‘It’s irreplaceable’: Fury over Reform plans to expand quarry in ancient Kent woodland

Hermitage quarry beside Oaken Wood. Under the soil sits Kentish ragstone, which Kent county council says is crucial for the conservation of ancient buildings. Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

It was at the confluence of seven forest paths that Allison Sweetman came to a stop. Trees rose on all sides, save for a recently coppiced section to the north-east. The noon heat had silenced most birds, but the quiet was peaceful.

“This is what they call Seven Wents,” she said. For centuries, the people of Kent had travelled this way, from East Malling to Barming, from Ditton to Teston, for church, commerce and friends. “It’s on maps going back 400 years.”