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Builders fight on for homes
DEVELOPERS who had hoped to build 220 homes on Boughton Lane in Loose have not given up their fight. BDW Trading Ltd has filed a
claim in the High Court against the Secretary of State, who last month backed a planning inspector’s de- cision to refuse the appeal, disput- ing a complex point of law. BDWis disputing the interpreta-
tion of ENV32, in the council’s saved policies of 2000, which was one of the four grounds for refus- ing the appeal. Following the recent ruling, it
would be very difficult for Maid- stone planners to push this site through for development. North Loose Planning Forum chairman Sean Carter said: “It is hard to envisage how anyone could overrule the Secretary of State’s decision.” The council introduced saved
policy ENV32 for the southern anti-coalescence belt in 2000 – a belt extending broadly from Cox- heath to Langley – to protect the rural environment. It agreed not to permit develop-
ment which significantly extended the urban area or permit infilling if it would lead to coalescence. If it succeeds in its challenge,
BDW could, in theory, submit a new application for the site. However, the North Loose Resi-
dents Association (NLRA) believe it should have little chance of being approved. Mr Carter said: “If the judge
agrees with BDW, as we under- stand it, it opens an opportunity for them to put in a new planning application. “However, we believe that the
vastly increased volumes of traffic since July 2015 will justify the in- spector’s decision on traffic even more.” If the High Court judge agrees
with the Secretary of State’s deci- sion when the matter comes to court, again in theory, there should be no further building in Boughton Lane. The NLRA would then expect
this parcel of land, together with two other sites in Boughton Lane earmarked for 100 houses, to be re- moved from the local plan. BDWTrading Limited, which in- corporates both Ward and Barrett Homes, is no stranger to litigation. On this occasion, the company
has hired John Baird, a partner in the real estate section of London lawyers Osbourne Clarke, to take up its case.
Work starts on lock
WORK is to start on the renovation of the crumbling East Farleigh lock. The lock has been in a bad state of disrepair for a long time but the En-
vironment Agency has been struggling to find the funds for a total refit. Now, after many months of effort, it has managed to secure the £1.8m
to bring the lock up to the same standard as Teston Lock and work will start at the end of this year’s boat- ing season. There are still a number
of logistical issues to be re- solved, but it is hoped the work can start at the end of September. The river will need to be
closed to navigation and, although this will be a short-term inconvenience to some, it will be for the long-term benefit of the river users, according to the Medway River Users Association (MRUA). Spokesman Mark Smurthwaite said: “It is great news that the EA has
secured funding for this project.We were not expecting this for the fore- seeable future, so all the credit has to go to Phil Munslow who has done an amazing job in getting this funding for the Medway.” Contractors are hoping to keep a portage route open around the works
for most of the time, but there may be some working days during the week when it is completely closed. A footpath closure will be in place but again contractors say they will do their best to keep a route open when possible. The work is expected to take about fivemonths. TheMRUA and Medway Valley Conservation Partnership (MVCP) have also begun spraying the giant hog weed along the river bank.
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