© Jon Hawkins
Save the Blean Campaigner Julia Kirby-Smith said: "The huge protest march last weekend, attended by 350 people, shows the deep concern among Canterbury residents, wildlife organisations and countryside campaigners about the University of Kent's proposal. Building a new town of 2,000 houses, shops and offices on a swathe of countryside in the heart of the Blean Woodland Complex would be destructive and nonsensical. There are also big questions about the deliverability and soundness of what is proposed.
"The public consultation by Canterbury City Council is open until 5pm on Monday, and we urge everyone who cares about biodiversity, farming and sustainable development to make their voice heard. Details of how to take part in the consultation can be found here on SavetheBlean.org or here the Council's website."
Canterbury City Council has published its draft Local Plan, which sets out where development will take place up until 2040. Part of the process of creating the plan involves putting a call out for sites. Kent University have put forward fields they own between Tyler Hill, Blean and Rough Common which equates to more than 100 hectares of land.
The University is proposing a new 'rural settlement' on a greenfield site in the heart of The Blean. This sprawling project threatens three local villages - Tyler Hill, Blean and Rough Common - as well as quality agricultural land, multiple heritage sites and an important nature corridor between East Blean Woods National Nature Reserve and RSPB Blean Woods.
The area earmarked is twice the size of the central, walled part of Canterbury. The Blean is an area of ancient woodlands, heritage sites, the Sarre Penn Valley and the villages of Tyler Hill, Blean and Rough Common sited to the north of Canterbury. Locals say the plan is unworkable as well as hugely detrimental to biodiversity and the environment.
Save the Blean campaigners say the area already suffers from poor drainage and regularly floods, due to the extensive clay soil. Covering the area in concrete will only make this worse. The process is likely to involve widening roads and turning Rough Common into a major arterial traffic route into Canterbury.
The group also are worried about the threat to public services saying the development would turn three distinct villages into a giant suburb on the outskirts of Canterbury and that it would dramatically increase traffic across the north of the city, and heap pressure on Canterbury's already overwhelmed GPs, schools and public services.
Residents were not consulted before it appeared in the draft Local Plan and the proposal goes against all of the University's stated objectives around community, sustainability and biodiversity.
In addition to Kent Wildlife Trust, the charity CPRE Kent (The Countryside Charity) is also backing the campaign.
Follow the campaign to find out more: sign up to the mailing list at www.savetheblean.org or follow Save the Blean on Facebook.
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Kent Wildlife Trust is in the process of repairing damage at the Jeffery Harrison Visitor Centre in Brandbourne Road, Sevenoaks. The damage was caused during a burglary that happened overnight between Tuesday 22nd October and Wednesday, 23rd October 2024.
