'Crops not concrete' campaigners fight 170 new homes

Residents are opposing plans to build 170 homes on a field on the edge of a Kent village.

The land, just off Rattington Street in Chartham, near Canterbury, is included in Canterbury City Council's draft local housing plan.

The campaign group, Crops not Concrete, argues the village's infrastructure is "not working as it should do" and "cannot handle a new estate at that site".

A spokesperson for the council said: "Our most recent round of public consultation on the draft local plan ended in October and officers are analysing all feedback that was received."

They said: "All comments will be taken into account as we prepare the final draft version of the local plan early next year."

The council said the feedback would be forwarded to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, who would appoint a planning inspector.

"They will then hold a public inquiry into the draft plan," the spokesperson added.

However, Chartham Parish Council's neighbourhood plan says there should be only 13 properties built on the proposed site, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Crops not Concrete members have marched through the village to protest against the plans.

Alison Jackson, who has lived in Chartham for 40 years, says nearly 1,000 people have signed their petition.

"Infrastructure in the village is not working as it should, so additional houses and cars are the issue," she added.

Another campaigner, Hannah Downs, said: "There are also concerns about the services, such as the GP, within the village and their ability to support a significant number of extra houses."

The Kent branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England says development on the site is "wholly inappropriate."

The group instead supports the Chartham Parish Council's "neighbourhood-scale approach", saying it "represents the right balance between meeting local housing needs and safeguarding environmental and heritage assets".

Developers will still have to submit more detailed plans for the proposal, which the council will assess.

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