There is opposition to plans to build more than 800 homes on a disused golf course.

Quinn Estates argues that the Broke Hill Golf Course, off London Road, Halsted, near Sevenoaks, is a brownfield site ripe for development.

But neighbours say that it is so long since the club last functioned that the once manicured greens have become a wildlife haven.

The club closed in December 2017.

Alex Wolstenholme lives in nearby Pratt’s Bottom and walks his dog through the golf course, which is traversed by two public rights of way, every day.

He said: “This is not the right place to build at all.

“It is so long since it was last used that the golf course has pretty much become a nature reserve.”

“There’s plenty of wildlife and even unusual plants like the ophrys orchid.

“If you go early in the morning, you might even catch a glimpse of a deer.”

Last summer, Mr Wolstenhome came across a Kestrel chick that had fallen from its next.

Kestrels are a protected species.

He said: “It was in a bad way and I took it to the Eagle Heights Rescue Centre.

“But a mating pair of kestrels returned to the same tree this year.

“It’s not at all unusual to see kestrels or red kites over the area.”

The current application is the second time that Quinn Estates has sought permission to develop the site.

In 2019, the company applied for planning permission for 800 homes, plus 180 retirement homes.

The last time, Sevenoaks council refused permission and Quinn appealed, but lost again at the appeal in January 2022.

Mr Wolstenholme said: “There was a huge public outcry last time around that even led to a march past the site by over 100 people.”

The latest plan is for 660 homes, a retirement village of 150 homes, plus a care home with 70 bedrooms.

The application falls within the boundary of Sevenoaks District Council, but will put pressure on the infrastructure of neighbouring Bromley Council, which also objected last time around.

The golf course lies within the protected Green Belt, which was the reason why the planning inspector dismissed the appeal.

But since then, the Labour Government has weakened the planning laws and created the concept of “grey belt” - land within the green belt that was not so important that it could not be developed. Quinn Estates argues that the golf club perfectly fits that definition.

The company argues the site is in an extremely sustainable location, a few hundred yards from Knockholt Railway Station, and with easy access to the M25.

The scheme is in outline at present, with only access fixed, with a proposal for two entrance roads, both off the London Road.

The company says that 53% of the new homes (353 units) would be affordable housing.

The retirement village would be developed by a partner organisation, Inspired Villages, and would include a clubhouse for communal activities.

Land would be gifted to Kent County Council and funding provided for a one-form entry primary school for up to 210 pupils with SEN facilities, but Quinn Estates is not proposing to build the school itself.

The company is proposing to create a “village centre” with retail units for a food store, shops, a restaurant, a takeaway, a gym and offices, which it said would help to make the new estate a “walkable “development, with many daily facilities within reach without the need to use a car.

In addition, a substantial 81-acre country park, to include a cafe, is proposed that would be accessible both to residents of the new estate and to the wider public.

The company said: “It will be a truly extraordinary and sustainable place to live that embodies 21st-century life and embraces innovation.

“The vision is to create beautifully and imaginatively designed homes with gardens, combining the best of town and country.”

But Mr Wolstenhome said: “At the moment, the golf course creates a green buffer between Bromley and Halsted. If it is developed, the two will just merge into one.”

Sevenoaks council will find it harder to refuse the scheme this time around, even if it wants to.

It does not have a valid Local Plan after the last one it submitted in April 2019, was found unsound at examination. It was withdrawn in November 2022.

Meanwhile, the estimated housing requirement for the district has continued to rise.

The government has recently amended the method for calculating housing need, which gives Sevenoaks a significantly higher requirement of 1,145 new homes per year.

In recent years, Sevenoaks has been building at the rate of 250 homes a year.

To date, there have been 41 objections to the scheme lodged with the council, including one from the British Horse Society that was concerned about the potential impact on public rights of way and bridleways.

Typical comments were: “The local infrastructure can barely cope as it is - low water pressure, and power cuts are a constant nuisance in the local community.”

One Chelsfield Park resident said: “Although it is Sevenoaks where this is situated, it is Bromley that will bear the brunt of the pressure, particularly regarding the demand for secondary school places, and GP and hospital appointments.”

Another objector was concerned about traffic. He said: “The whole development feeds onto the one-way section of the A21, which would make pulling out of Stonehouse Lane almost impossible and mean many vehicles would be using the small Pratts Bottom Roundabout opposite the Esso Garage to do full circle returns to get back up to the M25.”

Another comment was: “This should be refused because of the impact on the historic village of Halstead, completely removing the secluded, countryside setting that residents enjoy.”

A fifth said: “The suggestion that this is not green belt land (or is ‘lesser’ in terms of protection) undermines the legal policy framework.

“There is no policy or precedent that allows the release of green belt merely for housing unless all criteria are met; mislabelling is misleading and should not be accepted as justification.”

However, there is some support for the scheme, with one resident commenting: “Sorely needed housing in a good location.”

Another said: “I wish to record my support for the outline planning application for the redevelopment of the former Broke Hill Golf Club.

“Although I currently live in the neighbouring London Borough of Bromley, I know the area well and would seriously consider relocating to this development if approved.

“I believe the proposal represents a balanced, sustainable and policy-compliant scheme that will bring substantial benefits to both the local community and the wider district.”

Jonathan Andrews is the ward councillor for the adjacent Darwin Ward of Bromley council, and he is also Bromley’s Mayor.

Cllr Andrews (Con) said: “I’ve had a number of residents speaking to me about this. They are concerned, and I am concerned.

“Bromley council objected to the last application to build on this site, and that was rejected.

“This planning application has somewhat different numbers, but the impact will be the same.”

The Kent Wildlife Trust said it was looking into the application, but hadn’t yet formed a view.

Find out about planning applications that affect you at the Public Notice Portal.

Details of the current application can be found on the Sevenoaks council website here.

Look for application number 25/02129.