201A City Way, Rochester, Kent. ME1 2TL Tel: 01634 841556

Appeal Reference: APP/A2280/A/10/2138752/NWF 26 th November 2010

The Planning Inspectorate, Room 3/14 Eagle, Temple Quay House, 2 The Square, Bristol. BS1 6PN

Dear Sir,

LOCATIO: LAD OPPOSITE 9 & 11 PRIMROSE CLOSE, CHATHAM. ME4 6HZ I write to you representing the members of The Friends of Horsted Valley. The Friends of Horsted Valley objects to any development on the above land for the following reasons.

1. The land in question forms part of the Horsted Valley Green Grid, which runs from the North Downs area of Outstanding Natural Beauty to the south of the Medway Towns, known in the draft Strategic Local Plan as the “Medway Smile” - for which the Kent Wildlife Trust has recently received funding to restore the biodiversity of the area - to Luton, part of the Medway Towns conurbation. The Horsted Valley Green Grid is noted in the draft Strategic Local Plan as connecting the Medway Smile to the Great Lines Heritage Park and, as such, forms a vital wildlife corridor right into the centre of the Medway Towns. Any development within the Horsted Valley has therefore to be viewed with great concern.

2. The Horsted Valley is also an important wildlife site in its own right in addition to being an integral part of the important wildlife corridor in the more extensive plan of the Medway Smile joining the North Downs to Medway’s Great Lines Heritage Park. It forms a now-scarce habitat known as unimproved Downland Meadow, important for meadow flowers, including orchids, and the butterflies and moths which feed on them. A range of butterflies feed on vetches, which can be found in the area of the plot land in question, hence the loss of this current open space to development would be detrimental to the butterfly, moth and other pollinating-insect populations in the Horsted Valley. Of note is that adjoining unimproved Downland Meadow has recently been degraded, making it even more important that this area of land should continue to remain undeveloped. If this sort of piecemeal development is permitted, the wide range of benefits the Horsted Valley provides, not only to its adjoining highly-populated local community but also to the wider population of the Medway Towns, will be squandered. Kent Wildlife recognises the importance of the Horsted Valley and has submitted proposals and provided funding for the improvement of the Horsted Valley itself to commence in 2011.

3. The plot is very close to Fort Horsted, a scheduled ancient monument, and development so close to its boundary could disturb important archaeology. During the building of Fort Horsted Roman remains were uncovered in the vicinity.

4. From a heritage point of view the building proposals would be fundamentally detrimental to the only surviving, and impressive, view of Fort Horsted from the East.

We as a community cannot afford to have any more green space lost to development on the edge of what is already an over-urbanised area.

Yours faithfully,

Miss Angela S. Watson Chairman The Friends of Horsted Valley