News| Lorry park


downsmail.co.uk Fears over lorry park plans


THE dayKent’s long, hot, dry spell came to a brief soggy end, residents in a glorious corner of the county gathered to discuss fears that the governmentmay be ready to rain on their parade.


Or build all over it. On July 20, a few dozen hardy


souls in kagools or huddled under dripping umbrellas listened toMP HelenWhately explain, as best she could, how little Highways Eng- land had been able to tell her about its interest in this plot of arable land, a fewmiles fromLenham. The parcel of 250-300 acres near


PlattsHeath had been identified in Highways England’s urgent quest for land on which to build lorry parks. The search has taken on new urgency in the face of major problems on the M20, should Britain crash out of the EUwithout a Brexit deal. The locals do now know the fol-


lowing:  A subcontracted firm will carry out ecological surveys soon.  The company will report back around Christmas.  The nextmove, if any, should be known by the spring of 2019. 100 parcels of land on 50-60 plots are being looked at.  The search for sites is not con- fined to Kent. Sally Alexander, whose family


farms about 100 acres identified in theHE plans, said she had no faith


nity and residents, but we will campaign and fight this one.” Robert Turner, chairman of


Boughton Malherbe Parish Council said: “All I can say is that the land is to be surveyed, and we know there will be an an- swer before Christmas on the re- sults of that and whether there will be further explorations. “We know they are looking at


sites 50 miles from the ports and the sites would have some sort of a customs clearance facility. Be- yond that, we will just have to wait and see.” He said the land, which he es-


Sally Alexander and Cllr Shellina Prendergast at themeeting


in the authorities’ keeping their word. She said: “We have had theM20


built through our farm and the same happened with the Channel Tunnel Rail Link – if they need it, they’ll come and take it. This is priceless landwith ancientwood- land. “So, I don’t trustHighways Eng-


land to do the things they might say they’ll do and I don’t believe their platitudes, either. In the end,


they’ll just do what they want.” Like Mrs Alexander, many in


the area feel that, even if they do oppose the lorry park, HE will simply drive its proposal through and take the land through com- pulsory purchase. Borough councillor Tom Sams


said: “Over the years we have had the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, theM20, a thousand houses planned and now a lorry park. “It is gutting for the commu-


timates is 270 acres, crosses two parish council boundaries – Boughton Malherbe


and


Lenham. County councillor Shellina


Prendergast, who had met John Kermor, HE projects director in Grafty Green the day before the meeting, said she would start to chase up the agency in the au- tumn, so that the process would not be dragged out. The meeting was also attended


by Richard Knox-Johnston, of the Kent arm of the Campaign to Pro- tect Rural England.


Plans aimto cut congestion Study notes


A LETTER from Highways England anddatedJune18says thepurpose of seeking parcels of land is to “re- duce traffic congestion caused by


periods of cross-


Channel disruption”. It was written under the heading:


“Ecological Surveys for Operation Stack Permanent Solution –Manag- ing Freight Traffic in Kent”. It seeks permission


for


invasive”ecological surveys fromJuly 30 untilMarch next year, although Highways Englad has indicated that this site could be surveyed by Sep- tember7. Astatement fromHighways Eng-


land said: “These surveys are a nor- mal, routine part of our work and should not be taken to mean that landmay ormay not be needed for the construction of a scheme. They are taking place over wide areas of M20/A20 and M2/A2 corridors to help us gain a firm understanding of conditions and environment in area.Weare committed to full and meaningful consultation.”


4 Maidstone East August 2018 Historic sites ‘could be bulldozed’


LESLEY Feakes of the Lenham Ar- chaeological Society fears that the area where many significant Bronze Age artefacts – a hoard of axe heads have been found –will be bulldozed. She says the area is rich in prehis- toric interest and potentially undis-


covered finds. She added: “There is a major Iron Age site just two kilome- tres away at Royton / Chapel Farm that is already being threatened for sand quarrying. “It will be a great pity if it is de-


stroyed.” “non-


‘arable land’ ACCORDING to studies car- ried out forMaidstone Borough Council’s


recently-adopted


Local Plan, the area is described as “generally” an arable land- scape. The survey notes “large un-


dulating fields, enclosed by regular blocks of woodland, much of which is ancient, and some native hedgerow bound- aries. “However, agricultural in-


tensification has led to some hedgerow removal, and long distance views of the North Downs give an exposed and large scale character to higher parts of this landscape. “The Great Stour river flows


through the valley as a minor stream and within the shel- tered pocket along the Great Stour Valley.” The survey notes that there is


little in the way of develop- ment in the area, apart from a few houses and farms.


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