Warning! Dial before you dig!

That was the message from Southern Gas Networks to any contractors who might be about to start work on the Woodcut Farm development at Bearsted near Maidstone .

The gas company has set out a trail of yellow marker flags across the site marking the path of a high pressure gas pipeline, which it would probably be best not to disturb.

The 33-acre site - currently all open agricultural fields - is destined to become a mixed use business park of offices, warehousing and industrial units.

The land between the A20 and M20 just the Maidstone side of Junction 8 changed hands in June, with previous owners Roxhill Development Group selling it on for £5m to Maidstone Investment Holding Limited, a subsidiary of Clearbell Property Partners.

The site was part of the much larger and highly controversial Kent International Gateway scheme (KIG) - a road/rail interchange - that was eventually denied permission at appeal in August 2010 after a three-year year fight .

This smaller site has outline permission for a 489,000 sq ft business park granted by Maidstone councillors in 2017, but a detailed plan has yet to be submitted.

Maidstone Investment Holdings said it would shortly be carrying out preliminary work on the land with ground investigation and topographical surveys. It would involve making a series of exploratory trenches and boreholes across the site. Once the investigation work was complete, the ground would be restored to its existing condition.

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