Developers ordered to remove tonnes of chalk dumped during building work behind Dover housing estate

  • ITV Meridian's Sarah Saunders reports from Dover

Developers have been ordered to remove what has been described as a “scar” on the the landscape - behind a Dover housing estate.

Piles of white chalk dumped during building works have been visible from homes overlooking the project for the past year.

People have complained that the Maxton area of the town has been ruined by development.

Resident Kim Gould moved here years 7 ago in part for the view of the Kent Downs National Landscape.

"So when we moved here no one is going to be building there, we've got a lovely view.

"Then a couple of years ago, when it started, they bought the land, they started knocking down trees and it was stopped for whatever reason.

"It was out of action for a couple of years, and then last year, I think it was, it started.

"It's horrendous - it's just ugly.

"And, you know, okay, you've got to build some houses, but you don't leave it in that state.

"They shouldn't have been building there in the first place in an area that can't cope with the traffic, and also an area of natural beauty.

"Even if they cover it in topsoil, they've taken away the trees and it's ugly. It's never going to look nice."

Imaged reveal before and after the chalk was left behind. Credit: ITV Meridian

Some residents say chalk run-off has blocked the drains - and others are concerned about the environmental impact.

Resident Russell Taylor described it as 'the white cliffs of Dover second generation'.

"Apart from the damage to the environment - you literally have a river of white running down the roads as well," he said.

"Residents need to know what's happening. There's no communication. "We're not really that well informed."

Some residents say they are concerned about the environmental impact. Credit: ITV Meridian

In a statement, a spokesperson for Dover District Council said: "Following the service of a temporary stop notice at the end of August this year, the Planning Enforcement Team investigated the works that had been carried out on the site and concluded that the depositing of the chalk was an unauthorised operation that resulted in an unsympathetic alteration to the site and wider landscape.

"Following this investigation, an enforcement notice has been served requiring the land to be reinstated to its previous levels, to remove all resultant material and to deposit a layer of topsoil over the land.

"The enforcement notice will take effect from 30 November 2024 and the notice has a compliance period of four calendar months."

The developer Enzo Homes is understood to be working with planning officers - but has yet to reply to our request for a comment.

There is a right to appeal - but otherwise they have the next four months to remove the excess spoil.

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