Sarre residents and supporting councillors are fighting plans to build on active farmland
Residents in Sarre are rallying together to fight plans to build 20 houses on active agricultural land in the village.
Pentland Homes wants to build a mix of 2-4 bedroom properties and a community shop at the 2.15ha site off Ramsgate Road.
But the village’s 221 residents are taking action to ‘protect the last rural outpost of Thanet’ and try to halt development of land that is being used to grow crops, with wheat being harvested at the site just two months ago.
Resident Anna Roberts has been leading the charge and is among those who have carried out leaflet drops and knocked at every single house in the village to make people aware of the planning application.
Image Sten Architecture
The marketing agency boss alerted parish councillors and within four days of the planning notice being published, she had arranged a packed out meeting at the Crown Inn for residents to agree on what steps to take to halt the plans.
Anna said: “The residents of Sarre, one of the last truly rural strongholds of Thanet, have come together in determined opposition to a proposed housing development.
“The site in question is not only actively farmed but also home to numerous species on the amber and red conservation lists. The proposed plans would see the felling of more than ten mature trees and the destruction of ancient hedgerows, a devastating blow to biodiversity, wildlife, and heritage.
“This site was excluded from the Local Plan in 2018 as it was deemed unsuitable for development, Nothing has changed since that time so why on earth would they accept it now?”
The farmland is used by bats, including common and Soprano pipistrelles; birds including lapwing, skylark, linnet, yellowhammers, house martins and others; reptiles such as slowworms and grass snakes, and species including hedgehogs, badgers, frogs and newts.
Among the 35 objections currently shown on Thanet council’s planning portal, one says: “This proposal is indefensible. There is zero justification for destroying this land and the wildlife it sustains.”
Slowworms at the site
A further 25 printed objections were delivered to Thanet council yesterday (September 17).
St Nicholas-at-Wade and Sarre Parish Council has also lodged an objection “based on the loss of irreplaceable wildlife habitat, the threat to the historic and heritage character of the medieval village of Sarre, and the fact that this site is not allocated for development within the Thanet District Local Plan.”
The parish council says the development would also be unsustainable “due to the lack of essential local amenities and inadequate infrastructure, which would result in significant and detrimental impacts on both existing and future residents.”
It adds that the site is not included in the Thanet District Council Local Plan (2020) for residential or retail development and allowing it to go ahead “would set a dangerous precedent for speculative applications outside the Local Plan framework.”
Traffic issues have also been raised with one resident saying: “Sarre is a small village but is close to the busy road into Canterbury so is already subject to heavy traffic. The addition of more houses will only exacerbate the issues.”
Sarre residents have been meeting with those in Minster who have successfully fought against development in Foxborough Road, which they say “gives hope.” They are also contacting conservation trusts, charities, and anyone who will help them in their battle to protect the site.
Anna said: “For us, this is about far more than one plot of land. It’s about protecting the last rural village in Thanet and preventing a dangerous precedent that could further erode nature, heritage, and community character across the district.
“Our village may be small, but our resolve is immense, and we are galvanising support from across Thanet to defend the biodiverse habitat here in Sarre.”
Architect image Image Sten Architecture
The application from Pentland Homes also includes 41 parking spaces and a new access from Ramsgate Road. There would be six ‘affordable’ homes made up of one 1-bed, four 2-bed and one 3-bed property, although the council’s housing department has raised concerns that these homes will be in one cluster rather than spread across the site.
Planning documents say: “The proposed development is in a suitable and accessible location offering excellent links to existing local services. This new neighbourhood will support these services and integrate with the surrounding residential areas.
“Our design is both respectful of the local context and forward-thinking, committed to creating a vibrant new neighbourhood using contemporary construction methods and technologies while reflecting the Kentish vernacular.”
The site (red boundary) Image dha
Sarre campaigners are urging anyone who wants to help their fight to register their objections by emailing [email protected] quoting reference F/TH/25/0776.
The application is expected to be determined at a planning meeting on November 14.
