Pembury may get 99 new homes

Cllr David Hayward

There's concern about traffic gridlock if a development at Hubbles Farm in Pembury goes ahead.

A local councillor in Pembury says that plans for 99 new homes include inaccurate assumptions about travel in the area.  

Cllr David Hayward told West Kent Radio that he didn’t want the village to be gridlocked with traffic, as the scheme involves another 200 parking spaces.  

The developer Obsidian Strategic told us it had consulted with local residents and the planning authorities and there could be changes to the existing scheme.

Cllr Hayward said: "People are up in arms not because we  don't need housing, it's because of the lack of infrastructure.  200 extra parking spaces means quite a lot more cars and the village is already struggling to get in and out of in a car anyway."

He argues that the travel plan the developers have put in should be withdrawn because it "doesn't have any basis in truth...it deserves a Booker Prize for fiction....it has buses on a Sunday which don't exist."

Cllr Hayward said there were already too many four bedroom detached houses in Pembury and the development should have fewer of these. He concluded: "They will make their money on the bigger houses, but its not what we need."

Obsidian Strategic sent West Kent Radio a statement which said:

“We have submitted an outline planning application to build 99 new homes in Pembury, which will help support Tunbridge Wells Borough Council to deliver much need new homes within the Borough.  The site is allocated in the Tunbridge Wells emerging Local Plan, which is at an advanced stage and likely to be adopted in early 2025. The site is also recognised for development, along with 2 further adjacent sites, in the Pembury Development Plan adopted back in September 2023.

We have engaged extensively with Pembury Parish Council and the local community, holding various events both in person and online and we are now working with council officers and statutory consultees during the determination period. Following any feedback received from council officers, any amendments that maybe required to any of documents submitted with the outline planning application will be published on the council’s planning portal in due course.”  

 

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