Plans for 1,500 homes on edge of town approved

Almost 1,500 homes, a new primary school and link road have been approved on the edge of a town in east Kent despite claims they will not be properly served by public transport.

Thanet District Council (TDC) gave its support on Wednesday to the proposed Humbers Mill estate, off Nash Road in Margate.

Axis Land Partnerships said 30% of the 1,461 homes would be affordable homes.

Matthew Hare, from Axis, said: "The 22 hectares of open space proposed will provide a huge social and environmental gain not only for the future residents of the scheme, but also for those living in the surrounding area."

He said £8m would be contributed to Kent County Council's North Thanet Link road project, which is earmarked for improvements to roads in the interior of Thanet.

A total of 15 representations against the application were received since the plans were submitted, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The site to be built on is mainly farmland.

Officers' reports to council noted that bus company Stagecoach said it had no current plans for serving the site.

The applicants agreed to provide £960,000 to fund a shuttle bus service to Margate and Westwood for three years.

The developers will have to return to TDC with further planning applications to determine the exact layout and design of the homes at the site.

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