Park homes ‘in breach of licence’
AGROUP of retired residents in Yalding are taking on the might of Maidstone Council in fight- ing an expanding park home de- velopment. Residents in Hampstead Lane
claim that River View Park, on the banks of the Medway, is being developed without proper permission. The park is on the site of a for-
mer caravan site that was given planning consent almost 60 years ago. However, the permis- sion, granted in 1953 and re- newed in 1961, was subject to a 10-year limit, say residents, and consequently should have ex- pired in 1971. But the council denies there
was a time limit and says the permission of 1961 is still cur- rent, although subject to the original eight conditions im- posed in 1953. One of these states the homes should be un- occupied from October 31 to March 1. A site licence was granted to
John Hilden and Garry Haf- fenden, from East Malling, in June 2010, for 17 dwellings, with occupancy restricted to 10 months of the year. There are currently four properties on the site and copies of the licence obtained by Downs Mail show there are 16 conditions at- tached.
Maidstone Council has begun o
Homes at River View Park, and inset, Yalding resident Edward Raikes
Mr Raikes believes the owners should have obtained a lawful development certificate (LDC) before being granted a site li- cence. “The council initially agreed,
but then said the licence was still valid.” A spokesman for Maidstone Council said: “The site, which has operated since the 1950s, has planning permission for a holiday caravan park with con- ditions, including a closure pe- riod, by virtue of permission granted in 1961. “The site will be monitored
court proceedings against Mr Hilden and Mr Haffenden for six alleged breaches of the site licence conditions, including occupation outside the seasonal occupancy dates, and lack of signs and lighting. But Mr Hilden denied he was
in breach of any conditions and said: “I have planning permis- sion for a caravan site for sea- sonal use. There are no conditions attached to it. We would not have bought the land had it not had planning permis- sion. Nowhere does it say it can only be used for eight months or 10 months of the year.” Edward Raikes, whose Par- sonage Oast home is on the op- posite side of the river, said he had no intention of letting the matter drop with the council.
orchard dental practice
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Free Parking He said:
“This is a truly wretched site for a res- idential de- velopment. It is 350 yards from the nearest road, in the middle of a flood plain, with no dry foot escape and no refuge. There’s no access for emergency services, no sew- erage, no access for sludge re- moval, insufficient water supply for sprinkler systems, problems with refuse collection, problems with parking and problems with insurance. “It would never be granted planning permission in this day and age.” Because the planning permis- sion dates back almost 60 years,
by officers during the closure period to identify whether any breaches of planning control are occurring. “The legal advice received
also states the caravan licence issued by the council is valid.” Yalding Parish Council and officials from the Environment Agency have now taken up the case, concerned at the addition of extra properties to the flood plain. A spokesman for the Envi-
ronment Agency said: "At this stage, we have not been in- formed that a planning applica- tion has been received. “Should this change in the fu-
ture, we wouldwelcome the op- portunity to discuss the application and its likely im- pact with Maidstone Council.”
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