Outrage over King Charles's proposal to develop a "ideal town" in Kent.

 King Charles' proposal to develop 2,500 dwellings on 320 acres of farmland in a historic market town has angered the locals.

The Duchy of Cornwall's plans have drawn criticism from the people of Faversham, Kent, who feel that they will "swallow up" the town and transform it into a "urban mass."

The plans, which were first revealed in 2018 when the King, as the Duke of Cornwall at the time, oversaw the Duchy, aim to construct 120 houses annually over the course of 20 years.

Residents are outraged by the proposal for permission to build an initial 261 homes, which was presented to the local council in December of last year. They claim the town lacks the infrastructure to handle such a boom, according to The Telegraph.

While some think the plans will worsen traffic and air pollution, others argue they will benefit the local ecosystem and are in line with King's appreciation of the natural world.

 The homes are planned for a parcel of property that the Duchy purchased in 1999, southeast of Faversham.
The plans, which aim to create a "ideal town" in keeping with a comparable urban development in Poundbury, have been made in response to the housing problem.

According to a development website, it will provide 'affordable homes designed and built to the same high-quality standards, indistinguishable from market homes'.

The website goes on to say that "South East Faversham will be a modern, appealing, and fun place for people to live, work, shop, and unwind." It will be influenced by the essence of Faversham and directed by the requirements of the community.

Apart from a new high street with a variety of eateries, cafes, and office spaces, there will also be area set aside for 'food stores and independent businesses, craftmakers and producers'.

The website says, "A new primary school is planned, and options for a care home and possibly a range of health-related facilities are being explored."

On the eastern portion of the property, there will also be a new "employment area" with "light industrial and distribution businesses encouraged to relocate nearer junction 7 of the M2." The cricket club in Faversham will also move to the new complex, with its present site being turned into apartments.

When the plans were recently made available for public review by the Swale Borough Council, some infuriated residents expressed their objections.

"Do you really want it to be "on your watch" that all our historic villages are swallowed up into one urban mass, and so much vital agricultural land will be lost forever?" wrote resident Peter Hall in opposition to the plans.

 

 "The Duchy proposes such a development with the consequential loss of a huge area of fine productive agricultural land," Richard Winnett continued. This appears to be completely inconsistent with HRH's stated positions on farming and environmental issues.

"I always thought the Duchy cared about the environment and green spaces, seems I was wrong," Sarah Vomley continued. They are unable to maintain the homes they now own, or they choose not to.
A another local, Angela Penrose, also posted on a Facebook campaign group, saying, "It seems King Charles' greed knows no bounds!"

"It's shameful that they pretend to be environmentalists when, in reality, they're just developers who are in it for the money!" How about the security of food? The Grade 1 and 2 cropland is being covered with concrete. 

"My family is very proud to be third-generation Duchy farmers, and they feel ashamed and betrayed," James Addicott continued. Just greed, no honour. It's all a gloss, but we were hoping the Royals were perhaps unaware of it all and had good intentions.

As for Sharon Onciu, she said that if the proposals proceeded, the community of Selling, which is southeast of Faversham, would be 'destroyed'.

"The Duchy of Cornwall is I understand the Prince of Wales?" the writer wrote. The Duchy is completely misinformed if they genuinely think that this will help this region of the world. We've already been overextended.

"No one I know is in favour of this application." Actually, we are always afraid of what the duchy will do next and how it will ruin even more of our magnificent landscape.

Edward III created the Duchy of Cornwall in 1337, the entity that has presented the ideas.

 

Following his father, King Charles III,'s death, Prince William, the Prince of Wales, inherited the estate and its £345 million property portfolio, which comprises 128,000 acres of land.

The Duchy is bequeathed to the eldest son of a sitting British king, and it reportedly brought in £21 million last year.

The new Prince of Wales, who inherited the Duchy, now owned £1.2 billion in land across 23 counties, including farms, housing projects, seven castles, woodlands, beaches, and commercial property. This made him the largest private landowner in Britain.

Despite being new to the position, Prince William has been preparing for it by studying the Duchy for the past few years.

"South-east Faversham will, if planning permission is granted, follow in the footsteps of Poundbury, Nansledan, and other sustainable Duchy developments and become one of the most environmentally friendly neighbourhoods in the United Kingdom," a Duchy of Cornwall official told The Telegraph.

It will put the community's needs first, giving priority to affordable housing, a new elementary school, improved traffic patterns, and access to open spaces and sustainable transportation.

By creating new green spaces such as woodland, orchards, meadows and allotments, biodiversity is expected to grow by 20%. Additionally, by focusing on sustainable transportation and creating walkable neighbourhoods, 20% fewer car trips are anticipated than in communities of a similar size.

It was claimed earlier this week that King Charles is reportedly "over the moon" now that his cancer treatment is going well.

Insiders told the newspaper that he is 'itching to seize the reins' and return to his job as King, even though his physicians are closely monitoring his health.

Furthermore, they assert that he aspires to emulate his mother by abiding by her maxim that "he needs to be seen to be believed."

Buckingham Palace has announced that there are no confirmed scheduled travels.

According to The Sun, the King intends to return for the June Trooping the Colour and the D-Day 80th anniversary in France the week before. However, this is anticipated to happen following his customary post-Easter vacation.

The monarch was in excellent spirits this morning on Sunday as he made his most significant appearance since receiving a cancer diagnosis, a "gentle" return to public life.

The 'happy' monarch arrived at the service at St George's Chapel in his maroon royal Bentley limousine, smiling and waving to onlookers.

Following his diagnosis in February, the King withdrew from his official duties, but his upbeat look gave the public comfort.