A bid to designate a strip of land on a housing estate as a village green has been successful.

Neighbours on the Quantock Drive estate in Ashford feared there would be no open space left after the 1.25-acre site close to the town's Sainsbury's was snapped up at auction by a property company.

They asked Kent County Council (KCC) to declare the space a village green - a move that would prevent future development on the site.

The campaign was led by Cllr Paul Bartlett (Con), who represents the area at both borough and county level, and was keen for the space to remain as a local amenity.

Cllr Bartlett submitted the application in June last year and was backed by more than 100 residents.

He is “delighted” by the news and believes “the timing could not have been better”, after the government scrapped rules which meant developments could not be built unless the projects were proved to be nutrient neutral.

Axing the rule means more homes across the country could now get the go-ahead, including ones in Ashford.

“It comes at a time when the borough council has gone out to the market to ask land owners to bring forward land for housing development,” he said.

“We have 44 Ha of brown field land in Ashford which cannot be developed due to legacy EU rules on nutrient neutrality.”

“This is great news for Ashford's green spaces!”.

It comes after Bluesky Properties Estate Ltd purchased the plot - along with a smaller site on the other side of Quantock Drive - for £81,000 last year.

Residents Pauline Lowman, Thierry Maillard and Paul Lansdell, who all live nearby, distributed hundreds of leaflets to their neighbours in a bid to get as many as possible to back the village green application.

This saw residents fill out 145 questionnaires showing how much the site – which features a number of mature trees – is used by the community.

Cllr Andrew Buchanan (Ind), praised the “critical” part residents played in getting the decision.

He said: “It was very important as the Quantock village is locked in by three busy main roads with only two roads to access.

“It is the only green space in the area to play and dog walk without having to cross the ring roads.

“Rallying round was critical as the residents needed to be able to prove conclusively that the land had been used unopposed for recreational purposes for over 20 years.”

No plans have been submitted by Bluesky Properties Estate Ltd for the space, which was sold by Greenfurb Limited last year.