Plans for a garden town in Kent have been given outline approval, the local district council has confirmed.
Otterpool Park will provide 8,500 homes, a new town centre, shops, leisure, educational and cultural facilities and employment land.
The new community will also offer more than 9,000 new job opportunities. Improvements to the existing road network, the creation of pedestrian, road and cycleways within the site and to public rights of way off-site have all been promised, according to the council.
Approximately 50% of the site has been allocated as accessible green space and the development will deliver a biodiversity net gain of 20%.
A spokesperson for Folkestone & Hythe District Council said: ‘The creation of a well-designed new garden town at Otterpool Park, with all the necessary infrastructure, will fulfil the housebuilding requirements for the district for the next decade.
‘Residents across the district will benefit as smaller villages will be protected from inappropriate incremental development.
‘The revenue generated by Otterpool Park will also benefit residents and businesses across the whole district by providing the council with investment funds to support local services over many years to come.’
