40-home Hythe estate advances despite no affordable homes

Housing Development Moves Forward Despite Opposition

A controversial housing development on a green space, which offers no affordable homes, is progressing towards construction.

Proposals for 40 homes on land off Station Road received outline planning permission last year, despite strong opposition from residents and the town council.

Developer Kingston Homes has now submitted the reserved matters application for the project, providing more detailed information on layout and landscaping.

Officials at the Hythe-based firm state they “truly believe” the estate will offer “some of the best homes in the area, all designed with leading sustainability.”

A spokesperson added, “We can’t wait to bring this scheme to Hythe.”

Award-winning local architects Holloway Studios designed the 12 apartments and 28 family-sized houses.

Residents expressed concerns about increased traffic on Station Road, the size of the buildings, and the impact on neighboring properties.

The homes are planned for a currently empty green space in Hythe.

In total, 85 comments opposing the scheme were submitted on Folkestone and Hythe District Council’s (FHDC) planning portal, with none in support.

The proposals first went before the council’s planning committee in January last year. Councillors deferred a decision to allow for a viability assessment on the lack of affordable housing. FHDC states estates should be at least 22% affordable where viable.

This assessment was independently reviewed by the council. Kingston Homes agreed to a clawback mechanism, meaning any additional profit made on the site would help fund affordable housing on other developments in the district.

Holloway Studios also reduced the height of the apartment building by 0.5 meters.

Outline permission was ultimately approved in March last year, despite residents warning there were “too many unanswered questions.”

One objector, Emma Bussey, stated, “Recent alterations to the apartment roof are minor and do not address concerns regarding overdevelopment of the plot and loss of privacy to existing residents.”

She also argued that Kingston had failed to “adequately justify” building 10 more homes on the plot than allocated in Folkestone and Hythe’s Local Plan.

Ms. Bussey mentioned a traffic survey recorded 34,000 vehicles passing by in one week, with 5,000 exceeding the speed limit.

“That’s 5,000 potential accidents,” she said.

“All other applications for this site for at least two years have been rejected on the grounds of road safety.”

Hythe Town Council also opposed the plans, feeling revisions made to the scheme were “insufficient.”

At the meeting, Mayor Cllr Stephen Bailey suggested that issues relating to size and proximity could be addressed by reversing the design with smaller dwellings, fewer dwellings, or both.

Kent County Council Highways had no objections to the proposals.

A decision on the reserved matters application is expected from FHDC later this year.