The Duke of Cornwall has announced plans to develop on land belonging to the Duchy of Cornwall, promising sustainable housing, with a focus on environmental impacts.

The scheme involves developing streets that are more accommodating of on – foot travel and cycling as opposed to using cars that produce CO2. The scheme also involves creating permanent water bodies and public green spaces.

The new land, named ‘South East Faversham’ also aims to preserve the strong sense of community that can be found in the area, with a devotion to its popular market street. As many as 2,500 houses are planned to be developed on the estate, with significant preparation intended for a water treatment plant.

Faversham is known for its historic market town, which predates even the Roman conquest. It was also previously known as the “gunpowder capital” of England, for its production of the explosive in significant English conflicts such as the Napoleonic Wars.

“it is nigh on impossible for a young person to get on the property ladder” Watling Ward Councillor Ben Martin said in an interview. “We do need some house building”

“That doesn’t mean we’re forgoing the environment or any other aspects; we have to make sure there are policies in that local plan that really do benefit those elements too”.

The Duchy of Cornwall have held a number of public meetings to discuss the addition of these houses. Public opinion has been mixed to the idea.

“It’s a lot of houses.” One resident explained. “2,500! The town just can’t sustain that much development, unfortunately.

One of the next stages is the environmental assessment, to evaluate what impact the houses will have on the biodiversity of the grounds.

Christian Thomsett