Unpopular plans for a large housing development behind a police headquarters have been refused.

Proposals for 112 homes on land off Sutton Road in Maidstone were submitted in 2020, but have finally been rejected.

If approved, a mixture of one and two-bedroom flats, one, two, three and four-bedroom homes and bungalows would have been built behind Kent Police’s HQ.

When the project was initially revealed, it was met with backlash from people living nearby who complained the development would cause too many traffic woes for residents.

Around 30 letters of objection were sent to Maidstone council.

At the time, Joanne Gilham, who lives in nearby Lansdowne Avenue, said: “I am concerned about the increase in volume of traffic.

“Lansdowne Avenue is already a very busy road with it being used as a 'rat run' by vehicles coming from Boughton Monchelsea, Park Wood areas and from Sutton Road.

“Along with residents, staff from Police Training College and Police Control Room and Morrisons workforce and customers, the road is definitely not suitable for another 100 plus properties.”

While fellow resident Natalie Jennings added: “The Sutton Road junction is not fit to cater for the traffic volume as it is and I have personally queued for more then 20 minutes attempting to progress along Lansdowne Avenue towards our house with the opposing traffic volume.

“Introducing 100 plus new dwellings will only magnify this. Unless the road layout at this junction and road width is increased dramatically this will be a huge issue for all using the area.”

However, after multiple delays and an extension of time to make a decision, the plans were refused on Monday, September 4.

The plot was earmarked for 18 one-bedroom flats, 10 two-bedroom flats, six two-bedroom coach houses, one two-bedroom bungalow, 37 three-bedroom houses, 33 four-bedroom houses and seven five-bedroom houses.

A planning document explaining the decision said: “It has not been satisfactorily demonstrated that 112 units can be accommodated because the indicative layout shows a lack of on-site open space and over-development in a cramped layout, with limited visual relief from planting or soft landscaped areas and inadequate space for meaningful introduction of new street trees.”

You can view the plans at www.tinyurl.com/planningkm.

Use reference 20/501426/OUT to see all the available documents.