WyeCRAG

Wye Village, North Downs, Kent, England.

In July 2018, a planning committee at Ashford Borough Council resolved to grant planning permission for the conversion of the historic buildings of Wye College into a private residential development.

This resolution ignored the objections and concerns of the village community and was in contradiction to the Neighbourhood Plan, which had been agreed by village referendum and adopted in 2016.

In November 2018, a group of village residents, college alumni and conservation specialists formed the Wye College Regeneration Group.

Its purpose - to save and regenerate the historic Grade I listed buildings of Wye College, retaining a significant national heritage asset for the benefit of the community and wider public.

Wye College had been at the centre of village life for over 570 years, and the essence of its relationship to the village would be lost if it became private housing – closing access to residents and changing the unique ambience of the university village forever.

A series of actions were put into motion – a legal challenge prepared, a petition launched, information leaflets distributed, public events organised, and alternative proposals formulated.

The WyeCRAG initiative received overwhelming support from the local community, college alumni, and a wide-reaching audience striving to protect historic buildings and the integrity of an exemplary village in the English countryside…