Fearful residents say ongoing flooding in their neighbourhood could worsen if proposals for a new wetland are given the nod. Developer Quinn Estates hopes to build the site off Kennington Road (A2070) in Willesborough Lees, Ashford. It comes after the Bridge-based company submitted an outline application to Ashford Borough Council (ABC) last month for 180 properties on a 22.
4-acre plot next to the M20 and Givaudan perfume factory. Bosses have now put forward a separate application to ABC for the 40-acre wetland - which would be next to the planned estate and about the size of 22 football pitches. This is where land is covered by water and so functions as its own ecosystem by trapping and then releasing surface water into the River Stour.
But residents argue the plot should remain as farmland. One, medical practitioner Gurpreet Bhinder, 52, who has lived in Waltham Close since 2018, said: "When there is even a bit of rain it already floods a lot there. "Because of the hill it runs down towards the bottom and makes it very wet, and I don't think that's easy to fix.
“I just think there is so much land elsewhere away from narrow roads. "Land closer to Little Burton has space nearby there instead." Meanwhile, Kennington Road's Kathy Weller claimed: "In terms of these 180 homes, I’d be very concerned about moving there if it gets built.
“I would certainly be interested to know how safe it is with the flooding which happens there. "It's very steep as it goes down which makes t.