Residents in Medway are coming together in the hundreds to oppose a development plan in Upnor.

Submitted documents from developers say there is no significant threat to wildlife or road safety, but campaigners say the documents leave out important information.

Esquire Developments Ltd recently submitted a planning application to build 75 dwellings beside Upnor Road, 19 of which would be affordable housing. Additional infrastructure, such as public rights of way and a bus stop, is also detailed in the plan.

The local campaigning group, Keep Upnor Green, is protesting the application. Their Facebook group has amassed 637 members, who have put up signs, submitted objection letters and started a petition which currently has 597 signatures.

Many object to the build because the entrance is placed on Upnor Road, a very slim road which will place a blind bend either side of the entrance. Locals are worried extra cars on the road will make it less safe for drivers and people who often walk along Upnor Road, which has no paths alongside it.

Andrew Bates, a Castle Street resident, said: "The developers did a traffic survey in the middle of winter in January. In the summer we have boot fairs with thousands of cars, people visiting the castle and more people visiting the pubs so traffic is 10 or 20 fold in the summer compared to when they did their traffic survey.

"Also the bottom of the steep hill outside the club flooded this year. So any emergency services have got go all the way round to get to the entrance, which obviously would be a bit of an issue if someone was in an emergency."

Keep Upnor Green's primary grievance is with the proposal to build over part of their green lung - an area of green land which maintains a healthy environment for residents and visitors to enjoy.

The site is not subject to any ecological designations, according to the developer's ecological appraisal, which concludes the land "supports a low diversity of common and widespread species" and is "considered to be of limited ecological value and does not form an important ecological feature."

Though, beside the southern boundary, the Tower Hill to Cockham Woods area is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) which would be subject to protections.

Jenni Davis, who set up the online petition, said: "The landscape forms a green buffer, a distinctive gateway and green backdrop to the Medway Towns. This green space provides vital natural habitat for wildlife, including nightingales, cuckoos, water voles, bats, door-mice and many other species.

"12 acres of prime arable land would be lost forever and the proposed development is in a flood risk area. What they are proposing is devastating for the environment and the local area."

Echoing Mrs Davis, a local befriender who asked not to be named, added: "Everybody's complaining there are now only two white rhinos in the world but who is to say our endangered water voles, nightingales and cuckoos are any less significant.

"They're not less significant and we have to protect biodiversity. But when you do the survey in January, you're not going to find any."

The appraisal does mention plans to mitigate the harm of the build with additional native tree planting, new roosting opportunities for bats and more diverse nesting habitats for birds.

A spokesperson for Esquire Developments said: “With nearly half of the site remaining as public open space, the proposed low-density development will create new habitats within the site.

"Our proposals strike a balance between conserving and enhancing the countryside while meeting the need for local housing. The scheme's design allows for views in and out of the site enabling people to appreciate the semi-rural setting."

Residents in Upnor are also concerned for their local services as they already struggle to get local GP appointments and school places.

Mr Bates added: "There's a guy down our road who moved in about six months ago and his children were still going to Welling, in Bexley. Whether they still are or not, I don't know, but he couldn't get into the schools. We've got about 114 houses in Upper Upnor. They're planning another 75, which is going to aggravate that."

A spokesperson for Esquire Developments, said: “Small housing schemes such as ours support Medway Council's need to meet its housing targets. The impact of the development on local services will be tested by the council, and if required, Section 106 contributions will be made to support and improve the provision of local facilities."

Chris Sparks, chairman of Frinsbury Parish Council, has been a topic of discussion for campaigners because of his work as an independent planning consultant with Esquire Developments as one of his clients.

A spokesperson for the Parish Council said: "Chris Sparks will not be logging in to the Zoom planning committee meeting. He will therefore be unable to influence any of the decisions the planning committee will make and won't know what was said until he either reads the submissions on Medway Council's website or gets his draft minutes in due course."

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Residents feel they have not been consulted by developers on the plans enough. The local befriender, said: "The lack of interest has been shown from the very beginning. Esquire posted letters about the application to 30 odd houses, not realising there's actually a community they've not communicated with.

"It's a little bit disingenuous to say, 'we put the consultation online' when there are many older people who've lived here for a very long time. They may not have computers or go online."

A date is yet to be set for councillors to discuss the application and the neighbour consultation expiry date is July 17.

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