Another 100 homes set to be given green light in town

Council officers are recommending approval for the new-builds

Another 100 new homes are set to be given the green light in Faversham – with the housing set for land once earmarked for offices. Swale Borough Council officers are recommending approval for the new-builds on part of the existing Perry Court estate off London Road.

They say the borough is falling behind on its housing targets – and this outweighs the loss of land originally reserved for offices. The outline application, submitted by Hallam Land Management, would bring up to 100 homes to the 7.24-hectare plot, located next to Aldi.

If extra care accommodation is later included as part of more detailed plans, the development would instead be capped at 80 homes, plus 60 extra care units. The site sits in one of the fastest-changing parts of Faversham.

Directly opposite, 310 homes have been built at the existing Perry Court over the past decade, while nearby Brogdale Place added another 63. Just along the same corridor, Persimmon Homes unveiled separate proposals in December for a further 240 homes off Brogdale Road, with residents already warning about the impact on the A2 and surrounding routes.

That concern is likely to sharpen further if the 100 homes are approved, with the latest plans also feeding traffic towards the already busy A251 Ashford Road, London Road and Brogdale Road routes. The land was originally allocated for employment use under the wider Perry Court masterplan approved in 2017.

That scheme allowed homes, offices, a care home, hotel and supermarket, but while the housing, Aldi, hotel and care facilities were built, the southern employment plot remained untouched. Committee papers reveal only one offer was received for office development during marketing dating back to 2017 – and it was later withdrawn.

Officers say there is now “no reasonable prospect” of delivering the original office allocation, citing a 2023 employment land review which found large-scale office demand at Perry Court is “very unlikely”. Instead, the revised plans include up to 4,800 sq m of smaller commercial space, a possible drive-thru restaurant, nursery, professional services space and 16 electric vehicle charging bays.

McDonald’s has previously been linked to interest in the drive-thru plot. The proposal would also secure 35 per cent affordable housing, alongside contributions towards schools, social care, waste services and £157,072 for local healthcare facilities.

But Faversham Town Council remains opposed, warning the town’s walking routes and crossings are struggling to keep pace with rapid growth. Cllr Trevor Martin said: “We understand the government’s push to try to get more houses built.

“We understand the reason why and we’re certainly not NIMBYs in that regard we just want to get the best we can out of what we’re getting.” The town council says the Ashford Road route remains poor for pedestrians and wants legal funding set aside for improvements near Abbey School.

Planning documents reveal the developer has already agreed to KCC Highways’ request to pay £50,000 towards sustainable travel improvements, including works linked to a crossing over the A2 north of Abbey School. A further £24,000 has also been agreed to upgrade a compacted stone path towards Brogdale Road to tarmac.

Cllr Martin continued: “We’ve seen so many applications over the last few years, we’re getting to the point we know what’s good and what we want is something that’s good.” On the flexibility built into the scheme, he added: “There is a need for sheltered accommodation, care homes and what have you in the area, so I think they’re hedging their bets a little bit.”

That flexibility could also affect the estate’s final affordable housing mix. While the standard homes would still be subject to the 35 per cent quota, Swale’s report says any extra care units delivered as older persons’ housing would be exempt from the affordable requirement for that part of the scheme. Swale’s planning committee will decide the application at 7pm on Thursday.