A plan to replace a garden centre with homes has been deferred by councillors.

Proposals have been submitted to demolish Warmlake Nursery, in Sutton Valence, near Maidstone, and build 18 homes on the site.

The garden centre has been operating since the 1980s but members of Maidstone Borough Council's planning committee heard how the owner said they could not compete with online retailers.

Developer Millwood Designer Homes Limited wants to get rid of all the buildings on the site and create a mix of detatched, semi-detatched and terraced houses, seven of which would be affordable.

Sutton Valence Parish Council said the application should be refused.

Chairman Evelyn Anne Poulter said: "The garden centre and shop are of great value to the community and its loss will mean another service disappearing and creating a dormitory village."

She added MBC has already allocated 125 new homes to Sutton Valence. She also said the site is near Warmlake cross roads, "which is an accident blackspot", with "numerous minor accidents" occurring throughout the year.

Visiting member Cllr Wendy Young, for Sutton Valence and Langley Ward, said: "Sutton Valence is a small community who has seen many of its facilities and retail premises disappear over the years, leaving it now with just two functioning pubs and two hairdressers. To lose another local retail facility would be a real blow to the community".

She added the facility was "used extensively" and said residents had phoned her about the plans, including a "distraught 83-year-old lady".

Cllr Eddie Powell said: "I know this particular place extremely well. I use it quite a lot. But I actually spoke to the owner at the weekend and he said for the past six years business has gone down and down and down.

"People are now starting to buy their dog food and their cat food and whatever through online shops. And he said 'we just can't compete with that'.

"So I think commercially it's a great shame to see a local industry go to the wall but it's the world that we live in and it's horrendous but it's changing."

Cllr Ashleigh Kimmance said there were "quite a few" garden centres very close as well as a farm shop.

Cllr Lottie Parfitt-Reid said there were too many houses in the scheme, adding: "When I look at that layout all I see is concrete. I see tiled roofs and roads and concrete, there's hardly green on there at all."

A representative for the applicant said the proposed development made "good use of a sustainably located brown field" site.

Council officers had recommended the site for approval but members voted unanimously to defer the scheme.

This is to allow time to explore improving pedestrian crossings in the site and the Warmlake crossroads.

Councillors also want to look more closely at the amount of open space planned and whether the size and positions of the buildings and gardens need to be changed.

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