Villagers' fury at plans for winery at local vineyard as they claim buildings will 'obliterate' views of the countryside and will be like having the 'Berlin Wall at the end of the garden'

Furious villagers person lashed retired implicit 'monstrous' plans to physique a agrarian winery, claiming it volition beryllium 'like having the Berlin Wall astatine the extremity of the garden'.

Residents surviving adjacent the Cobham House Vineyard accidental the behemoth caller booze brewing installation would 'obliterate' their tranquil Kent countryside views.

The agriculture hub - located adjacent to the villages of Cobham and Sole Street, adjacent Gravesend - would beryllium 30ft gangly and 131ft agelong and is the 4th program submitted by the site's Andorran owner.

But fuming locals accidental that, if approved, the barn would 'destroy' the area's agrarian charm - with woman adjacent comparing it to the Berlin Wall, which stood astatine 13ft earlier it was ripped down 1989.

Outraged Elizabeth Rons said the winery would beryllium conscionable feet distant from her backmost fence, and raged: 'It volition beryllium similar having the Berlin Wall astatine the extremity of the garden.'

Pallab Sengupta - who lives successful Andorra - bought the astir 29-acre property intending to harvest the grapes.

Around 22 acres are utilized for increasing vines meaning 61 tonnes of effect is expected per twelvemonth and 60,000 bottles of sparkling and inactive wines could beryllium produced by 2027.

According to the submitted readying statement, the projected winery is truthful needed to enactment the enlargement of the business.

If approved, the caller installation would beryllium much than 131ft agelong and astir 30ft gangly - astir the size of 2 double-decker buses stacked connected apical of each other. 

The barn - which volition beryllium stained achromatic to merge with the scenery - is planned to beryllium placed connected the northbound of the vineyard, adjacent the backmost gardens of the homes connected Gold Street.

The submitted papers states it would beryllium adjacent 'hedges and trees' to assistance 'provide containment' and wherever it tin 'be screened with autochthonal planting'.

However, residents who unrecorded adjacent the vineyard accidental the plans are 'unacceptable' and would 'destroy' the landscape.

'It volition wholly obliterate the view. It is an concern unit,' said Richard Gethin.

'It is wrong yards of an aged couple's garden. It volition halt them from having immoderate presumption and the changeless sound and airy contamination volition marque their lives unbearable.

'The winery has been placed successful the worst imaginable presumption successful the full tract arsenic it is successful the highest portion and tin beryllium seen from miles around.

'It is not successful keeping with this beauteous and tranquil area.

'It volition destruct the amenity of the country for the nationalist forever.

'This winery volition wholly alteration the section situation by being a blot connected the landscape.'

Neighbour Dr Rubin Minhas said the winery would beryllium 'devastating to their prime of life' if fixed the go-ahead, describing it arsenic a 'monster of a building'.

The doctor, who works successful Gravesend, added: 'Nobody is against the rule of development.

'We recognise helium tin enactment an cultivation gathering connected his land.

'People are not adverse to a winery. People are supportive of what others person already done sympathetically.

'However, if you enactment a gathering of that size connected the onshore you person industrialised the area.'

Mr Sengupta has said helium is alert 'neighbours person concerns for their amenity' nevertheless helium believes the size and determination of the winery is 'necessary'.

The submitted readying connection added: 'The projected determination is easiest for aboriginal entree and screening.

'It is considered optimal due to the fact that it is acceptable against an existing histrion line, alternatively than successful an isolated tract determination elsewhere.'

An interaction appraisal besides states determination would beryllium 'no adverse sound impact' with bottling happening 5 days a twelvemonth and the request for airy is 'low'.

Parish councillor Peter Crow besides raised fears implicit entree to the vineyard and winery arsenic Gold Street cannot beryllium utilized by HGVs.

'There is simply a existent large contented successful accessing this tract and the summation of postulation that this gathering would bring,' helium said, adding the lane was 'already dangerous'.

However, the readying papers states determination volition beryllium nary HGVs associated with the cognition of the winery. 

Several letters of enactment person been submitted to readying officers.

One written by a nonmigratory of Gravesend, read: 'I wholeheartedly enactment this winery. It is large for Gravesend.

'It champions British agriculture, arsenic we cognize farmers are suffering and request to person antithetic ways to marque a profit.

'What they person done already tidies up the vale and enhances this beauteous AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty).'

Another who lives successful Cobham said: 'Great news. I deliberation this would beryllium an plus to everyone successful the section country and each the section businesses too.'

A third, from Gravesend, added: 'I deliberation it is simply a lovely, earthy concern to person successful that country and volition lone enactment the earthy quality for section people.

'In our opinion, this is simply a acold amended presumption than a lodging property would beryllium which has ever been a interest for section people.

'How anyone could entity to the spectacular presumption of vines increasing successful the section areas is beyond me.'

This is the 4th clip Mr Sengupta has sought support aft the erstwhile 3 were rejected by Gravesham Borough Council.

Planning officers stated the archetypal exertion needed anterior support arsenic it would beryllium 'harmful to the landscape' arsenic it would beryllium successful the greenish loop and an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The 2nd petition introduced mitigations to delight the officers' concerns and was primitively approved but past rejected aft neighbours called for a judicial reappraisal arsenic they were not consulted earlier a determination was made.

A petition was besides acceptable up, gaining much than 480 signatures.

The section authorization conceded that it should not person been approved astatine the aforesaid clip arsenic agreeing anterior support truthful it was quashed.

The 3rd exertion was past submitted but the determination of the gathering was moved to the southbound of the onshore successful the hopes of pleasing residents.

However, assembly officers rejected the plans stating it would beryllium 'visually prominent' and the siting was considered unacceptable.

This latest strategy has moved the winery backmost to its archetypal presumption connected the northbound of the land, adjacent neighbouring properties.