Plans to build homes on the edge of a popular park have been branded “a disaster waiting to happen” as they return to councillors this week and look set for approval.
Thanet District Council (TDC) wants to redevelop a disused gardener’s depot in Pierremont Park, Broadstairs, into four properties – a trio of three-storey family houses and a two-bedroom bungalow.
The scheme has already drawn more than 30 objections, with locals warning it will damage the character of the park and put pedestrians at risk.
Lorraine Williams, who has lived nearby for 13 years, said: “The existing access pathway will have to be widened to make it a two-way road, which obviously means losing a load of greenery in the park, which will change the way the park feels.”
A diagram submitted with the application suggests part of the park would be taken to enlarge the access road.
Fellow neighbour Robert Darg added: “There is no way that the risk to pedestrians would not increase if there were more vehicles using that site – at the moment there are none, and previously there were very few.
“You’ve got children’s play areas there, you’ve got lots of dog walkers – it’s a disaster waiting to happen if you start to introduce vehicles to the area.”
The council first lodged the application in January, but when it came before the planning committee in May, members deferred it and asked officers to find them a robust reason to refuse.
Ahead of that meeting, TDC planning officers recommended approval, arguing the scheme “provides social and economic benefits from modest housing provision on the site that outweigh the limited environmental harm”.
Their stance has not changed, with their latest report insisting that traffic from just four homes will not be enough “to have a material effect on the ability of the community to use the area safely”.
Ms Williams dismissed that claim, saying “The idea that there’s not going to be much traffic when there’s going to be four houses plus delivery vehicles, etc, it’s just nonsense.
“It will change the way the park feels to residents, and it’s a very important resource for Broadstairs and for visitors, and we don’t want to lose it.
“It’s just the wrong place to put houses – we know we need more houses, but we also need to look after our green spaces, which we’re not.”
Mr Darg added: “I understand the desire to build on brownfield, and that’s always preferable to building on greenfield or farmland, but it has to be proportionate.
“Taking away publicly protected parkland to build a few houses isn’t proportionate.”
The application stresses the site currently contains “dilapidated commercial structures” and describes it as “an underutilised brownfield asset in the heart of Broadstairs”.
TDC’s planning committee will make the final decision at its meeting tonight (August 20).
