Pembury set to get 200 new homes

There's concern about traffic gridlock if two new housing developments in Pembury go ahead.

A development by Vistry Homes is set to add 87 new homes, following plans being laid out for 99 homes on the current Hubbles Farm.

Some local residents have complained about the loss of farmland when Britain already only produces 60% of the food it needs.

And local councillor David Hayward says the plans both include inaccurate assumptions about travel in the area.  He said he didn’t want the village to be gridlocked with traffic.

The latest scheme by Vistry Homes was proposed for planning approval in December and is illustrated below.

The scheme proposed a month earlier by the developer Obsidian Strategic involves another 200 parking spaces.  Obsidian told us it had consulted with local residents and the planning authorities and there could be changes to the existing scheme.

Cllr Hayward said: "People are up in arms not because we  don't need housing, it's because of the lack of infrastructure.  200 extra parking spaces means quite a lot more cars and the village is already struggling to get in and out of in a car anyway."

He argues that the travel plan the developers have put in should be withdrawn because it "doesn't have any basis in truth...it deserves a Booker Prize for fiction....it has buses on a Sunday which don't exist."

Cllr Hayward said there were already too many four bedroom detached houses in Pembury and the development should have fewer of these. He concluded: "They will make their money on the bigger houses, but its not what we need."

Obsidian Strategic sent West Kent Radio a statement which said:

“We have submitted an outline planning application to build 99 new homes in Pembury, which will help support Tunbridge Wells Borough Council to deliver much need new homes within the Borough.  The site is allocated in the Tunbridge Wells emerging Local Plan, which is at an advanced stage and likely to be adopted in early 2025. The site is also recognised for development, along with 2 further adjacent sites, in the Pembury Development Plan adopted back in September 2023.

We have engaged extensively with Pembury Parish Council and the local community, holding various events both in person and online and we are now working with council officers and statutory consultees during the determination period. Following any feedback received from council officers, any amendments that maybe required to any of documents submitted with the outline planning application will be published on the council’s planning portal in due course.”  

Responding on the Tunbridge Wells Planning Portal to the Vistry development local resident, Gillian Williamson, objected to the plans stating: “Our doctors are already extremely busy and obtaining appointments is getting harder, the water infrastructure is near to capacity and the highway system is already gridlocked especially when going into Tunbridge Wells”.

Mrs Williamson continues: “The proposed plan does not have the right type of housing Pembury needs, which is affordable home ownership, starter homes and social, affordable or intermediate rent homes. We have already had developments in Pembury where there are still unsold properties because they are not what was needed.”

She concludes: “The A21 is very loud and I am concerned that residents of this new development will find it adversely affects their ability to enjoy their homes. There is strong evidence linking traffic noise to poorer health outcomes including heart health”.

Vistry Homes says in its application: "The site represents a logical extension to the village of Pembury and is allocated for development. Furthermore, it is within the new limits to built development in the Submission Draft Local Plan.”

Vistry says its plan involves 35 affordable homes and safeguards a small area of ancient woodland.