Development now in doubt Continued from front page
Locals have their say on Core Strategy proposals Greenfield land ‘may be sacrificed’
demonstrate that the impacts on local roads, including HGV movements, are within reason- able limits.” Although the core strategy
has to go out for a second pub- lic consultation before being re- fined and ratified by the full council, opponents to the de- velopment are hopeful the council will now consider al- ternative suggestions for the site – or decide to block devel- opment altogether. The land south of the A20
close to J8 is not to be consid- ered for warehousing due to en- vironmental issues and water regulations. Local construction company Gallagher had been pressing for a new retail distri- bution/logistics park between the Mercure Great Danes hotel and Old Mill Road.
Newnham Court
‘could expand’ OPPOSITION is mounting to plans to expand Newnham Court Shopping Village, off M20 J7. While the core strategy has singled out the area as a spe- cialist “medical campus”, it also contains provision for ad- ditional retail development. Chief planner Rob Jarman ar-
gued that some of the major re- tailers used different criteria for their out-of-town stores and they would not conflict with town centre shops, but Cllr Clive English warned that an out-of-town shopping centre would be the “death knell” for Maidstone town centre. Mr Jarman said there was ev- idence that Maidstone resi- dents “leaked spend” by shopping in other towns and the aim was to keep them in the borough. A shuttle bus from J7 to the town centre would help keep both sites viable, he said. Cllr Paulina Stockell said:
“It’s a great idea to offer med- ical facilities here – but not shopping.”
GREENFIELD sites in rural areas could be built on as part of Maidstone’s bigger plan for the future. The draft Core Strategy has set
a target of 1,130 new homes to be built in five main rural cen- tres – Harrietsham, Headcorn, Lenham, Marden and Staple- hurst. The council believes there is
adequate land available, but, given the need for neighbour- hood plans to tie in with devel- opment strategies, the council has set targets for each of the vil- lages.
Marden and Harrietsham would get the lion’s share of the new development – 320 and 315 houses respectively – with 195 earmarked for Staplehurst, 190
for Headcorn and 110 for Lenham. According to council planners, the site capacities have been examined in detail using recognised planning principles. Residents will have a second chance to air their views when the document goes out for public consultation later in August be- fore it goes back for ratification by the full council.
‘Keep J8 free for tourism’
MAIDSTONE Council officers have been accused of lacking imagination, ambition and fore- sight in their plans for the future of the borough. The proposals to develop an in- dustrial park warehousing and office space at Woodcut Farm, near Junction 8 of the M20, were slammed as “madness” by Victo- ria Wallace, chief executive of Leeds Castle. Ms Wallace, one of the many objectors to the original KIG pro- posal that included the same land, said: “Thiswas fantastically short-sighted. The council should have been looking for something whichwould have less impact on the environment and something the borough can be proud of – something with more imagina- tion, sustainable and which will garner local support.” Ms Wallace’s suggestion that
the site should be used for some- thing tourism-related was backed by 14 parish councils when she spoke at a meeting of the Joint Parishes Group. She said: “This site is the entrance to the tourism collateral of the borough, bor- dered by an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the gateway to
theWeald.To put a brownfield industrial site in the middle of productive farmland would be insane.” The council identified 25 hectares of land near the mo- torway junction to be developed as “employment land”. Officers ruled out alternative
sites at Detling Airfield, Her- mitage Lane and Park Wood in favour of theWoodcut Farm site – the subject of a multi-million pound battle against the Kent In-
acknowledgement. Mr Horne said: “We want to
make Maidstone a place where people want to come and should be open to ideas and suggestions. We arenot anti-development, just anti-warehousing. “We understand thatKCChas a
smart tourism unit, so it would seem sensible for them to con- sider the full development poten- tial of the site in a way which would enhance and increase tourism in that area.” The Core Strategy Local Plan is
VictoriaWallace, chief executive of Leeds Castle
ternational Gateway freight hub. Anger was voiced by politi-
cians on both sides of the fence, particularly in Bearsted, where residents are still recovering from the two-year fight against KIG. Cllr Nick deWiggondene,who represents Detling and Thurn- ham, said: “No-one can under- stand why we spent millions opposingKIG and nowsay this is a suitable site for commercial de- velopment. The people of Maid- stone have made their views very
clear.There is no mandate for de- velopment on this site. To desig- nate the site for commercial use would be a betrayal.” Maidstone Council carried out
a six-weekpublic consultation on its core strategy last September. The Joint Parishes Group sub- mitted a “comprehensive re- sponse” after employing a planning consultant. However, former Maidstone councillor John Horne, who chairs the JPG, said they had as yet received no
the key document of the local planning policy framework. It sets out the borough council’s
vision and objectives over a 20- year period from 2006 to 2026, and it determines development over the period.
Views of parishes Hollingbourne parish councilor John Cobbett: “There is clear pub- lic support for no development and the council has no mandate for even considering it. “There are empty warehouses
at Parkwood and Aylesford plus empty offices and vacant shops in Maidstone town centre. “The borough council should concentrate on rejuvenation of the town rather than spoiling the countryside which was “saved” two years ago at vast public ex- pense.
Downswood Parish Council chairman Roz Cheeseman: “It beggars belief that there is even thought given to such a develop- ment, bearing in mind the recent lengthy and costly fight against AXA’s proposed KIG develop- ment in this same area.”
Campaign to prevent town’s south-east sprawl
A MAIDSTONE borough councillor has launched a campaign to prevent the coun- cil’s proposal to extend the town south- eastwards. The draft Core Strategy identifies green-
field land east of ParkWood for large-scale housing development. It has earmarked Langley Park, land to the north of Sutton Road and BicknorWood. Cllr Gordon Newton, who represents Downswood and Otham, says this could amount to as much as 1,000 new homes. “I am totally against it and it is my intention to see that it doesn’t happen,” he said. “There is a big area around the back of
10 East
Downswood, right up to Sutton Road that is earmarked for development. “My mandate from Downswood and Otham Parish Councils is to fight any de- velopment. This is a rural area; there are woods and trees that are protected by TPOs. I will fight hammer and nail for it to stay that way.” Instead of having a large development on greenfield land, CllrNewton prefers amore dispersed approach. “Sites become avail- able around the borough, and we don’t need them put in the same place,” he added. “We already have problems with schools
in Downswood and the local KCC mem- bers say there is no money available for in- frastructure. It is ridiculous.” Elsewhere in town, land to the west of Hermitage Lane has been allocated for 300 homes, opposite the hospital and in Oakapple Lane, while land for a further 415 homes has been allocated to the east of Hermitage Lane. Bridge Nursery, in London Road, Alling-
ton, has been designated for 165 dwellings In the southe-astern part of Maidstone,
the council has identified Langley Park and land to the north of Sutton Road, as well as land at BicknorWood.
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