20 January 2012
Plans for Penshurst rural housing scheme of six affordable homes for local people will be the subject of the regional news programme to be aired soon.
There has been unprecedented opposition to the scheme with a well organised and articulate campaign, led by homeowners in the rural village where West Kent plans to build the homes. Locals have opposed the plans saying that the site is unsuitable, protected by both the adopted Penshurst Conservation Area and the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, within which it sits.
But a local needs survey, planning officers, and the Parish Council support the chosen site as being suitable for this type of development. Alternative sites have been ruled out for being unavailable or unlikely to get planning permission.
The issue of providing small villages with sustainable communities is once again in the spotlight as Keep Penshurst Green campaigners try to block the plans.
Frank Czarnowski Chief Executive of West Kent told the BBC “The fact that the majority of young people are forced out of our villages because they can’t afford to live there is a frightening prospect for many – sustainable communities depend on a cross section of people from all backgrounds to provide services and keep a community alive.
The local needs survey which was carried out identified a need for affordable housing in Penshurst. The plans take into account the beautiful architecture of the village and have been designed to fit in with the local area, much like our other rural designs in Leigh and Chiddingstone. The homes will be let to local people in perpetuity and will enable Penshurst to accommodate a younger generation which will ultimately secure the survival of the village.
He continued: “We don’t set out to upset communities. We are a charitable housing association with the intent to provide affordable housing for people and build sustainable communities to the benefit of the whole community.”