Campus ‘will affect local plan’
TONY Harwood, deputy Lib Dem leader and the group’s planning spokesman, vig- orously opposed the Maid- stone Medical Campus application. Cllr Harwood (left) was
one of four members of his group who unsuccessfully voted against KIMS’ pro- posal to create a 98,000 sq mMaidstoneMedical Cam- pus on land near M20 Junc-
tion 7. Although the sitewas designated formed-
ical use in the borough’s emerging local plan, planning officers admitted that it was too early in the process of formulating this document for it to have any material con- sideration. So it meant that the proposal, through
being in the open counytryside, was con- trary to Maidstone Council’s land use poli- cies. Cllr Harwood said: “This will remove the ability of existing plans to determine the type of employment that should be pro- vided and where it should take place. “It will have a significant impact on the
level and location of employment and con- sequently the scale of housing to be pro-
The scheme will see the loss of this green- field land in front of KIMS
vided in the draft local plan.” Planning officers cited government guid-
ance in the National Planning Policy Framework, released last year, as a reason to recommend the go-ahead. The NPPF rec- ommends sustainable development, and of- ficers felt that the MMC fitted into this, given the precedent set by the KIMS devel- opment next door. But Cllr Harwood countered: “I don’t be-
lieve we should bypass the local planning system, especially for something so specu- lative. “This application is 10 years work so we should refuse it and wait a few months for our local plan to be implemented before de- ciding.” There are seven different land uses in-
Road changes ahead
KCC Highways forecasted the scheme would lead to a 30-59% change in traffic, but the applicant – KIMS – has proposed the fol- lowing measures to prevent congestion: traffic management of three arms of J7 and road widening; traffic management of the M20 link road, Bearsted Road round- about and widening of approaches; enlarging New Cut roundabout and widening of approaches; provision of a new signal pedestrian crossing just west of New Cut roundabout and also the A249 north/south route; provision of an extension to the Sittingbourne Road Park and Ride bus service to serve the site; widening of footways on Bearsted Road to form a combined foot/cycle way; implementation of a new bus link to the town centre; car park charging for certain site users; a section 106 contribution for highway capacity enhancements to M2 Junction 5 near Stockbury. Cllr Ian Chittenden predicted the sitewould lead to an additional 3,000 car movements every day.
Home again A HOMELESS family has moved into a renovated home, thanks to Maidstone Council’s lease and repair scheme. The scheme, part-funded by
the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), provides a grant to owners to renovate and re- pair long-term empty proper- ties to bring them up to a decent standard. In return, the owner agrees to lease the prop- erty for five years through the council’s chosen partner, Av- enue Lettings, to a family from the council’s housing register.
Assault charge A SHEPWAY man has been charged with assault following an incident in South Park Road, Maidstone. Leon McCarthy (22), formerly
of Cornwall Close, will appear before Maidstone magistrates charged with assault on No- vember 22. He is accused of hit- ting aman with a piece of wood during the incident on October 5.
6 East
volved in the proposal, meaning there is po- tential for a totally different development to the one proposed. “All these different uses are giving the ap- plicant a blank cheque,” added Cllr Har- wood. “Eclipse Park was initially given planning permission for a campus-style de- velopment but what do we have now? Of- fice blocks. “We would never get permission for this amount of housing (766 units) ordinarily, but these are being tagged on. “This scheme will completely change
some of the most desirable parts of Maid- stone in Bearsted, Weavering and parts of Detling. They are going to turn into some- where more like Snodland.” Cllr Harwood’s aspiration to refuse the scheme was supported by three other mem- bers, who were all Lib Dems. Seven Con- servatives voted in favour and there were two abstentions. Overall there were eight objections by members of the public and no affected parish councils objected. Mike Parkinson, Maidstone Council's conservation officer, objected to the scheme for causing "considerable harm" to the set- ting and significance of the listed Newnham Court Inn.
Scheme still a long way off
THERE is no indication of when work will begin on building the Maidstone Medical Campus because, so far, no service provider has signed up to the scheme. Now outline permission has been granted, KIMS can seek fund-
ing and lobby interested parties prior to the submission of a full planning application. James Dickmann, a director at KIMS, gave the committee a heartfelt plea to accept the proposal. He said: “At KIMS we care for people who are vulnerable and
need help. KIMS will open in April 2014, and we are excited that this project is coming to fruition. “The next quest for all of us at KIMS is to have a medical uni- versity at Maidstone. There is not a single place for patients who need rehabilitation or specialist care. There is a tsunami of pa- tients who suffer neurological conditions and we need to care for them to alleviate their suffering and, God willing, in some cases find a cure. “My colleagues and I are borrowing £300million to make this extension of KIMS possible.”
Pub wants barn conversion ABARN conversion is being earmarked to help the village pub in Otham stay sustainable. A planning applica-
tion has been submitted to convert a barn used for storage on the north- ern boundary of the White Horse, on the edge of White Horse Lane, into a two-bed dwelling. A supporting state-
ment on behalf of Catherine Small, the ap- plicant, said: “The site is, of course, an operating public house, but in order to ensure the continued survival of this building it is proposed that the conversion to a dwelling will ensure the con- tinued presence for years to come.” Maidstone Council will determine the application.
Storage plea for restoration firm AN emergency property restoration company wants to retain its buildings on land near Hollingbourne. The Ideal Group has applied for retrospective planning per- mission to keep its commercial buildings at Woodcut Cottage in Crismill Lane. A supporting statement said a log cabin and mod- ular building were built on the land in 2004 and 2008. Maidstone Council will determine the planning application.
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Extension bid NICKI Burch has been given planning permission to convert a rear part of a garage and build a first-floor side extension at 8 Peverel Drive, Bearsted Park. Thurnham Parish Council
raised an objection as it felt the extension would be too close to a neighbouring property. Officers from Maidstone Council admitted that the ex- tension would cut the distance between 6 Peverel Drive to the north to 1.5m, which is less than the 3mset out in the local authority’s guidance document. But the council said similar
gaps between properties al- ready exist within the road, and the planning committee unanimously granted consent.
Roadside sales F D ATWOODand Partners has applied to erect a field shelter and fencing to facilitate a road- side stall for the sale of farm produce on land west of The Harrow pub, Westfield Sole Road, Lidsing.
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