INFORMATION ON OBJECTIONS

ACCESS

This proposed development continues directly from the northern edge of Kings Hill and was originally planned as an extension to Kings Hill with the associated access, yet only limited pedestrian access is planned to Kings Hill shops and services, despite the Liberty/KCC partnership having already installed much of the roads infrastructure to accommodate the development of Broadwater Farm (on the assumption that they would get this site).
Access to this is now planned through TWO new access roads scarring productive farmland and valuable countryside and destroying the New Barns and Broadwater Conservation Area. This was designated in 1993 by TMBC with particular reference to the visual amenity across and from the area between the hamlets of New Barns and Broadwater. This new road would link to the A228 Ashton Way at West Malling Station Approach after passing through a new cutting in Springetts Hill and across an arable field.
According to planning guidelines, the size and nature of this development needs at least two vehicular access points, so a second access road is planned from the A228 to the south of Lavenders Road Bridge, across arable land to access the site from the West, thus making the hamlet of New Barns which is part of the Conservation Area an island surrounded by roads.
The route of the second road from Lavenders Road is inappropriate and unnecessarily encroaches on the western boundary of the New Barns and Broadwater Conservation Area. There is a false argument that this route is necessary due to a gap in the tree line which has a Tree Protection Order on it. This TPO was granted specifically to protect the New Barns and Broadwater Conservation Area.
These two new roads would present a failure to Comply with Planning (Listed Building and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 particularly Section 72 which requires the “character” of Conservation Areas to be protected and this implicitly includes the setting. In no way would the main access Road ‘protect and enhance’ the Conservation Area.

VISUAL IMPACT AND HARM TO CONSERVATION AREAS

The protected visual amenity of the view across the Conservation Area would be severely interrupted by the road & associated traffic that will, by design, need to be raised above the groundwater levels.
Added to this will be the requirement to provide an embankment to conceal traffic. We understand this will be just 2m high so will have very little effect on sound mitigation.(Note: the built embankment on the existing A228 is 5 m high).
The road will interrupt the well used footpath & bridleway across the Conservation Area, interrupting links between East Malling and West Malling which are used by pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders alike.
The visual impact from the north to the south will be severe, it is currently a rising vista of farmland and will be a high density housing development.
The view to the north , currently that of Springetts Hill with the North Downs behind, will be that of a road and cycle lane cut through the hillside. However, experience from the dualling of the A228 would suggest that the ragstone may prove to be an obstacle to full excavation.
TMBC have previously claimed that running a road through the middle of the CA does not change it, we beg to differ!
TMBC’s own previously published policies are to protect views into and out of Conservation Areas.
The granting of the Tree Protection Order on the line of poplars between New Barns and Kings Hill from the Southern-most edge of the Conservation Area established a reasonable “protection zone” from visual intrusion into the southern side of the New Barns and Broadwater Farm Conservation Area from Kings HIll. In this case from the adverse visual effects of boundary buildings on Kings Hill, this protection should be extended to all views into and out of both of the Conservation Areas affected by the proposals.

SUSTAINABILITY

Development is to be situated geographically close to services on Kings Hill but as presented that application does not include direct vehicular access.
New residents will be obliged to travel up to a mile northwards to come back up the same distance on themselves up the A228 to enter Kings Hill. Similarly pupils commuting from outside Kings Hill to the new schools will need to detour similar distance each way
A plan which incorporated a definite vehicular link would be demonstrably more sustainable for daily living, visits to the supermarkets and GP surgery etc.
Part of the route of the new roads appears to include the lower part of the Station Approach which is still a private road belonging to the railway but will enable access to West Malling via Swan Street, a route which is already at capacity and will be even further compromised as it would additionally be coping with traffic from the 40 Acre Field development.

HERITAGE

The development plans severely compromise many local heritage assets, including both the New Barns and Broadwater Farm Conservation Area and the Well Street Conservation Area. Policy provides for views into and out of Conservation Areas to be protected as well as providing protection for the areas themselves.
The New Barns and Broadwater Farm CA is home to is a small pond and two holding ponds that funnel groundwater from New Barns through to, and beyond, Broadwater Road. From there the water flows underground until it finally emerges in Well Street as part of the source of an unnamed stream that flows thorough East Malling, Ditton and Aylesford to feed the Medway.
This pond has been identified as having a unique Anglo Saxon name, ‘Cwylla’, and it has been designated as an Ancient Monument by KCC.
In order to put the road through the Conservation Area it is likely that the water flow to the Cwylla will be interrupted to allow the road to pass by without the need to raise the road by more than the minimum.Any road traffic across this ancient water course leads to the potential for ground water pollution to the spring at Well Street.
Berkeley Homes, in their application, are keen to dispute the presence of this pond as being historic, the balance of evidence in this case is not in their favour.

ENVIRONMENTAL & POLLUTION

At nighttime the New Barns and Broadwater Farm CA still has a certain tranquillity and, despite the A228 street lights has a Dark Sky, an asset recognised generally by the CPRE (Campaign for the Protection of Rural England) and benefitting much wildlife. Experience of the destruction of such an asset is demonstrated at Kings Hill where the intensity of light pollution is more than most cities (refer to https://www.nightblight.cpre.org.uk/maps/)
In addition to light pollution, noise and vehicle emission pollution arising from the traffic using the access roads would be harmful.

NATURE CONSERVATION & WILDLIFE

Although it can be the case that pure arable farmland is generally viewed as not particularly rich in biodiversity, this is NOT the case for areas such as the development site which includes orchards and hedge rows.
The development site is therefore home to a variety of protected species and well as more commonly plants and wildlife leading to rich biodiversity .
In particular badgers (a protected species) roam the whole area and, contrary to Berkeley Home’s claims there is a significant resident population of badgers at New Barns. The animals in these badger setts will be completely cut off from their normal territory by the two new access roads enclosing their territory and, of course the development itself.
There is evidence of dormice in the hedgerows, many of which will be destroyed by the development and its access roads, great crested newts and crucian carp (a red listed species) in the ponds plus a host of insects and pollinators will have their home disrupted or even destroyed.
Birdlife is abundant with skylarks, buzzards, and owls commonly seen and the spectacular arrival of migrating starlings, fieldfares and redwings arriving in the winter to feed on any residual apples in the orchards and the winter feed provided by meadow planting.
One of the affected fields provides a very special habitat which hosts a range of solitary bees in such numbers that they are being researched by the University of Reading
TMBC are challenged to investigate claims by BH for a “net 30% diversity” gain, particularly as the claimed biodiversity increase will take place outside of the development area alongside Manor Park.

TOPOGRAPHY

The whole area currently acts as a Green Wedge, separating the distinct communities of the historic market town of West Malling, the modern community at Kings Hill and the rural community of East Malling. In between these communities, there are the hamlets and clusters of dwellings at New Barns, Well Street, Springetts Hill and Broadwater. All of these will effectively be absorbed into developments such as this if allowed to proceed.
Considered together the addition of 900+ houses and associated development would clearly present an over-development of the area and would be particularly out of character with the existing small, special but distinct hamlet communities which would be blighted.
The development in general and the new roads in particular would certainly have an extremely negative “visual impact” on the area both on the landscape and surrounding communities with a clear and undeniable detrimental effect on the character of the local area.

SERVICES

The application includes facilities for primary and secondary schools plus medical and sports facilities. Access to the schools, proposed to serve more than just this new development, needs to be examined closely as the existing roads (Broadwater and Lavenders Roads, Pikey Lane, Well Street, Stickens Lane and The Heath) are all restricted and already very busy.
The sports fields mentioned in the application are to be floodlit and, by their very nature will be used in the evenings and weekends. The lights will be intrusive on local, listed buildings and participants/spectator noise will certainly spoil the current, peaceful environment presently enjoyed. The same noise issues will be apparent with the schools at the start and end of days and during break times.
The inclusion of medical facility buildings in no way guarantees more medical services as they still need to be staffed and equipped. We refer to Leybourne Grange Medical Centre that has never been used as such!
We are currently in discussions with professionals regarding Heritage, Geology, Traffic and Law. If other issues are identified we will update members accordingly.

INFORMATION ON OBJECTIONS

ACCESS

VISUAL IMPACT AND HARM TO CONSERVATION AREAS

SUSTAINABILITY

HERITAGE

LAND QUALITY

ENVIRONMENTAL & POLLUTION

QUIET LANE NETWORK

NATURE CONSERVATION & WILDLIFE

TOPOGRAPHY

SERVICES