Junction 8 jobs site is jettisoned Where 10,080 new homes might go
PLANS to create a strategic em- ployment site on the edge of Maidstone near junction 8 of the M20 have been thrown out by the borough council's cabi- net.
The decision delighted repre- sentatives from several neigh- bouring parish councils, who packed the public gallery to hear the debate about the coun- cil's Core Strategy for the 15- year period up to 2026. But it disappointed Gallagher Properties, which had wanted to establish about 600,000 sq ft of employment space south of the A20 near Hollingbourne. The firmsaid its plan fitted in
with the long-term aim to create a new road linking the south of Maidstone with J8, but insisted that the existing infrastructure would be sufficient even if the Leeds/Langley bypass was not delivered. Council leader Chris Garland discounted the chance of the
THE panel below shows the proposed dispersal of housing across the borough. At the cabinet meeting, David Edwards, director of change, planning and the environment, referred to a map showing urban Maidstone and the large villages to the south-east and south. He said: “These recommendations are not site-specific, but I’m
sure many people will be speculating. Any speculation is, at this stage, premature.” Sue Whiteside, who presented the Core Strategy report, said
the aim was to “balance the needs for prosperity and regeneration and satisfying housing needs”.
MAIDSTONE BOROUGH URBAN SOUTH-EAST SOUTH Harrietsham/ Staplehurst/ Lenham
Headcorn/ Marden
Completions + consents,
2006-10 New greenfield dwellings Urban brownfield potential
4,910 2,100
1,550
link road being built in the fore- seeable future. "Never say never – maybe it
will come forward in future – but in this plan period to 2026,
THERE was high praise for the cabinet’s de- cision from local communities. Cllr PeterWaite, vice-chairman of Thurn-
ham Parish Council, said: “The decision to remove land around Junction 8 from the search area for commercial, industrial and warehouse use must be the right decision. “Development in this area would be con-
125 425
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235 705
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it will not happen." He went on: "We have made it
pretty clear that the former KIG land will not be developed. There is absolutely no intention
trary to the council's objective of concen- trating employment in the central area. Un- doubtedly developers will challenge this but the evidence produced to combat the KIG application, and accepted by the in- spector, should overcome this." Roger Vidler, chairman of the Bearsted & Thurnham Society, said including the 11ha
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for this council to build on the KIG site." He added he also had a num-
ber of concerns about develop- ment at J8, particularly putting employment space and housing in close proximity. The cabinet agreed to delete
J8 from the Core Strategy and deferred the issue of potential employment sites, and their dispersal, for a report in April. *Meanwhile, it was agreed
that the borough's housing tar- get for 2006-2026 (including completions and those already planned) should be 10,080. The focus will initially be on rede- veloping brownfield sites in the urban area, followed by new greenfield sites. Development will be on a “dispersed pattern” rather than concentrated on one large estate, as had been previ- ously suggested. The council plans to consult
the public on its Core Strategy proposals later this year.
KIG opponents congratulate cabinet on decision
would have been “nonsense” as necessary infrastructure would not have been there to support it. He added: “Permission already exists for more than 32,200sq m of office and commercial development in the imme- diate environs of Maidstone – more than three times the space built and occupied over the last 11 years at Eclipse Park.”
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