3 days ago
EXCLUSIVE Furious couple surrounded by newbuilds say they are being forced to sell their house over plans for 650 MORE homes
A couple say they are being forced to leave their home because a newbuild development has 'destroyed' the view from their back garden.
Jacqueline & Terry Wheatley, 63 and 64, lived happily in their detached house on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent for 10 years until their domestic bliss was shattered by a housing estate looming over their fence.
The couple feel 'boxed' in by the new homes with construction due to expand if plans for a 650 estate nearby gets the green light from council planners.
Mr and Mrs Wheatley say the estate, due to cover 43 football pitches on the tiny island, will bring thousands of people and cause chaos on local roads.
Locals fear the sprawling new development in the already 'heavily overbuilt' area is destined to be approved despite an unprecedented six-hour public hearing with a government planning officer.
The plans for the new estate are so loathed by some that they have been the subject of an excruciating three year council war between locals and the developers, MLN Land and Properties - with neither giving an inch.
The Wheatleys have decided they will cut their losses and flee to one of the 'few remaining green spots left' on the island whilst their 'homes are still worth something.
Mr Wheatley said: 'We are selling. It's shocking what has happened to this island - they have ruined it.'
'It's horrendous. They're just flooding this island.'
When MailOnline visited the home this week we were greeted by towering scaffolding from a neighbouring newbuild - not connected to MLN's proposals.
In the garden, a brick arch lay crumbling on the ground after being damaged, the couple claim, by the builders next door.
For the couple it was the straw that finally broke their back.
Mr Wheatley said: 'I've really seen a change; before I had fields in front of me, fields behind me, this bungalow and the one next door were the only two properties really down this road, going back probably 20 years ago.
'We've still got a small mortgage on this, but obviously we're looking to buy outright.
'But wherever you go, they're building soo you're never going to get what we used to have – the views and everything else.'
Terry claims his attempts to start a new life in a different part of the island have been frustrated by developers nearby.
He continued: 'The price of my house has dropped at least 30-50 grand. I know prices have gone down with what's going on around the world, but I really don't think that's helped.
'We've had a couple of people ring up and come round, but as soon as they've seen what we have to look at in the garden everyday they've just gone: 'Oh no!''
Nextdoor neighbour Maggie Moon has lived in her home for 45 years and claims the island has changed for the worst.
Mrs Moon, 82, fears the new development will cause a rise in anti-social behaviour and speeding.
She said: 'They [yobs] whizz down here, they just don't care.
'When we first moved on the island, all those houses up there, it was all beautiful, but it's all houses now.
'This wasn't even a road when we moved in. You used to have to pull in to let somebody else go past.
'But there's not enough spaces. You can't get a doctor, the island can't cope with it.
'The infrastructure is awful, even getting a bus through here is awful too, if you're lucky to get a bus, not that we bother really.
'I moan and moan, every time we leave here you go along that road and say look at all the blooming cars, I've never known it.
'I am getting sick of all the houses around us. We're surrounded. It's not fair, is it? We feel hemmed in but I'm 82 and he's 86 so we're not going to move are we?'
Other residents are just at the start of their journey.
Retired teacher Andy Brackley recently moved into the area with his dog Orla as he wanted to downsize to be near his kids.
He tells us he had no idea about the size of the new development before he bought the house.
He said: 'We've literally just moved in, I only read about this the other day. About 650 houses, And the roads are pretty poor anyway, it's mad.
'This was a lovely quiet country lane which was lovely to walk up with the dog.
'We came from Medway which was busy, I thought I'd have more peace and quiet here so I'm not liking how busy it's going to be with this massive big estate.
It's bit of a disaster really, there's just no infrastructure. There's no schools, shops, doctors.
'Whether they're planning to do that, I don't know. It's the roads really, they're really hectic at the moment
'But really 650 homes is like a city - they're building another island! It's a shame.'
As part of the negociation process with Swale council, MLN has agreed a number of permanenet community features.
These include building a community hub, safeguarding land for a medical hub and introducing a new bus service connecting the estate to Sheerness.
Outdoor facilities such as a multi-use sports pitch, tennis court, bowling club and allotments will also be built.
