; we don't have very many doctors, dentists, schools, nurseries," she said.

"It's a green belt field. If we allow that, where's it going to stop?"

The development has properties ranging from one-bedroom flats to five-bedroom houses, the Local Democracy Reporting Service says.

Redrow said: "The site lies within green belt but is positioned adjacent to the Hadlow settlement boundary, flanked by post-war public housing schemes to the south and the Hadlow Village Hall to the east.

"The proposals will include 100 new homes, public open space and a community orchard."

Of the affordable homes, 22 would be two-bedroom, 18 would be three-bedroom, six would be four-bedroom, and four would be one-bedroom.

The firm said over the course of the build, the development would bring £50m into the local economy, including 27 indirect jobs and 81 direct jobs.

They also said construction would only take place from 08:00-18:00 Monday to Friday and between 08:00-13:00 on Saturdays, with no work on Sundays or public holidays.

It is not yet known when Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council's planning committee will decide on the bid, but a target deadline of 4 November has been set.