This is how some of the housing at the ‘ideal town’ could look (Picture: Duchy of Cornwall)
Locals are kicking off at King Charles’s plans to build 2,500 homes and create an ‘ideal town’ on farmland in Kent.
Faversham residents have criticised plans put forward by the Duchy of Cornwall to build 120 homes every year during a 20-year period on 320 acres of farmland.
The plan was first announced in 2018 when the king was the Duke of Cornwall – but an application to build an initial 261 homes was submitted to the local council last December, sparking outrage from locals.
They say the plans contradict the king’s love for the natural world by building on farmland, and say the town doesn’t have the infrastructure to support such a large housing development.
It’s also argued that the development will increase traffic and therefore air pollution, MailOnline reports.
The houses are earmarked for a plot of land to the south-east of Faversham, which was acquired by the Duchy in 1999.
It’s argued the development will ‘swallow up’ nearby villages and destroy acres of farmland (Picture: Duchy of Cornwall)
The plans began while Charles was the Duke of Cornwall (Picture: Tim Graham Picture Library/Getty Images)
The proposals have been put forward to address the housing crisis and will deliver an ‘ideal town’ in line with a similar urban development in Poundbury.
It will deliver ‘affordable homes designed and built to the same high-quality standards, indistinguishable from market homes’, according to a website for the development.
The website adds: ‘South East Faversham will be an attractive, modern and enjoyable place in which people can live, work, shop and relax. It will be guided by local needs and inspired by the character of Faversham.’
There will also be space earmarked for ‘food stores and independent retailers, craftmakers and producers’, while a new high street will feature a range of restaurants, cafes and office spaces.
‘There will be a new primary school and options are being explored for a care home and potentially a range of health related facilities,’ the website states.
A new ’employment area’ will also feature on the eastern part of the site and will include ‘light industrial and distribution businesses encouraged to relocate nearer junction 7 of the M2’.
Faversham’s cricket club will also be relocated, with its current location being redeveloped into housing.
The plans were recently put out for public consultation with Swale Borough Council, prompting a number of angered locals to voice their concerns.
Speaking out against the plans, resident Peter Hall wrote: ‘Do you really want it to be “on your watch” that all our historic villages are swallowed up into one urban mass, and so much vital agricultural land will be lost forever?’
Richard Winnett added: ‘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 added: ‘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.’
More examples of how the homes in the development could look (Picture: Duchy of Cornwall)
The Duchy of Cornwall, who have put forward the plans, is a private estate established by Edward III in 1337.
Prince William, who is the Prince of Wales, now controls the estate and its £345million property portfolio – which includes 128,000 acres of land – after inheriting it from his father, King Charles III when he made made King.
The Duchy, which reportedly had a £21million income last year, is passed to the eldest son of a reigning British monarch.
A spokesman for the Duchy of Cornwall told The Telegraph: ‘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.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.