The Economic Steering Group set up by the Parish Council has some concerns about the development site which have been passed to Fairview New Homes.  They can be summarised as follows:

Highways - although the consultant employed by Fairview has stated
that all junctions in the vicinity of the site (including Station Road/A225 and Cedar Drive/A225) are nowhere near capacity, members of the Group know from experience that these junctions are hazardous and busy at morning peak times.  They have severe concerns about the A225 Station Road junction and have alerted Fairview and KCC Highways to the fact that it needs to be monitored.

Current plans show no footway along Horton Road between the bottom of New Road and the Jolly Millers.  The whole surface will be block paved at the same level which is a road safety concern.

River--The Group is very worried that the eastern arm of the river which is dried up at the moment will never flow under the present proposals which show 90% of the water being diverted along the western arm.  Group members want to see a 70:30 split

Dwellings-- Most of the 229 proposed apartments will be 2 bedrooms.  The Group would like to suggest that some of these should be 1-bedroom and some 3-bedroom to give a greater mix and to offer the chance for South Darenth residents wanting to "move up".   The height of some of the apartment blocks were also questioned.

Chimney--Fairview's Consultant stated that "the majority view" was that the chimney should be reduced in height by removing the plain round part from the more ornate earlier structure.  This is certainly the view of English Heritage and those worried about the cost of maintenance.