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Site of potential village put forward by Duchy of Cornwall near Faversham

A potential site for a garden village on the outskirts of Faversham has been put forward by the Duchy of Cornwall.

The royal estate, which is overseen by Prince Charles and consists of about 53,000 hectares of land, includes 320 acres of farmland at Selling Road.

The plot, which lies south of the town centre between the A2 and M2, is being proposed in response to Swale Borough Council’s call to landowners for sites which could accommodate 2,500 or more homes, as it reviews its local plan in anticipation of increased government housing targets.

Land owned by the Duchy of Cornwall on the outskirts of Faversham
Land owned by the Duchy of Cornwall on the outskirts of Faversham

Ben Murphy, estates director for the Duchy of Cornwall, said: “Our developments create communities, not just housing estates. As a single landowner of a large site in Faversham, we have the ability to deliver homes, services, infrastructure, amenities, employment and green space, all on one site.”

If approved, government housing allocation proposals would see Swale’s targets rise in 2022 from 776 to 1,054 houses a year.

The Duchy, whose development portfolio includes Poundbury, an urban extension to the Dorset town of Dorchester, has said that while housing numbers would be decided by the council, it believed the site could accommodate between 2,500 and 3,000 new homes.

“Our developments support and enhance existing local economies, with financial benefits that can be measured. An economic impact assessment of Poundbury, conducted by Dorset County Council in 2010, concluded that it contributed over £330 million in demand for goods and services to the local economy of Dorchester. There is real potential for investment in Faversham to support the local economy.”

If the proposal goes ahead, building would begin after 2022.

The Duchy of Cornwall is putting forward a site for a potential garden village
The Duchy of Cornwall is putting forward a site for a potential garden village

Two public workshops are being held in Faversham for the community to feed back on how the site should be developed. The first is an introductory workshop on May 9 from 7-9pm and the second is a drop-in workshop on June 4 from 1-8pm. Both will be held at the Assembly Rooms in Preston Street. Two invitation-only workshops are being held with political and community group representatives.

Head of Planning for the Duchy of Cornwall, Nick Pollock, said: “We are holding community workshops to listen to local people and to better understand the needs of Faversham. Feedback will help to create a set of overarching principles for how the site could be developed before we submit our representations to Swale Borough Council.”

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