Tax on new homes could improve traffic
A NEW “chimney pot” tax on developers could put an end to some of Maidstone’s traffic problems. The Government’s community infrastruc-
ture levy, being introduced for the first time in 2014, will mean all developers having to pay a sum per property towards the costs of improving transport systems in the borough. The levy differs from the current S106 agreements, whereby funds paid by devel- opers must be ploughed back into projects specifically in the area concerned. Maidstone Council has already applied to
the Local Enterprise Partnership for money to help improve the town’s central gyratory system (which crosses the river) and the council is again looking at how to encour- age people to use the park and ride service. But cash, which would come to the coun-
cil from the building of a further 14,800 homes – as being proposed in the new Ccore Strategy – could see radical changes to the town’s transport infrastructure. Council leader Chris Garland said: “Coun- cillors and residents are quick to tell us what they don’t want, but what would they do instead? “The simple fact is that we were told
years ago that we needed an integrated transport strategy and it has never hap- pened. No-one had the courage to do it, and things have steadily got worse. “All groups were party to the decision
that we should go down the ‘minimalist’ route because of the expense involved – that is, a bus lane and a gyratory system for St Andrew’s Road. Any other schemes will be far more expensive.” Estimates for the cost of building a South Maidstone bypass – or relief road – to steer
traffic away from the town centre have ranged from £35m to £100m. But the “chim- ney pot” tax on 10,000 new homes could bring in between £60m and £80m, accord- ing to council leader Chris Garland. He said: “The reality is that we must do something.We need to be ambitious andwe
need to invest.” Other schemes being considered as part of
the Core Strategy involve house-building to the south of the town and investment in commercial space, which could be steered towards funding a by-pass for Leeds and Langley.
Park ‘victim of own success’
GREENspace in Maidstone is getting thinneron the ground and increasingly overcrowded, ac- cording to some councillors. Even themuch-lauded Mote Park,where mil-
lions have been invested in new amenities and facilities, is now becoming so crowded it is un- pleasant,members heard. LibDem leader Cllr Fran Wilson said the park
had become a victim of its own success and pleaded with the council to pay heed to pro- tecting green space if it planned to continue building on sites around the town. Shesaid: “Wecannotkeepbuildingandbuild-
ing, expecting human beings to live like rats in a trap, piling into limited areas of open space. “It is great what we have done to Mote Park,
but we are now victims of our own success to the point where it is becoming unpleasant. “We are now talking of increasing the popu-
lation but not increasing the open space.” Council leader Chris Garland said therewas a massive drive from central Government to en- courage housebuilding and said itwas vital the town agreed a core strategy if it was to avoid “unfettered” development. Cllr Wilson said she accepted there was a
need for more housing, but said the town had reached saturation point in terms of traffic and
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free movement along many of the major road was impossible. “Wemust have a sea change,” shewarned. Cllr Garland argued Maidstonewas rich in its
green environment, but admitted: “We have been very successful in developing our brown- field land, to the point it is almost all used. “At the moment, ifwe turn downapplications
on green sites, the developers would go to ap- peal and we would lose. The only way to pre- serve our green space it is have a sound, robust and defendable local plan.”
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