‘Prince William wants to build 2,500 homes next door to us but it has divided our community’

Prince William’s plans to build thousands of homes in a new ‘sustainable’ community are still being fought by residents months after he first unveiled them.

The Duchy of Cornwall, which William is the head of, announced earlier this year his plans to build thousands of homes on 320 acres of historic farmland in Kent.

The houses are earmarked to be built on a plot of land to the south-east of Faversham, which was acquired by the Duchy in 1999. 

But it was only in April this year when he submitted his plans, which he said aimed to address the housing crisis and deliver an ‘ideal town’.

After an initial backlash to the proposal when it was first revealed seven months ago, the Duchy’s estates director Ben Murphy responded: ‘We wouldn’t be doing it if it wasn’t wanted.’

But residents have been clear: they still don’t want it.

They have carried on their fight to save hundreds of acres of Kentish farmland from turning into what some have dubbed ‘Poundbury 2’, as the application works its way through the planning process.

‘It works as a small town because it is a small town’ 

Ann Furedi, 64, is chairwoman of the Faversham Society, which works to ‘preserve the best of the heritage and fabric of the historic town of Faversham and its surrounding parishes.’

She moved to Faversham around 30 years ago to begin her family, after previously living in London.

She told Metro: ‘This is an issue that divides the community. The majority of people, I would say, are very much against building on greenfield sites.

‘There’s a strong sense that we should not build on local farmland – and that of course, includes the site here. 

‘The town plan has identified some sites within the town that I think people would like to see developed, but these top down government housing targets pay no attention to the specific characteristics of local communities.

‘Faversham works as a small town because it is a small town. People move here because they want a small town family life.

‘There is clearly a housing shortage, there’s particularly a shortage of homes in London. The idea is that somehow these houses that are being built around here are clearly way over and above any sense of local need.’

Issues with agricultural land

If approved, the project will include at least 875 affordable homes, organised around ‘ancient footpaths and landscape’.

A minimum of 400 homes will be allocated for social rent in an effort to battle homelessness in the area. 

With an emphasis on green space and air quality, the plans also include the creation of new grounds for Faversham Football Club and demolition and replacement of the Faversham Cricket Club, along with orchards, allotments, meadows and wooded cycle paths.

The area will be powered by 100 percent renewable energy.  

South East Faversham was announced when King Charles was still in charge of the Duchy. It had already been in the works for the past six years when William took it over.

David Mairs is the press officer at the Kent branch of the charity Campaign to Protect Rural England, which works to protect the countryside.

He told Metro: ‘We don’t object to housing. Everyone needs to live in a home, but it needs to be done in a measured way that sticks to some kind of system. 

‘And a particular issue with this is it’s taking up BMV land (best and most versatile agricultural land). It shouldn’t be the position of the duchy to build on this land simply because they own it.’

The amount of land which is considered BMV in England was estimated to be roughly 41% of farmland in 2012. 

In 2012, Natural England estimated that 41% of farmland in England was BMV. There are an estimated 2,272,782 hectares of BMV land in England, with most of it in the East Midlands, East of England, South West, and Yorkshire and the Humber. 

‘This is our heritage’

Carol Goatham, 59, is one of the founders of Farms, Fields & Fresh Air, which works to protect land from mass housing developments and pollution, and has lived in Faversham for her entire life. 

She says the Duchy – despite talking about their plans for the past six years – ‘jumped the gun’ and put in the application without other proper measures being taken.

‘People like the NHS are saying that they haven’t done any plans for this site, for surgeries, none of that has been forward planned,’ she told Metro. 

‘None of it has been accounted for in their planning for the next few years, for local growth of population. We live in an area where there’s a lot of pressure on GP’s and the GP to Patient ratio is one of the highest in the country. 

‘It’s all very well for the Duchy to say that they’re going to build a GP surgery, but where are the staff coming from?’

Carol said the ‘bottom line’ is how much money the Duchy can make from the land. In the past, she said her group and her rallying against the Duchy’s plans were brushed off as ‘NIMBY’ (not in my back yard). 

‘But is it being a NIMBY to want future food security for our children?  There is no way around it, this is about social justice. This is about people who live here,’ she stressed. 

‘This is our heritage, my mum worked on the fields, I worked on the fields, my dad worked on the field. My grandmother’s both worked on the fields, my grandfathers, you know, my great-grandfathers. I never in my whole life thought this would disappear.’

King Charles was ‘deeply’ involved in running the Duchy when he oversaw it as Prince of Wales, Carol said, and William has also been spotted around Faversham in the past.

‘There’s no way they don’t know what’s going on,’ Carol added. 

‘It’s unsustainable’ 

Jeff Tutt is a resident of the nearby village Dunkirk, and has spoken out against the Duchy’s proposals – as well as helping to create a new one which focuses on less fought over land.

He said: ‘They’re not being strictly honest about their planning application.’

Speaking about concerns of overwhelming the local NHS services, Tutt said the Duchy has said they will build a surgery, but adds: ‘I can throw you up a number of bricks and blocks and say that’s a building, it’s a surgery.

‘The problem is finding nurses, doctors and scanners to service the population.’

‘It is unsustainable. The growth needs to be where there is the infrastructure and the jobs, there aren’t the jobs here.’

Founder Nicholas Boys Smith of Create Streets, a building think tank, added: ‘If people were really up in arms, you’d certainly be in the hundreds, if not thousands.’

The Duchy defends their plans

A Duchy of Cornwall spokesperson told Metro: ‘Our neighbourhood will include 35% (875) affordable homes which is higher than many new neighbourhoods, of which over 400 will be let for social rent for the most vulnerable families in Faversham and the wider Swale Borough, many of whom are currently in temporary accommodation.

‘In addition, South East Faversham will deliver essential infrastructure that benefits both new and existing residents, such as a new primary school, a water recycling centre, and healthcare facilities.

‘The new green spaces, which make up nearly half the site—including meadows, orchards, allotments, and woodlands—are projected to boost biodiversity by 20%, enriching the natural environment and creating new opportunities for community based food cultivation.’

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