Dismay as villagers discover land is earmarked for development
Unease over new focus on J8 jobs
THE spotlight has returned to the area around M20 junction 8 inMaidstone Coun- cil’s search for employment sites. It has dismayed residents of nearby vil-
lages who fought so hard to block the Kent International Gateway plan for massive warehousing near J8. Parishioners are angry because a Cabinet meeting in February, which debated the council’s draft Core Strategy, decided to ask officers to rethink their recommendation to earmark 11 hectares of employment land near J8. At the time, council leader Chris Garland
told the packed public gallery he did not think J8 was an appropri- ate site for such a scheme. But now, a few months after the
local elections, J8 is back on the Core Strategy agenda – identi- fied as a “strategic location for em- ployment development”. A report to August’s Cabinet meeting said: “Following consider-
ation by officers of all known and avail- able land it was re- solved that this was best placed in the vicinity of J8.” At a press briefing,
Land around J8 of theM20 is being put forward as a potential site for development to encourage local employment
Cllr Garland said the officers did their review and “we decided there was no alternative”. But he insisted that, in terms of land needed, it is “much, much smaller” than that proposed for KIG. Cllr Garlandwarned that if the Core Strat-
egy, which will cover the period to 2026, is not specific overwhere the housing and em- ployment locations are, the council would have a “lack of control” during the next 15 years. “That is one of the key things, con- trolling development over a period of time,” he added. A development brief would be
THE debate in February coincided with Gallagher Properties revealing it wanted to establish around 600,000 sq ft of em- ployment space on 15 hectacres of agricultural land south of the A20 near Hollingbourne, between the Ramada Jarvis Hotel and the headquarters of BiffaWaste Services. The developer hoped that the plan, which would dwarf the 6.5-acre Eclipse Park commercial development off J7 of the motorway, would be part of the Core Strategy.
Site guide will take account of landscape THE draft Core Strategy says the junction 8 area will be ex- pected to accommodate about 11 hectares of employment-re- lated development, including warehousing and other industrial uses. A development brief for the area will be produced and adopted by the council soon. The brief will provide guidance on such issues as bulk, height, massing and design of any structures as well as access matters. It will require any applications to take account of the landscape setting. The brief will also list the contributions expected from de- velopers for any off-site highways and works required to pro- tect and enhance biodiversity assets.
Opinions now, please! IT is vital that the public has its say on the draft Core Strategy as it will provide a framework for the borough’s development until 2026. It covers homes, jobs, shopping, leisure
and the environment, plus the infrastruc- ture to support these. There are several ways to express your views, including at:
Staplehurst Parish Council – Wednes- day, Sept 14
Morrisons, Sutton Road – Friday,Sept 16 Staplehurst Library – Tuesday, Sept 20
The Mall – Tuesday and Wednesday, Sept 20-21
MardenMemorialHall – Thursday, Sept 22
Mote Park Café – Friday, Sept 30 The council will also run a manned drop-in centre in the Town Hall, High Street, as well as an exhibition at TheGate- way, King Street, during the six-week con- sultation. Meetings are being arranged with local businesses.
What do you think? Email the editor – stephen@
downsmail.co.uk
David Edwards (left), the council’s director of change, planning and the environment; leader Cllr Chris Garland, and Cllr Mal- colm Greer, Cabinet member for economic development (right)
Warnings of another KIG – but this time only one-tenth as big
“HERE we go again,” was the reaction of Cllr Peter Waite when the DownsMail told him about Maidstone Council’s apparent change of direction on J8. Cllr Waite, chairman of Thurnham Parish Council
said: “This sort of thing is what generated the KIG ap- plication.
“Regardless of the outcome of the consultation we
will now see every Tom, Dick and AXA [the company behind KIG] putting in applications for development in this area.” AXA’s proposals for a 112-hectare rail-road inter- change, that was rejected by the Government after a 10- week public inquiry in 2009, was 10 times larger than the 11 hectares proposed in the Core Strategy. But Cllr Waite, who was vice-chairman of the anti-
KIG Joint Parishes Group, said: “I thought we had reached agreementwithMaidstone in that proposals in the J8 area would negate their policy of concentrating commercial activity in the town centre to protect and create jobs.” Reflecting his concerns about the impact on local
Borough Update will be in next month’s Downs Mail
16 South
roads, he said: “There is no population near J8. Peo- ple will have to travel to work.” CllrWaite added: “KIG proved there was no need for warehousing in this area of Kent.”
Visit Downs Mail’s website —
downsmail.co.uk At the core of
the strategy CS1 – Core Strategy 1 – re- flects the key issues that will come under the public and political spotlight. 10,080 dwellings 2006 to
2026 (half of these are either already built or in the plan- ning pipeline) 1,130 homes for the five
Rural Service Centres – Harri- etsham, Headcorn, Lenham, Marden and Staplehurst Employment opportuni-
ties for those centres, too, but also protection of rural char- acter Main focus will be on Maidstone urban area for jobs, regeneration and trans- port Two strategic housing lo- cations (north-west and south- east of town) Employment development
at J8 (about 11 hectares) Medical research and de- velopment at J7 (Kent Institute of Medicine & Surgery)
done this year, because of the site’s sensitivity, and he stressed: “We want absolute control over it. We don’t want development creep.” He added that other sites might emerge during the consultation process, which are “instead of or in addition to” J8, provided they are deliverable.
by Peter Erlam
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