downsmail.co.uk Tesco scheme refused again
TESCO came under fire from Maid- stone Council for submitting a su- permarket proposal for Staplehurst that was virtually the same as the one that was refused last year. The planning committee last May turned down the company’s appli- cation for a 2,817sqm supermarket on the site of the commuter car park in Station Approach. It was concerned about the asso-
ciated 660-space car park proposed in open countryside off George Street, north of the railway station. Tesco has appealed against this decision and an informal hearing will be heard by a planning inspec- tor this month. However, the su- permarket chain still resubmitted its application, with the main change being a reduction in park- ing spaces in the new car park to 621 and more spaces in the super- market car park. Committee member Cllr Ian Chittenden said: “I expected some- thing more profound.” Due to the scheme’s similarity to
the one refused, the committee roundly voted to refuse it again. As well as the car park concern,
the relationship between the pro- posed supermarket and Sains- bury’s, which was last year given
planning permission to build a su- permarket nearby,was questioned. This is to be built on the site of di- amond manufacturer DK Holding, who will move into larger, more modern premises on the site. Cllr Tony Harwood, a member of
the committee, said: “Sainsbury’s is linked to a high-quality develop- ment at DK Holdings. If that un-
tangles as a result of Tesco, there are major issues with local employ- ment that go beyond the difference between two supermarkets. “North of the railway line in Sta- plehurst is a real line in the sand. If we break that we could see urban sprawl all theway to Maidstone.” Cllr Richard Lusty, a local ward member for Staplehurst and former
chair of the committee, pleaded without success for permission to be granted: “At the previous com- mittee meeting therewere 667 peo- ple in support of this development. “Maidstone is asking over the
next few years for 905 houses in Staplehurst, which is possibly 3,000 residents in our patch. They de- serve the best facilities.”
Oast-inspired house plan approved
MAIDSTONE Council’s plan- ning committee overruled offi- cers and gave the go-ahead to a striking quatrefoil oast house in open countryside in Maidstone Road, near Marden. Officers felt the five-bed home,
at 12.8m tall – almost double the height of the adjacent Bumpers Hall – would have been out of keeping with the area. It was also contrary to policy stating new homes should not be built in the open countryside, yet is located adjacent to the site of the new ground for Marden Cricket and Hockey Club that received plan- ning permission last June. The committee agreed with
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Marden Parish Council’s assess- ment that the home, which would replace existing buildings, would enhance the area. The highly-sustainable house
is inspired by the traditional oast house, with four roundels. “We often give planning per- mission to the bland, but this is
fantastic,” said Cllr Richard Ash, a member of the committee. Otherwise unacceptable hous-
ing in the open countryside is al- lowed when the design and sustainability standards have ad- hered to strict principle. Officers felt this was not such an occasion. Cllr Jenni Paterson warned fel-
low committee members that ac- cepting the scheme could mean the council struggles to defend other unwanted developments. However, those in favour used
the absence of a five-year land supply and high-quality design to push through the scheme. Seven councillors voted for, with four against.
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