The results are in from my survey and it’s clear there is overwhelming opposition to plans for a “garden village” at Lenham Heath.

96 per cent of responders said that Lenham Heath was the wrong place to build 5,000 new homes. Only 2 per cent supported the proposed development, with a similar number being undecided.

The scale of this development is enormous, and the location really hasn’t been thought through. People are rightly worried about the damage it would do to the countryside and the thought of even more cars on the roads - especially given how far it is from the main centres of employment.

Anyone who has spoken to people around Lenham Heath and the neighbouring parishes knows how strong the feeling is against this development. Only 9 people out of 1,051 responders to the survey said they “strongly supported” the plans. A huge thank you to everyone who took part in the survey or wrote to me with their views.

Maidstone Council needs to think again before pushing ahead with these unpopular plans. The views of local people must not be ignored.