The Save Capel Group, which is opposing plans by Tunbridge Wells council to adopt an 2,800-home garden village at Tudeley as part of its Local Plan, are on the warpath.

The campaign group has seen the change of leadership at Westminster as an opportunity to press their case.

They have written to the new Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, to remind him of his campaign promises when he was standing against Liz Truss in the leadership contest.

He said then he did not believe in “arbitrary top-down housing numbers” and also said he would prohibit building on greenbelt land.

At present, the borough council is working to meet a Government-set target of 12,200 new homes.

Meanwhile the Government Planning inspector's report into the Tunbridge Wells Local Plan is overdue.

When the pubic hearings concluded in mid-July, the inspector, Matthew Birkinshaw, said he expected to issue his decision in "four to six weeks," ie around the start of September.

His initial report is expected to be an indicative letter of his findings and may some suggest some modifications are needed to the plan.

The Save Capel Group said it stood ready to respond.

The Local Plan, once approved, will act as a blueprint for development in the borough of Tunbridge Wells up to 2036.

Among the proposals are 2,160 homes at East Capel as part of a ring of around 4,000 homes around Paddock Wood.