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Plans for a £250m upgrade of a major road network could be disrupted by a butterfly.
Last week, Kent County Council revealed plans to improve the A229 Blue Bell Hill which connects Chatham to Maidstone.
The plans contain a raft of new slip roads and roundabout enhancements, but one of the measures is for an additional lane and a new slip road on the southern-bound carriageway heading to Maidstone.
That would plunge it through the habitat of the Green Hairstreak butterfly.
This unusual creature, whose wings are brown on top and green underneath, lives in an area that is a mosaic of woodland and chalk grassland within the Kent Downs National Landscape Area.
Other rare and protected flora and fauna could also be affected such as the Dingy Skipper and Small Blue butterflies, Adders and White Helleborine - a type of orchid - and the Man Orchid, which has flowers that resemble the human form.
The land falls within the borough of Tonbridge and Malling, but is actually owned by Maidstone Borough Council.
Cabinet member Tony Harwood (Lib Dem) said: “The woodland between HS1 high-speed railway and the petrol station and horse paddocks adjacent to Chatham Road is owned by Maidstone.”
“The land is currently managed to complement and buffer the much-loved Boxley Warren Local Nature Reserve.
“As the portfolio holder for planning policy, my clear position, is that I will strenuously oppose any transfer of this land to the highways authority for any scheme that will harm the precious wildlife habitat currently in the stewardship of the borough council.”
Cllr Harwood said: “Maidstone’s ownership and control of this 'ransom strip' that forms the landscape buffer for HS1 is a potential game changer.
“KCC could exercise its compulsory purchase powers, but this land is within the Kent Downs National Landscape and supports a host of legally protected wildlife, so this would not be straightforward or cheap for the council.”
Cllr Harwood said the borough had not had any prior warning of KCC’s interest in their land, learning of the proposal at the same time as the public on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, KCC itself is set to be abolished in favour of a new Mayoral authority, before the date of completion of the Blue Bell Hill improvements, which is expected to be in 2031.
KentOnline understands that Maidstone cabinet members and planning officers met on Wednesday to discuss how they could use the ownership of the land to persuade KCC to develop a less environmentally disruptive scheme.
Council leader Stuart Jeffery (Green) said: “KCC hadn’t spoken to us about this. It came completely out of the blue.
“This land is really very valuable for wildlife and biodiversity and we wouldn’t want the wildlife destroyed just to build a road.
“That would be bonkers.”
Cllr Harwood said: “We will make our official response to KCC’s consultation in due course.”
A spokesperson for Kent County Council said: “We have been working collaboratively with stakeholders (including Maidstone Borough Council) as we work on the Blue Bell Hill proposals and have offered opportunities with them to discuss the potential impact of this development on their land.
“KCC liaise with stakeholders quarterly, where they are informed of the developments of the scheme.
“While land ownership has not been discussed at these meetings, this is part of the consultation, with impacted land owners in the area (including Maidstone Borough Council) receiving letters detailing the proposals before the consultation went live.
“The scheme is not set in stone.”
“We are consulting to understand the views of the public and other stakeholders on what we are proposing.
“The scheme also needs funding confirmation, and planning permission, before any construction can start.
"If we do secure the funding needed, we intend to acquire the land under voluntary agreement, and hope stakeholders will see the benefit, and work with us, to develop this essential infrastructure.”