Latest Planning Application for Land off Chessenden Lane 18/0444

SMARDEN PARISH COUNCIL: planning application Chessenden Lane

Should residents wish to send in a letter of objection to Ashford Borough Council to the proposed development of 8 houses at the end of Chessenden Lane, the cut off date is 22nd April. See the Parish Council response below.

18/0444 Land off Chessenden Lane, Smarden

For details and to respond via the Borough Council website go to: http://planning.ashford.gov.uk/Planning/details.aspx?systemkey=109097

Letters should be sent to Katy Magnall. Ashford Borough Council, Civic Centre, Tannery Lane, Ashford TN23 1PL

Smarden Parish Council objects to the proposal for 8 houses for the following reasons:

1. The site is not allocated for development in the emerging Local Plan to 2030 which is currently at an advanced stage and therefore weight should be applied to its contents.
2. The access via Chessenden Lane is narrow, often congested due to parking problems and is single track.
3. The access between the two houses at the end of Chessenden Lane is too narrow, the houses access straight onto the proposed roadway, and any large vehicles would have to take extreme care to negotiate the narrow pinchpoint.
4. Vehicles will have to pass between two houses in close proximity. This will cause a loss of amenity, noise pollution, headlight pollution during darkness hours, and potential vibration to adjacent homes.
5. The potential hazard of this narrow pinchpoint for residents, car drivers, utility vehicles should not be underestimated.
6. Smarden already has 50 houses approved for build on an adjacent site plus another 12 houses approved on two further sites within the Parish. The infrastructure such as schools and doctors will not cope with even more development.
7. The proposed site is green field.
8. A further development in this area of Smarden will concentrate all the recent developments in one small congested area.