Locals are rallying around a community of nuns in West Malling whose secluded way of life is being threatened by plans to build a new housing estate next door.
Malling Abbey dates back to 1090 and is home to around 10 to 15 Benedictine nuns who are devoted to a simple life of work, prayer and quiet worship.
Part of the complex of Grade I, II and II* buildings are also given over as residential accommodation for individuals "seeking a silent space for prayer, reflection and rest".
That space is being put at risk by plans from developer Bellway to build up to 65 homes on land bordering the eastern edge of the abbey, the Press Association warns.
Rev David Green, vicar of St Mary's Church in West Malling said: "Their whole way of life is built around isolated prayer and peace and quiet."
According to the vicar, the ground where the housing development is to be built is in close proximity to the nuns' living quarters as well as the chapel and cloisters where they worship.
"They are there for a reason, it's the quietest part of the grounds," he said.
He added: "For the nuns, it's a particular concern because their entire way of life is built around silence and quiet, and they are being asked to effectively tolerate an enormous building site and a significant number of homes that will increase traffic and cause noise."
Rev Green is also a trustee of the Pilsdon Community, a Christian charity providing refuge for homeless people, recovering addicts and those fleeing domestic violence, which is located within the grounds of the abbey.
He suggested it was not ideal to have a housing development so near.
"If you flip it around, if this housing development had already been here, would Pilsdon, this charity, set up here? The answer is no," he told PA.
"We all recognise there needs to be homes in the South East but they need to be in sensible places and, unfortunately, this is definitely not a sensible place."
A public inquiry into Bellway's request for planning permission is due to begin on August 20.
Trudy Dean, chair of West Malling Parish Council, told the PA that the plans would compromise the "rural character" of the town but she also expressed concerns about the nuns, whom she described as the "beating heart" of the community.
"The whole community has come together to support the nuns against this highly-intrusive plan," she said.
"If the sisters cannot carry on their work, we risk them quitting the site and losing what in many ways is the beating heart of our community, and has been for over 1,000 years."
