Prince William's Duchy of Cornwall slammed over development plan taking out farmland: 'It's outrageous!'

The housing scheme was given the green light by Swale Borough Council in a vote of 11 to five earlier this month.

Resident of Faversham, Sarah Moakes, shared her concerns with GB News about the development.

She said: "The decision wasn't much of a shock. Given the high profile of the applicant, who is going to deny a member of the Royal Family? So the plans were very much going to go ahead.

"It's going to have an impact on local people because we use these green spaces. Many people won't be able to walk their dogs in these areas, and it's the disruption it will cause, too."

Ms Moakes explained that "most people haven't been consulted [or provided with] any planning documents", telling GB News that it has gone "way over their heads".

The proposals were initially put forward when King Charles was the duchy, after land off Selling Road near junction 7 of the M2 was bought in 1999.

Ms Moakes compared the plans to Poundbury in Dorset, which she noted has taken years to develop.

"It's quite notorious that the duchy has a very slow build-out rate. So we're going to have at least 30 years of complete. It's going to affect tourism, which is key for the town of Faversham," she said.

Poundbury is scheduled for completion in 2028, following development that began in 1993.

Aside from farmland being taken out, Faversham Town Football Club's training ground will also be ripped up, as well as a cricket pitch used by the local club.

Ms Moakes said: "There is going to be a replacement cricket ground, but that's going to be right inside the development.

"That's just sort of a typical, I mean, that's actually a designated local green space, which means it's quite typical of how high-handed they are."

Supporters of the project have argued that the development would address critical housing shortages in the area.

Harold Goodwin, chairman of Faversham Community Land Trust, previously urged councillors to back the plans, describing them as "superior" to other developers' offerings.

"We hope that these councillors will stand up to support Prince William in seeking to provide social housing, setting an example for other developers across the country," he said.

The duchy has also caused a reaction from farming tenants at its Bradninch estate in Mid Devon, who have been informed that the landowner intends to dispose of agricultural holdings in the area, creating uncertainty about their futures.

The chief executive of the Tenant Farmers Association admitted to being "disappointed" by the move, with multiple farmers understood to be affected by the decision.

According to the Tenant Farmers Association (TFA), those currently renting land have been allowed to acquire their holdings before they are offered to outside purchasers.

George Dunn, chief executive of the TFA, said the organisation was aware of ongoing discussions regarding the duchy's plans for the Bradninch estate.

"Obviously, we are disappointed the duchy is selling, but it is part of its current plans for rationalisation," Mr Dunn told Farmers Weekly.

"And, in the world of the second best, we are at least pleased to see that sitting tenants are to be given first refusal on purchasing."

A spokesman for the duchy stated: "We are in the process of aligning and rebalancing our portfolio so that our places and assets deliver the greatest possible social and environmental impact."

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