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downsmail.co.uk Village protest at housing plans
RESIDENTS in Otham and Downswood are furiously fighting proposals to earmark neighbouring countryside for almost 1,000 new homes.
“Halt the Housing” bannerswent
upin the area after MaidstoneCoun- cil leaderAnnabelle Blackmore used her casting vote to remove from the draft local plan a site south of Sutton Road in Langley – home to Cllrs David Burton and KCC leader Paul Carter – but not three sites in Otham north of Sutton Road. Some members of Maidstone Council had argued that traffic flows from development either side of Sut- ton Road would add to congestion and therefore all four sites should be considered in tandem, but Cllr Blackmore told the cabinet meeting that the largest allocation – 930 homes next to Cllr Carter’s home – would be “an encroachment of the urban area”. Now villagers in Otham could
face 440 houses west of Church Road, next to Otham Church; 190 homes north of Bicknor Wood, Gore Court Road; and 335 homes in Bic- knor Farm (an application has been submitted for 272 homes on this site).
Mike Bottle, chairman of Otham
Parish Council, said: “Otham Parish Council has opposed the develop- ment of these sites at every opportu- nity but ifwe are to have any chance of stopping this further erosion of our village, we urge all residents to join our fight.” Borough Cllr Gordon Newton
KCC has warned that Maidstone could find itself gridlocked and un- able to function effectively if the council presses ahead with its local plan. It says it will maintain its “strong objection” to the borough’s current plan, which has a target of 18,600 homes between 2011 and 2031, throughout the public examination process – and beyond. However, a crucial letter from KCC pointing out its objections
said: “Maidstone Council has to lis- ten to the people and the officers must listen to the members as, at the end of the day, it is the members whoare responsible for the future of this borough.” Building is already under way at
three other locations near Otham – The Coppice, Imperial Park and Langley Park – and residents fear a further influx will cause irreparable damage to both the landscape and the community, aswell as overload- ing roads, amenities and services such as GP surgeries and dentists. Both Otham and Downswood
parish councils are furious about MaidstoneCouncil’sdecision, as are members of the Chapman Avenue Area Residents’ Association (CAARA),whoare urging people to re-submit their objections when the draft local plan once more goes out to consultation. CAARAchairman David Hatcher
said: “This is a new phase of consul- tation, sowe need to repeat the rea- sons for our objection and make our voices heard individually, aswell as collectively. “However, objections must be
based on sound planning reasons.” Roz Cheesman, chairman of Downswood Parish Council, said: “Downswood has no space for fur- ther development – 440 homes next to Otham Church equates to almost
failed to reach members of Maid- stone Council’s scrutiny committee before they made their recommen- dations. The committee spent more than
25 hours deliberating the suitabil- ity of dozens of sites for housing without being aware thatKCCwas vehemently opposed to all sug- gested sites due to concerns about traffic flows,water and sewagedis- posal and the viability of develop- ment.
Scouts prepare for Gang Show
SCOUTS and leaders in Maidstone areworking hard to prepare for their annual Gang Show at The Hazlitt Theatre inMaidstone on April 7-11. The family variety
show has a cast of more than 80, who have been rehearsing everyweek since Sep- tember. The show, now in its 45th year, is full of song and dance routines, with two scenes fromCharlie and the Chocolate Factory and Barnum. To get them in themoodfor the show, the gang visited the Hazlitt Theatre
for a guided tour. They then took to the stage to rehearse a few numbers. Tickets are £11.50 to £12.50
fromwww.hazlittartscentre.co.uk or you can call 01622 7586111. Details at
www.maidstonegangshow.co.uk.
26 Maidstone East April 2015
From left, David Hatcher, CAARA vice-chairman JimWootton, Roz Cheesman, Cllr Gordon Newton and Downswood Parish Council clerk Teresa Iriving with one of the banners
‘a new half Downswood’.” Downswood is already densely populated, with just three vehicular access points –Willington Street (a busy county town bypass), Mallard Way/Spot Lane (liable to flood and closure) and Church Road/Gore Court Road (a narrow country lane). Mrs Cheesman said: “Increased
traffic generated by the potential 1,897 nearby new homes, (492 of which are under way) cannot be safely accommodated.” Regular raw sewage leaks occur in Downswood, the GP surgery is al- ready overstretched and there are fewer than 20 primary school places available, according to councillors.
KCC vows to oppose 18,600 homes target
An objection by KCC – key to providing infrastructure – could scupper the local plan when it comes before an inspector at its final stage. The letter states that KCC has no money to improve infrastructure beyond funds received from devel- opers in Section 106 or community infrastructure levy receipts, and concludes:“KCCcontends that fur- ther urban sprawl of Maidstone is neither viable nor deliverable.”
‘No solution’ to sewerage
problems THE KCC letter cites a report from the consultancy Halcrow Group in 2010 which says that “the limited capacity of the existing sewerage ... will act as a significant constraint”. A second report, produced by in-
frastructure expert Amey, claimed that “the foul water sewerage sys- tem within Maidstone has little or no capacity to accept additional flows…this represents issues for fu- ture development.” Ms Cooper writes: “KCC has, to
date, not seen any technical solu- tions to address the sewerage ca- pacity issues and the cost of delivering the required improve- ments. “In the absence of this informa-
tion, the county council reiterates its strong objection to the proposed allocations to the urban periphery of Maidstone on the basis that the sites are not deliverable, notwith- standing their unsuitable location and contribution to urban sprawl.”
‘Shocking’ house agreed
A NEW three-bedroom home at 90 Holland Road, Maidstone will shock onlookers when it is built, according to a member of Maid- stone Council’s planning committee. The committee granted planning permission for the infill pro-
posal despite concerns from neighbours about urban cramming and the building not fitting in with the street scene. Cllr Ian Chittenden also took issue with the design. He said: “I
don’t tend to like modern designs. It will be modernistic whereas every other building along there has an Edwardian style. “It is out of keeping with the local area and people will initially
look at it and say ‘yuk’, but they will get used to it. The saving grace is that it will be placed away from the road.” A council report describes the design as “modern contemporary
on three floors” and materials used on the exterior will include glass.
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