More than 100 members of the public were in the audience for the opening day yesterday of a planning inquiry to determine whether 220 homes should be built on part of a school’s playing fields.

The scheme put forward jointly by Ward Homes, Kent County Council and The Future Schools Trust to build on the playing fields of the New Line Learning Academy off Boughton Lane, Maidstone, in exchange for replacement playing fields nearby, was originally rejected by Maidstone council’s planning committee, prompting the appeal, but subsequently, the borough has decided not to defend its objection.

That left only the North Loose Residents Association to contest the grant of permission at the four-day appeal inquiry, being held at the Maidstone Masonic Centre off Courtenay Road in Tovil; a situation described at the inquiry as “extremely rare.”

The amateur volunteers from NLRA are up against top QC Sasha White and his legal team representing the appellants, but were supported by their three ward councillors Brian Clark, Ian Chittenden and Derek Mortimer, who all gave evidence opposing the application.

Inspector John Felgate said that among the issues he would be considering were the effect of the development on Five Acre Wood, on the character and appearance of the area, on congestion and air quality and also the benefits the application might bring.

He would also consider whether application was ”pre-mature” considering that a Neighbourhood Plan for the area and the Maidstone Borough Local Plan were yet to be completed.

Mr White told the inquiry that in advance of the hearing, the council and the appellants had agreed a statement of common ground in which the council accepted that permission should be granted, the grounds for their earlier objections having “fallen away in the light of new evidence.”

He assured the inspector that the appellants would not be seeking costs against the council.
Sean Carter, the chairman of the NLRA planning committee, leading the residents’ team, said his side would present evidence on traffic congestion, air quality, the damage to an area of ancient woodland and argue that the scale and massing of the proposed development would be detrimental to the character of the area.

The inquiry continues today and is open to the public.