News
Road changes to improve safety
THE latest proposal to extend Maidstone’s urban area further to the south east could see 272 new homes off Sutton Road. Jones Homes has applied to build
on land at Bicknor Farm, which is earmarked for 335 homes in Maid- stone Council’s draft local plan. The proposal follows the council’s decisions to allow three separate schemes totalling 886 homes along Sutton Road. In February last year, the planning committee accepted developments in Langley Park (Tay- lor Wimpey, 600 homes), north of Sutton Road (Bellway, 186 homes) andwest of Bicknor Road (Redrow, 100 homes). The latest proposal would ur-
banise grade two agricultural land south of Belts Wood, west of the RumwoodNursery and north of the A274 Sutton Road. It includes: 221 houses and 51 flats (17 of five bedrooms, 80 of four, 84 of three, 61 of two and 30 of one); 30% affordable housing (61% rented, 39% shared ownership); 2.3 hectares of open space (22% of the site area).
retention of Bicknor Wood, Bic- knor Hole and the tree line to Bic- knor Farm; 15m buffer strip to Bicknor Wood; 10m buffer to Bicknor Farm; pedestrian and cycle link to Lan- gley Park estate. Asupporting statement said: “The
open space provided in the central part of the site will be accessible from the remainder of the develop- ment. It will enhance the setting of the central tree belt and create a link to the open land to the east.” Despite the allocation of the land
for housing, several objectionswere submitted. Michelle Waller, who lives in Rumwood Court, Sutton Road, Langley, wrote: “We object strongly to yet another massive housing development along the Sut- ton Road, of which there are already two under construction. “The Sutton Road is notoriously
busy now, and more housing will make it worse. Access in and out of our home is already unsafe. “Infrastructure such as doctors, dentists and hospitals cannot cope.” Maidstone Council will decide.
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10 Maidstone South March 2015
downsmail.co.uk New study cuts homes total
A RETIRED management consultant has published a re-assessment of Maidstone’s future housing need – and come to a figure of 14,400 homes between 2011 and 2031. Richard Wadey
(left), from Upper Fant Road, Fant believes his total – the same as KCC concluded could be supported by the present or po-
tential infrastructure – would be ac- cepted by the Government despite Maidstone Council’s draft local plan claiming 18,600 homes would be needed.
MrWadey says the borough’s pre-
vious success in meeting housing de- mand indicates supply has fallen short of demand by only 4%. “It will therefore be necessary to increase the average annual rate of housing construction from 675 to just over 700,” he wrote. Sarah Anderton, a principal plan-
ning officer for Maidstone Council, said the need for 18,600 homes took into account the 2011 census. She added that the council had fol-
lowed the same methodology as other local authorities, which follows national planning guidance. For a copy of the report, email Mr Wadey on
rjwhousing@gmail.com.
Travelodge rust to be cleaned
WORK is to be carried out to re- move unsightly rust on the Trav- elodge hotel in the centre of Maidstone. Agreement has been reached with
the owner of the building, which is described as an eyesore, following protracted efforts by LibDemcoun- cillor Dan Daley. It has taken since July last year to
track down the pension fund which owns the building and has now au- thorised the work. Cllr Daley said: “It has been an ex-
tremely complicated process; at one point the owners were looking to sue the builders, but they went bankrupt. The pension fund and land agent now agree the money should be spent sorting the situation out, rather than on legal fees.” Tenders are currently being con- sidered to remedy the rustmarks on the cosmetic girders thatwere fitted as part of the building’s design. Cllr Daley understood work would soon and take 12weeks. Comment, pages 30-31
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