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‘Build homes on brownfield land’


PREVIOUSLY developed brown- field land could provide space for more than local 18,000 homes. Areport by the Campaign to Pro-


tect Rural England (CPRE) identifies 1,600 hectares of brownfield land in the county, of which 336 are in Ton- bridge and Malling and 89 in Maid- stone, which could accommodate 14,700 and 3,900 new homes. The CPRE says 70,000 homes


could be built on brownfield land in Kent, which would protect farmland and greenfield sites. “We have long been arguing for


development to be focused on brownfield sites,” said CPRE Kent senior planner Brian Lloyd. “By building on brownfield we would protect our countryside, help avoid the loss of productive farmland and regenerate our towns and cities.” Maidstone is one of several Kent boroughs looking at building on his- torically greenfield sites because of the intense pressure for new homes.


But the CPRE says fields could be saved if councils looked more care- fully at what already exists. The research carried out for the charity, using data collected from a survey of planning authorities, re- veals sufficient brownfield land in England to accommodate at least a millionnewhomes – and half of this is in the London, the East and the South East. The authors of the report “From


wasted space to living spaces” be- lieve one million homes is an under- estimate because it identifies land already derelict or with planning permission and does not include un- derused land such as car parks. MrLloyd said: “There needs to be


a pro-active approach to identifying brownfield sites and more funding and incentives to develop large and difficult sites.” The report recommends reintro- ducing ‘brownfield first’ into na- tional planning policy.


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Maidstone Council leader Cllr Annabelle Blackmore (far right) opens the Mote Park route with Mote Park Fellowship volunteers, RunKent representatives and local runners.


Park route to boost fitness


WALKERS, joggers and seasoned runners canmake the most of Mote Park after the installation of a Run England marked route by park volunteers. The 5km route starts and ends at the café, taking runners on an undu-


lating route past Mote House, thewaterfall, the boat house and the lake, offering beautiful views across the park. RunKent aims to get more people running through a network of be- ginner-friendly running groups. It also works with land owners to install safe, marked and measured running routes, such as this one in Mote Park. Residents can find out more about local running groups and other marked routes at www.kentsport.org/run


Patients urged to join group


BEARSTED Medical Practice Pa- tient Participation Group (PPG) is encouraging more of its 12,000 surgery patients to join free so that it represents all age groups. The group aims to improve communication between staff and patients and encourage patients to take more responsibility for their own health. Anyone interested- should email b.patientparticipa- tion@nhs.net. Members can join an email


group and receive healthcare in- formation and feed back their


views to influence NHS services. At its second annual meeting chairman Jeanette Ward said the group asked patients what health advice was needed. Dementia topped the list and Admiral Nurses later addressed a well-at- tended meeting.Atalk on obesity is planned for March. One patient suggested a surgery monitor to improve doctor com- munication – and then donated one. There is also a suggestion box. Regular meetings are held with the surgery team.


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