00:00A cold afternoon in Swanly, yet campaigners were hot under the collar to protest against
00:07proposals developing more than a thousand houses on former greenbelt land.
00:13Swathes of farmland and grassland under the government's new planning policy framework
00:18can now be classed as greybelt land in an attempt to boost housing delivery.
00:24But Swanly residents, who see this green space as vital for their community, are fighting back.
00:30I'm so lucky to see the sun rises from my bedroom window.
00:33Almost every morning, having to get up early with my child.
00:36To lose this field would mean to lose part of us, part of our family, part of our identity.
00:43My dog recently passed away and we would take her for walks over there every day.
00:48So we call it Honeysfield and not only that, but having a building site behind us for up
00:54to 20 years would cause devastation to so many lives and to the community.
01:00If you couldn't already see behind me, they're actually harvesting.
01:03So this land is arable land and things like coriander and spring onions are grown here
01:07and they're distributed to supermarkets up and down the UK.
01:11Losing this land, of course, would mean losing these crops.
01:13The campaign has even garnered the attention of Sevenoaks MP Laura Trott,
01:19who visited the gathering to bestow support.
01:21I do everything I can to fight with you and I am so sorry that this is happening to you.
01:24So thank you.
01:27But as Sevenoaks does not have a local plan in place until 2027,
01:32it has less control over when and where development takes place.
01:37So we had a local plan and submitted a local plan previously,
01:40which unfortunately the government's planning inspector refused,
01:42which is why we're having to redo the local plan.
01:45But we would have had to have redone the local plan anyway
01:48because the government has significantly increased the housing targets
01:51from 10,000 to 17,000.
01:53For those protesting the development,
01:55they feel that these don't have the best interests of Swanly at heart.
02:00There is a shortage of housing,
02:04but unfortunately the housing that's built is not affordable.
02:08When they talk about affordability,
02:12they talk about 80% of market rents.
02:17And I'm afraid that's not affordable.
02:20We contacted Sevenoaks District Council for comment
02:23and they explained the necessity to increase development
02:26under the government's updated national planning policy framework.
02:30They also explained they will continue to protect
02:33the overwhelming majority of the greenbelt
02:35and that affordable housing will be part of the new infrastructure.
02:40But as the consultation period draws to a close,
02:43will campaigners like Danielle be able to harvest
02:46the fruits of their labour?
02:48Megan Shaw, The Came TV, in Swanly.
Comments