Controversial housing scheme's cost soars to £8m

Attempts by campaigners to stop the developments were unsuccessful

The bill for a controversial housing scheme in Kent's countryside is set to more than double despite already costing taxpayers millions, council papers have revealed.

The 5,000-home Heathlands Garden Community development at Lenham, which survived a major planning review and High Court challenge, may cost £8m before one brick is laid.

It is the brainchild of Maidstone Borough Council (MBC), which must meet government housing targets or face losing its planning powers.

The development was proposed with an expectation of a return on the investment but opponents said public finances had been treated like a "bottomless pit".

The true cost of the venture - split between MBC and collaborator Homes England - was revealed in a council committee meeting on 14 January.

The papers stated the initial £3m overall cost of securing site allocation and outline planning permission was now forecast to be more like £8m.

A significant reason for this was due to legal fees and "significant changes" to the project.

The Green Party leader of MBC, Stuart Jeffery, has always opposed the Heathlands scheme but became leader some years into its progress.

"It's galling but we have to make the best of a bad world," he said.

The government plans to curb a housing crisis by building 1.5m new homes in England over the next five years - but a BBC investigation last year found many councils believed this target to be "unrealistic".

Chairman of Lenham Parish Council John Britt, who opposes Heathlands, said: "The council's attitude to public money seems to be that it is a bottomless pit.

"I guess they are hoping they'll get it all back, but what if that doesn't happen?"

Conservative MBC councillor Lottie Parfitt said: "The Heathlands scheme is in the Local Plan now and we've got to get on with it.

"We're getting the money back but it does seem that the cost of these schemes always seem greater than originally budgeted for."

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