Taylor Wimpey housebuilding company has halted the sale of two green plots in Broadstairs following a plea from residents, area councillor and the town tree warden.
The housebuilder company had put one 9,417 sq ft plot by The Silvers/The Hawthorns and another 10,046 sq ft plot off Chestnut Drive up for auction. Both plots had a guide price of £15,000 for the freehold.
But Broadstairs councillor Mike Garner, tree warden Karen McKenzie and residents wrote to Taylor Wimpey bosses to ask them to reconsider the sale.
Both plots, which are on the estate built by Wimpey in 1972, are marked as Green Space in the town’s Neighbourhood Development Plan and the district Local Plan. The land off Chestnut Drive is also the site of a memorial tree planted for a resident of the estate who walked there every day.. They were due to go under the hammer with Allsop auctioneers on May 12.
Cllr Garner said: “Over the last few years, I have had the pleasure of working closely with local residents to help maintain and improve the facilities in the park and the green spaces are integral to that.
“As well as being an important access point to the park from the estate, they are home to several mature trees as well as two recently planted new ones. The estate is a place people like to live and its associated park and these green spaces need to be protected.”
Cllr Garner said Taylor Wimpey had been asked to put the sale on hold to enable the town council to talk to them about potentially taking on the land. There has also been a request for a non-build covenant to be placed on the plots.
Tree warden Karen McKenzie said the sale would be “devastating.”
Taylor Wimpey director Tim Betts responded to the appeal by saying he would look into the matter and now the housebuilding company has confirmed the plots are to be withdrawn from the auction.
A Taylor Wimpey spokesperson said: “We understand that the sale of land at Broadstairs is a cause of concern for local residents. We have listened to their feedback and taken the decision to withdraw the land from the auction on May 12.
“We will be engaging with residents about the future plans for the land over the coming weeks.”
