urges councillor THE proposal for Chapel Farm is described as an “extension to the existing Lenham Quarry” but county Cllr Jenny Whittle says its size far exceeds the quarry, which, in any case, is a completely sepa- rate site and virtually closed. A new access road to Chapel Farm through East Lenham Farm is proposed, to take lorries off Lenham Forstal Road and provide an additional link between Lenham Heath Road and Ashford Road. But Cllr Whittle pointed out that Kent Highway Services does not support new ac- cess routes off the A20. She said the Barr family
have farmed the area for 100 years and are commit- ted to protecting the envi- ronment. She believed the Barrs – and the contractor Bretts – “would do every- thing possible” to divert affected footpaths and re- store habitats. But Cllr Whittle remains concerned about the impact on residents, the environment and busi- nesses in Lenham. She believes the land should stay in agricultural use.
Carry on farming, Garden washing ‘sandblasted’ claim
WIND-blown sand would stop householders from hanging out their washing near the proposed Boltons Field site, it has been claimed. One resident said: “We live in such an open space
the prevailing winds can be strong and the sand is sure to blow on to our homes, denying our right to even hang washing in the garden, fearful it would be covered in sand.” Another said: “When the original quarry was in
usewe had to contend with the noise, vibration and pollution. My late wife had to rewash clothes which had been hanging on the line, which were covered in a fine layer of sand”. DonaldWarden owns Boltons Field, 3.9 hectares
on the edge of Lenham Heath, bordering Rose Lane and Lenham Forstal Road. Seven houses are within 10m of the site’s
edge and three houses immediately abut it. They are 200-500 years old, with shallow foundations. Cllr Jenny Whittle doubted whether they could withstand the vibration of heavy machinery work- ing so close.
A PROPOSED 5-megawatt solar photovoltaic park, which was earmarked for land over the western boundary of the Chapel Farm development, has been put on hold.
Landowner Andy Barr was hoping to establish a total of 20,000 1m-long angled solar panels in a series of 2 to 2.4m- high row formations within 40 acres of land north of Lenham Heath Road and the CTRL train line, just east of Boughton Road fringing Sandway. But this has now been shelved after the Government changed
Residents living close to the Boltons Field site fear sand could be blown on to their homes
She added that noise and dust through extracting 500,000 tonnes over a five-year period would be an “unacceptable intrusion” for residents. Cllr Whittle said narrow lanes serving the site are unsuitable for lorries, and that the field should con- tinue to be used for growing soft fruit, especially in view of rising concerns about food security.
Large solar plan shelved
its feed-in tariff programme, which had made the scheme vi- able by obliging utility compa- nies to buy electricity at above-market rates. From the be- ginning of August, the existing tariff of 30.7p per kW/hour fell to 19p. Mr Barr said: “The week be-
fore we were due to put in a planning application the Gov- ernment announced it was to re- view its feed-in tariff. They
decided to slash the tariff and it is no longer economic.” A group of developers have
taken the Department of Energy and Climate Change to court to overturn the ruling. Mr Barr says he may consider resuscitating the scheme, depending on their success. He is also hopeful that the Government will make changes to policy as it attempts to reach renewable energy targets. “At the very beginning we looked at putting solar panels on our barn roof, and we are look- ing at that again,” he said.
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