Residents march through Sevenoaks in protest against Wasps RFC rugby stadium and homes in the greenbelt
Demonstrators carried candles in “mourning” for the greenbelt over plans for a huge housing estate and rugby stadium.
Around 100 people marched through Sevenoaks town centre from Farningham, Eynsford, Crockenhill, Edenbridge, Ash, Biggin Hill, Otford, Kemsing, Badgers Mount, Halstead and Knockholt.
They were demonstrating against the inclusion in Sevenoaks District Council’s draft Local Plan of a housing allocation for a garden village of 2,500 homes at the Pedham Place Golf Course, near Swanley, and at the allocation of a nearby site at Petham Court Farm for a 28,000-seat rugby stadium for the Wasps RFC.
The protesters met at Sevenoaks Railway Station and then marched to the district council offices, where a meeting of the council’s development and infrastructure advisory committee was in session.
Many carried candles in “mourning” for the greenbelt.
Su Hewitt, from Farningham, helped organise the rally on Tuesday (November 25) as part of the Protect Our Green Belt Together campaign.
She said: “We're all against the destruction of the greenbelt.
“In addition, a quarter of the Wasps site and the whole of Pedham Place site is within a National Landscape area.
“It seems the council doesn’t want to protect anything!
“The greenbelt is so important to limit the continual spread of the London sprawl.
“We are already swamped. We cannot get enough GP cover as it is. We are not preserving what is needed to keep people well.
“Also, the traffic at Junction 3 on the M25 is already horrendous. This will make it worse.”
Resident Ian Maple was concerned about the country’s food security and the continual loss of farmland.
He said: “It’s currently a flourishing area for wildlife, which would be put at risk.
“I’m hoping common sense will prevail.
“The council needs to pause and come up with a plan for the common good.
“I know there is a big drive for housing from the central government, and the council has its arm up its back, but overall, this is not for the benefit of the country.”
Rachel Waterton (Ind) is the district councillor for Crockenhill and Well Hill.
She said: “The Local Plan currently includes two significant developments that will affect all our villages: 2,500 new homes at Pedham Place, and a 28,000-seater Wasps rugby stadium complex, including a training ground and hotel, at Petham Court Farm.
“These combined developments would deliver additional housing representing three times the number of households currently in Crockenhill and Well Hill, and would bring huge crowds to the area on event days.”
She pointed out that the combined population of Swanley, Hextable, Eynsford, Crockenhill and Farningham was 27,400 - less than the capacity of the stadium.
She said: “Our local road network is already under significant strain, and any major development would only overstress these challenges.
“Upgrading Junction 3 on the M25 would be crucial to support any major development, but such improvements are difficult to achieve and are not guaranteed.
“The increased traffic from such projects would undoubtedly overwhelm our roads.
“Expanding the rural road network would bring a dramatic increase in both the volume and size of vehicles passing through Crockenhill and neighbouring communities.
“This would fundamentally disrupt the peace, safety, and rural character of our area—leading to more congestion, noise, litter and risk for residents, as well as the irreversible loss of precious farmland and smallholdings.”
“Equally, such an increase in housing would inevitably cause widespread pressure on our schools, GPs and other local services.
“Our rural character, environment, visual amenity and close-knit community would certainly become irrevocably strained should either development take place.”
To see planning applications and other public notices for your area, click here
Sevenoaks District Council has produced a draft Local Plan that would enable it to meet the housing target of 17,175 homes to be built by 2042 imposed on it by the government.
The figure equates to 1,145 new homes each year, and is a 63% increase on the council’s current housing target.
The Sevenoaks draft Local Plan is currently out to public consultation. People can comment here. The deadline for responses is December 11.
Cllr Waterton urged residents: “Please respond. Use this opportunity to help safeguard the area we live in and value immensely.”
Laura Manston (Green) is the district councillor for Ash and New Ash Green.
She attended the march and thanked the protesters for turning out.
She said: “Our community is facing decisions that will shape Sevenoaks for decades to come, and it’s vital that everyone takes part in the process by attending the drop-in sessions and completing the consultation.”
Mrs Hewitt described the gvernment’s housing targets that were obliging Sevenoaks District Council to release greenbelt land for development as a “travesty”.
She said: “With Sevenoaks being 93% greenbelt, surely there should have been some sort of exception?
“Where are the lungs of London?”
Residents can follow the Protect Our Green Belt Together campaign here.
A Sevenoaks District Council spokesman said: "We are currently consulting on the new Local Plan, which includes potential locations for new homes to meet the government's significantly increased housing targets for the Sevenoaks district.”
“The government has instructed us to identify land for 1,145 new homes every year, a 63% increase on the current target.
"While the new Local Plan proposes to make the best use of existing built-up areas, we have to consider other sites to meet the government's housing target.
“We welcome residents' views on the draft proposals, and they can find out more about the new Local Plan online or by attending one of our in-person events taking place across the district."