Decision on 2,500-home village project delayed

Plans for a 2,500-home estate near a Kent village have been delayed in the face of protests from residents.

Swale Borough Councillors voted to postpone a decision on the Foxchurch development near Bobbing, Sittingbourne, despite planning officers recommending that it be approved.

The development, which also included plans for schools and green spaces, had faced pushback from residents worried about the effect on surrounding roads and agricultural land.

A deadline of 10 April had been set for the decision, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

A planning meeting on Thursday was told the move could result in an appeal from developers.

An appeal to the Planning Inspectorate could mean permission is granted because the council took too long.

Outright refusal against the recommendation of officers could also trigger an appeal, councillors were warned.

Proposals for the Sheppey Way estate were first mooted as far back as 2018, but were resubmitted in their current form in April.

The scheme has been met with opposition, with villagers forming the action group Communities Against Bobbing Expansion (Cabe) to battle it.

Some 35% of the planned properties were earmarked as affordable homes, but planning officers have been asked to negotiate this up to 40%.

David Morris, planning and operations director at developer Catesby Estates, stressed to the committee that the scheme would "provide lasting benefits to both new and existing residents".

"Over 50% of the site will be dedicated to green space," he said.

But Bobbing resident Rebecca Duffus told the meeting: "This is not an extension to an existing settlement, it is effectively a new town imposed on existing residents."

Saying she sees stoats, badgers, foxes and owls on the site, she added: "This is not empty land waiting to be built on it is a thriving habitat.

"If you allow this to be lost it is irreversible."

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