Prince William might not have a ton of support for his latest venture. According to Fox News, William is moving forward with his father King Charles III’s plans to create a sustainable “garden city” in southeastern England. Although, climate activists aren’t on board with this idea.
When Charles was the Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall, he had a plan to create a “garden city” in Kent, England. This sustainable garden would stretch across 320 acres of farmland and 2,500 homes. Now that the Duchy of Cornwall falls to William, as the next in line to the throne, the project is under his leadership. The Duchy of Cornwall will reportedly introduce a formal planning application for the idea in 2023.
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Additionally, now that William is the Duke of Cornwall, climate activists have a bone to pick with him in regard to this plan. They believe that this “garden city” will cause damage to the ecosystem in the area and that it could affect several species including bats, butterflies, and flowers. Faversham resident Mark Sewel explained in an interview how he has reached out to William about this project, but he has not heard back yet.
“I’ve emailed and written to Prince William but I haven’t had a reply,” Sewel said. “He is a younger and more modern royal who may be more sympathetic to the environmental damage that will be caused if this development continues.” He added, “The farmland is so rich in biodiversity and this scheme will destroy habitats. So many protected species will be lost – there are bats, lizards, butterflies and wild orchids. It’s so sad.” The resident continued to express his concerns, saying, “I have concerns about losing such good farmland. In the current climate, we need food self-security. Farmland should be kept in operation at all costs.”
Even though the project has already come under fire, the developer has spoken out to assure residents that the local ecosystem will be protected if they do move forward with the idea. Ben Murphy, the project’s estates director, said, “During four years of design work and community consultation, we have created a plan underpinned by our key principles of working with the landscape and existing natural environment to build a sustainable community.” Murphy also stated, “Our team is very excited to be presenting the plans to the local community, whose feedback at prior events has greatly helped shape what we will be presenting.”
