Residents in a Kent community have reportedly hit out at plans for a 2,500 home settlement in Faversham which had been drawn up by King Charles’s estate.
The Duchy of Cornwall, which is fronted by the monarch, owns 320 acres of land which straddles the M2 and plans have been in development since 2018 and were revealed in 2021.
A proposal said at the time it would be a “sustainable human-scale development that is land-efficient, uses low-carbon materials and is less car-dependent”.
But Faversham residents have raised objections, according to the Mail on Sunday, about the risk of urbanising what was once farmland.
They say that the proposals are also in conflict with ideals put forward in Charles’s 1989 book, A Vision of Britain: A Personal View of Architecture, which stressed the need to preserve local nature.
The fully-formed project has a blueprint of building 120 homes every year for a 20 year period and it would be put forward over several planning applications, bit by bit.
The first proposal, aimed at constructing 261 homes, was submitted to Swale Council for a development in Faversham, a small town of 20,000 people.
Councillors are currently mulling over the proposals and residents have the opportunity to voice their opinions.
Faversham resident Richard Winnett said: “The Duchy proposes such a development with the consequential loss of a huge area of fine productive agricultural land.
“This seems totally at odds with HRH’s public stance on environmental and farming issues.”
Sarah Vomley wrote: “I always thought the Duchy cared about the environment and green spaces, seems I was wrong. They also can’t (or won’t) maintain the houses they already have.”
The Telegraph reported that other residents had also shared their objection in the strongest possible terms.
A spokesman for the Duchy of Cornwall said: “South-east Faversham will, if planning permission is granted, follow in the footsteps of Poundbury, Nansledan and other sustainable Duchy developments and become one of the most environmentally friendly neighbourhoods in the United Kingdom.
“It will prioritise access to green spaces, sustainable transport and will focus on the community’s needs – including affordable housing and a new primary school as well as new traffic infrastructure and healthcare services.
“New green spaces including meadows, orchards, allotments and woodland means biodiversity is set to increase by 20 per cent while a focus on sustainable travel and building a walkable neighbourhood is expected to generate 20 per cent fewer car trips compared to similar-sized communities.”
Councils do not typically comment on active planning applications.
