100 Homes for Hadlow

More green fields are to be replaced by housing under a plan for the north west of Hadlow.

In July, developers Redrow submitted plans to Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council (TMBC) for an estate of 100 homes.

Developers insist the 50 "affordable" homes planned on the development will help address the “dire” lack of housing options at below-market rates in the area.

But some are opposed to the scheme, fearing the impact of the additional strain on overstretched services.

Situated off Carpenter’s Lane and The Paddock, the site proposed for the estate is at the northwestern end of the village, and is the size of about seven football pitches.

The developers write: “The site lies within green belt but is positioned adjacent to the Hadlow settlement boundary, flanked by post-war public housing schemes to the south and the Hadlow Village Hall to the east.

“The proposals will include 100 new homes, public open space and a community orchard,” they write.

Of the affordable homes, 22 will be two-bedroom, 18 will have three, six will be four-bedroom and four will be one-bedroom.

“The proposed development will provide 50% affordable housing, which will help address the affordable housing issues in the area, which are dire,” they insist in planning documents.

Across the whole estate, homes will range from one-bedroom flats to five-bedroom family homes, and the neighbourhood will “centre on a public green”.

The firm argues that over the course of the build period, the development will bring £50 million into the local economy, including 27 indirect jobs and 81 direct jobs.

They also insist that development would only take place from 8am-6pm Monday to Friday, 8am-1pm on Saturdays, and not at all on Sundays and public holidays.

Caroline Anderson, (pictured below) chairwoman of the village hall committee, organised a public meeting regarding the development earlier in the month, attended by about 70 people.

She said: “We are very concerned about the fact that Hadlow seems to be targeted for housing, along with East Peckham and Hildenborough.

“We can’t cope with the traffic; we don’t have very many doctors, dentists, schools, nurseries.

“We know there’s a need for affordable housing but, personally, I don’t think that any of these buildings are going to be affordable.

“This is Hadlow, this is Kent. Is anything affordable for young people?

“And we have no evidence that these will be offered to them, though they say they’ll be offered to Hadlow residents first.

“It’s a green belt field. If we allow that, where’s it going to stop?” she added.

It is not yet known when TMBC’s planning committee will decide on the bid, but a target deadline of November 4 has been set.