Otterpool Park LLC, the master developer for the proposed ‘Garden Town’ which will stretch from M20 Junction11 to Barrow Hill and the former Lympne airfield, have submitted a revised outline planning application to the District Council.

This submission replaces the application which was submitted in March 2019 and remains undetermined. The Council asked OPLLC to provide more detail of Phase 1 of the project. Phase 1 is the part which impacts Stanford Parish the most. It includes the ‘Town Centre’ just to the west of Westenhanger built around a new road running from the A20 to Westenhanger Station. An extensive area south of the castle will be retained as ‘green space’ called Westenhanger Park. Nearly 2000 homes are planned for this phase. Some preparatory work will begin on site in the autumn with construction planned to start properly next year and continue on Phase 1 for about 5 years. The whole town will be developed over more than 30 years.

So far, we have received an index for the bulky submission, which you can read here. The rest of the application will be made public when FHDC have checked it is complete, probably by the end of April. Consultation period will be 8 weeks.

Stanford Parish Council is to receive a complete hard copy of the application which will be kept in the Parish Room on the Racecourse. Any Stanford and Westenhanger residents wishing to look at the documents will be able to by contacting the Clerk, Denise Alchin. We will also be arranging some drop-in sessions for anyone to come and discuss the project with parish councillors as we did for the first application.

You may make comments to FHDC on the planning application through their website or in writing during the consultation period. We will keep a eye on that to see what people are saying but by all means talk to parish councillors as well so we can formulate our official response.

In the past 3 years we have held a number of meetings with OPLLC to discuss Stanford and, especially Westenhanger, residents’ concerns, focussing on traffic arrangements on Stone Street, both during construction and after the new road to the station is built. OPLLC also held an open meeting for residents of Stanford South and Westenhanger in January and a follow-up to that is planned for May. Through these meetings we have secured a set-back between the new town’s eastern edge and properties in Westenhanger. Also the new homes along that edge will 2-storeys, not 4 or 5 planned for some parts of the town. We are now asking for more detail of the site layout during construction, temporary access roads and works areas and are told that is still being planned.

This direct contact with OPLLC (the developer) is parallel to our communication with the FHDC (the Planning Authority). Any comments you make to us will be passed on through both channels to make sure they are heard.

We are keen to make sure everyone in the parish is aware of what this project means for them. FHDC’s Local Plan Core Strategy was recently adopted. That includes Otterpool Park so we have to assume it will go ahead.