Planners have halted proposals to dramatically change the face of Medway's "green lung".

Developers looking to build 450 homes at Gibraltar Farm in Capstone Valley, will have to return to the drawing board.

This is after councillors unanimously turned down their revised plans on how residents would access the site.

Medway Council planning committee members were asked to consider ways in which vehicles would move in and around the area through a series of access points off Ham Lane and Lidsing Road.

But one of the most contentious issues came from the estimated impact of a foot and cycle path which aimed to connect the development to amenities in Lordswood.

Original plans relied on cars being able to access the site via land off North Dane Way, which is owned by the council.

They decided not to sell it to the applicant, the Attwood farming family, meaning plans had to be re-drawn.

The local authority's head of planning, Dave Harris, explained to councillors how despite there being a need for a link to Lordswood in order for the development to be "sustainable", this would impact a section of ancient woodland.

The footpath would need to be lit and surfaced so people could access Lordswood at anytime, including in poor weather conditions, but officers assessed this would poorly impact bats living there.

He also expressed his "surprise" at the decision four years ago from the government to approve the development on appeal after the planning committee turned it down, and explained how his team decided not to pursue a judicial review.

The fresh plans included the addition of a nursery, a retail unit, community green space and a number of traffic-calming measures on surrounding roads.

Councillors unanimously refused the application during a virtual meeting on Wednesday, expressing their frustration on how the development was given the go-ahead and also approved by neighbouring Kent County Council and Maidstone Borough Council.

Hempstead and Wigmore councillor Rodney Chambers (Con) said he thought the fresh plans were worse than those approved on appeal.

He said: "It will be Hempstead that bares the brunt of the traffic that 450 dwellings will produce.

"This application if passed would have catastrophic effects on the quality of life on residents."

The planning department received 1,738 letters regarding the plans, including objections from MPs Rehman Chisthi and Tracey Crouch.

Council leader Cllr Alan Jarrett (Con) also spoke about the application in his role as ward councillor for Lordswood and Capstone.

He queried the developer's attempt to manoeuvre around the issue of the council not selling them the land which would allow vehicle access from North Dane Way.

He said: "They're bringing these unsustainable proposals forward because the 'wicked council' wouldn't sell them land, is how it read to me."

The Attwoods also want to build 800 homes on the land at East Hill, between North Dane Way and Capstone Farm Country Park, an application which has yet to be considered.

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