THE FATE of plans for a housing and office development opposed by residents will de decided next Thursday (November 6).

Dartford Council’s development control board will either approve or reject developer J Clubb Ltd’s application to build 71 houses and an office block on land to the west of Darenth Road in Darenth.

The plans were submitted in November last year and caused 12 residents living nearby to write to the council to object to developing the land, which includes stables, a woodland and green space.

Their reasons include a reluctance to lose green land, fear traffic will increase, and concern community facilities will not be able to cope with the influx of people.

Frederick Watts, of Darenth Road, wrote: “I feel my property and standard of living is under siege. I have lived here for over 40 years and now fear that this lovely rural part of Dartford will soon exist no longer.”

Justin Carroll also lives in Darenth Road, which is the proposed access road to the development, and he believes the road will not be able to cope with the increased traffic.

He wrote: “There isn’t anywhere near the required capacity to deal with current traffic levels, let alone the extra traffic generated by hundreds of extra vehicles per day, in rush hour, anticipated as a result of this major development.”

Mother Louize (CORRECT) King also lives in Darenth Road and she wrote to the council to express her fears the influx of new families will cause over-subscription at local schools and GP practices.

If approved, the development would be built on 6.4 hectares of land.

The houses would be built in three areas and the office block would be up to three-storeys high and cover around 15,000 square metres of floorspace.

The offices would provide around 650 full time jobs, and the construction of the development would also create jobs.

Dartford Council’s planning department has recommended the development control board approve the application.

A spokesman for Dartford-based J Clubb Ltd refused to comment on its application or residents opposition at this stage.