1,000 new homes in Swanley have been met with opposition

KentOnline / KMTV

Residents have gathered in Archer Way Playing Field to demonstrate against Sevenoaks Council's proposals   What impact could the development have in Swanley? Meghan Shaw's been finding out...

Transcript

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.

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