Villagers concerned about plans for thousands more homes are calling for the creation of a “buffer zone” in a bid to protect their area from development.

Those living in Mersham, near Ashford, fear the village will “cease to exist” if plans to build new properties on the edge of the town go ahead.

They want Ashford Borough Council (ABC) to include the so-called ‘Mersham Wall’ in its next Local Plan, which envisages 17,622 homes constructed across the district in the next 18 years.

Proponents hope the 615-acre “buffer zone” would run from the M20 to Chequer Tree Farm Road to the south of the village, prohibiting development between Ashford and Mersham.

ABC is currently in the process of “refreshing” its Local Plan, which is at its draft stage and includes plans for up to 2,700 homes on the edge of the town.

The Village Alliance campaign group, which is behind the ‘Mersham Wall’ idea, suggested its proposal at a consultation event run by ABC last month.

It followed a ‘call for sites’ process in 2023 - an invitation to developers and landowners to submit plots for inclusion in the Local Plan - which saw a number of sites around Mersham put forward.

Although ABC is yet to confirm any plots, land to the west of the village is included in one of five ‘areas of search’ on the edge of Ashford in the draft document.

This has sparked concern among residents as they are unsure whether new housing will come from Ashford’s edge-of-town allocation totalling 2,700 homes, or from the 1,000 properties designated for villages across the borough.

Padraig Herlihy, a member of The Village Alliance, says including the “buffer zone” in the plan would “protect the future of the village”.

“The problem is if we are not considered a village but the edge of Ashford,” he said.

“The call for sites from developers proposed 7,000 homes in the immediate vicinity of Mersham, and this is completely unacceptable.

“It would mean building another seventh of Ashford on our green fields.

“We have the right to protect our village, and we’ll take our share of the 1,000 homes across all the district's villages, but we do not think it’s appropriate for us to share the edge of Ashford as well.”

An ABC spokesman confirmed the boundary for the edge of Ashford allocation is not defined.

They added the areas of search have been proposed as they are located near a “wide range of services, jobs, facilities and infrastructure the town has to offer”.

But Mr Herlihy says land between Ashford and Mersham should be protected.

“Planning policy states settlements should not be squeezed together,” he added.

“It's been an independent village for so long, and to see it cease to exist would be very sad.

“We’re happy to take infill, but it is not acceptable for Ashford to fill in all the space between us.”

ABC approved a draft version of the plan at a meeting in July, and an eight-week public consultation closed on Monday.

Mersham resident Linda Arthur, who joined Mr Herlihy at a consultation event in the village last month, fears the village could be swamped.

“We believe in keeping the integrity of villages as settlements, protecting them with buffer zones and green belts,” The Village Alliance member said.

“To absorb Mersham into the town is a big mistake because I think people come to this area, to the borough, for the attractiveness of our villages, and to destroy them is a mistake.

“Smaller developments are much more sensible and provide for the longevity of the community, bringing in young people, children to the schools, and support for the shops.”

If ABC’s new Local Plan is approved by the central government on schedule, it will be adopted in 2027 and in place until 2042.

It is currently using a Local Plan to 2030, which was adopted in 2019, but now wants to add a further 5,730 homes to the masterplan.

Without a Local Plan, the authority says it has less of a foothold to resist unwanted planning applications, as it is working on an outdated determination of how land should be used.

Cllr Linda Harman (Ashford Independents), ABC’s cabinet member for planning, says she was pleased to gain feedback from residents at the consultation events.

“We had some extremely well-attended events and I’ve been very pleased overall with the number of people who attended,” the Aldington resident said.

“From our perspective, we’ve enjoyed the conversations and the opportunity to explain a lot of things, which I think is powerful going forward.

“Of course, the biggest concerns have been infrastructure and spaces for nature and biodiversity.

“When it comes to the next draft, we’ll look at all the different uses of land, including retail and employment.”

Cllr Harman added the authority will consider the “buffer zone” proposal before it runs another consultation in spring next year.

“In Mersham, there’s a very specific concern we’ll have to look at how that is accommodated within the plan,” she said.

“As a council, we have to collect and collate evidence to support our decisions and then come out to consultation again, so it’ll be much more honed when it comes out next time, ahead of preparing for examination.

“It’s very important we renew our plan and that we are able to demonstrate a five-year land supply so we are able to make the right planning decisions.”

On the other side of Ashford, the Sandyhurst Lane Residents’ Association is opposed to the area of search to the north of Kennington.

Part of the area is already earmarked for development as 375 homes are set to be built on a 128-acre site between Sandyhurst Lane and Trinity Road, known as Trinity Lakes.

Anthony Bartlett, chairman of the residents’ association, said: “While we acknowledge the pressure on ABC to meet its central government housing targets, we must oppose the identified northwest area of search.

“We will bear our share of meeting the targets but not at the cost of our rural character.”

Kennington Community Council shares similar concerns, fearing a lack of new employment opportunities in the area and wanting a “balance of land uses” proposed.

This would include employment opportunities, infrastructure, leisure facilities and “proportionate housing growth”.

Vice-chairman Cllr Alan Cooper, who is coordinating the council's response, said: "Kennington faces challenges due to the lack of commercial sites and employment opportunities.

“We propose that provision of new roads should be ahead of housebuilding, and would like to see at least one new or upgraded route across the M20 to alleviate traffic bottlenecks.

“We also recommend reviewing the experience with Chilmington Green to ensure that future developments include essential services at an early point in the development.

“Too often, Local Plans concentrate solely on new developments. Kennington Community Council believes that the needs of the settled areas, such as Bockhanger and Bybrook, should be more prominent.”

In Tenterden, where more than 8,000 people currently live, ABC is proposing 500 additional homes in its draft plan.

Options on the table include land to the north of St Michaels, either side of the A28, which has been put forward as a broad area of search, with 250 homes envisaged on the various parcels of land.

Another area under consideration is land along Small Hythe Road currently occupied by Hopes Grove Nurseries, which is set to move elsewhere.

Recently, Tenterden has seen about 360 homes delivered across the Tent 1A and ‘Tilden Gill’ developments, with a further 141 dwellings receiving final approval earlier this year on ‘Limes Land’ between Woodchurch Road and Appledore Road.

But the new proposals have left residents fearful of the impact further large-scale development will have on the town.

Mark Ellender, chairman of the Tenterden Community Land Trust, says he would like to see “truly affordable housing for local people”.

“I’d like to see smaller-scale developments receive greater support,” said the Tenterden resident of 41 years.

“The scale is troubling. I can understand why Hopes Grove has been put forward, but building in St Michaels will only erode the gap with High Halden and almost create a suburban corridor.”

Mr Ellender says he also wants to see greater improvements to infrastructure, with the main thoroughfare, the A28, already backed up with queues.

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In a statement, the ABC spokesman said the authority - which is also proposing 600 to 800 new homes in the town centre - will now be reviewing the comments received in the consultation.

“Where appropriate, the comments will help to inform the next iteration of the Local Plan,” they added.

“Site assessment work and the preparation of evidence documents will also be taking place ahead of the next consultation in 2026 to underpin the proposed approach.”