Controversial plans for a 42-home project on a busy road have been approved. Despite fears from people living nearby that more houses would lead to traffic problems, the development in Hermitage Lane, Maidstone, was given the green light. The site is just a stone’s throw away from the town’s hospital, along a road which is often plagued with congestion. When proposals for the site were submitted in April 2022 by Esquire Developments, it led to dozens of objections from residents concerned there was too much housing, which would strain the road. At the time, Allington resident Shirley Manley sa…