Firm plan for Sutton Road
A PLANNING application has been submitted for almost 200 homes to be built on land to the north of Sutton Road, Maid- stone.
BellwayHomes is seeking per- mission to build 186 dwellings on the 5.58ha site, which board- ers Gore Court Road, ParkWood and would be named Imperial Park. The development would be di-
vided into five distinct areas with The Avenue leading onto the site; The Crescent having an urban feel with Georgian town- house-inspired homes; Eastside containing mainly terraced houses;Woodland featuring de- tached dwellings with plenty of space around each one; and Mews being made up of smaller homes. Taller buildings would distin-
guish the main site entrance, ac- cording to the application’s supporting statement, and a cen- tral public open space, framed by buildings, will form the focal point at the centre of the devel- opment. Homes will be either two or three-storey, detached or terraced, from two to four bed- rooms, and 30% of them, 56 units, will be affordable housing. Access to the site is likely to
be via both Sutton Road and Gore Court Road. The planning application states that, in ac-
Artist impression of Imperial Park, Sutton Road
cordance with Maidstone’s ex- isting development plan, Bic- knor Wood and Bicknor Hole, both areas of ancient woodland, would remain untouched, as would hedgerow bordering the site. Footpaths and cycleways would run throughout the site and connect the development to neighbouring areas. Between one and two resi-
dents’ car parking spaces would be provided per dwelling and additional visitor spaces would be available – the equivalent of 0.2 spaces per residential unit. Fellow developer Redrow Homes controls two fields to the immediate east of the Bellway Homes land and the two compa- nies said they are co-operating to ensure the developments pro- ceed “in a co-ordinated man- ner”. The Imperial Park site and neighbouring land was identi- fied inMaidstone Council’s Core
Strategy as an area that could ac- commodate up to 285 new homes. This is the first full planning application to be submitted in relation to the area around Sut- ton Road, earmarked by the council for housing. Earlier this year the Pegasus Group submit- ted a screening opinion on be- half of landowners Taylor Wimpey in relation to building up to 600 homes to the south of Sutton Road, opposite Imperial Park, on a site referred to as Lan- gley Park. The council told the developer
in April that it would need to carry out an environmental im- pact assessment before submit- ting a full planning application. The council’s emerging Core Strategy also suggests building 190 homes on land north of Bic- knor Road. The council will determine the planning application.
Standards rise TEACHING is improving at New Line Learning Academy following a disappointing Of- sted report earlier in the year. In March, inspectors said the Boughton Lane secondary school required improvement and gave it a grade 3. However, following a monitoring inspection in June, Ofsted has revealed improve- ments are being made. Principal David Elliot was told
he and his staff were focusing on the right areas and in addition to improved teaching, New Line Learning Academy was praised for monitoring pupils’ progress more effectively, resulting in more effective teaching and extra help for pupils who needed it. Mr Elliot was advised that in
order to improve further the school should set clearer targets to measure improvement; en- sure subject leaders used their expertise to help colleagues im- prove their teaching; and find ways of engaging all pupils in lessons.
Colourful blooms DAHLIAS and gladioli will be among the blooms on display at Maidstone Horticultural Soci- ety’s autumn show on Saturday, September 7 from 1.30pm- 4.30pm at the Baptist Church Hall in Knightrider Street. Attractions include cookery,
crafts, fruit and vegetables, as well as floral art.
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