East Malling and Larkfield Parish Council Draft Local Plan


As in most recent months the parish council has been spending a lot of time responding to the draft Local Plan produced by the Borough Council and which is now in its final phase locally. The final draft Local Plan has now been issued and comments have to be submitted to Tonbridge and Malling Council by November 19. It will then be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate together with all supporting documents and the representations received from the public, developers and landowners in this final phase. The Inspectorate is then expected to arrange for “an examination in public”, something like a public inquiry, which has to be held locally.


If the Inspectorate finds the Plan “sound” then it will come back to the Borough council to adopt later in the year. It will then form the basis for deciding all future planning applications.


The Inspector will need to be satisfied in particular that the plan provides land for the extra nearly 7,000 houses the Government’s rules say are necessary, and that these can be provided on the land allocated in the Plan in a “sustainable” way. The main proposals locally are to extend Kings Hill northwards into Broadwater Farm to provide another 900 homes; a new site next to New Road, East Malling, on “research land” for 205 houses; and extending the Green Belt to


cover the land between East and West Malling down to the A20 to protect the setting of historic West Malling. The extended Green Belt is also to prevent the two villages merging with Kings Hill and Larkfield/Leybourne to form a completely build up area.


In the meantime, with the government pressing for more houses to be built especially across SE England, planning applications continue to come in and have to be decided. See below.


Eden Farm


Just over the border, proposals have been submitted to build 80 houses on an area of land bordered by Lucks Hill, the private road to West Malling Station, and Laven- ders Road. Mostly in West Malling Parish, we have supported their parish council in objecting to this plan. It would be on land not currently allocated for housing and in the area proposed to be in the Green Belt in the draft replacement Plan. It would also put ex- tra traffic on Lucks Hill, and Winterfield Lane as well as Clare Lane/Mill Street. It would also affect the setting of the Abbey.


Parkside Site, New Road, East Malling This site is in the draft Local Plan for 205 homes but the parish council has met the developers to learn they have plans for a reduced number of just over 100. They took the point they needed to take into account the existence of Grade 1 listed building Clare house with its Conservation area and


National Trust covenants. They have carried out public exhibitions for this site and a big- ger site behind Cherry Orchard, Ditton. The Parkside Plans only now propose just over 100 homes. They intend to keep the stream the EMRS side of the wall running down New Road open and the tree screen. Access is via the entrance near to East Malling green opposite the King and Queen with a pedestrian access at the north end out to the New Road/Chapman Way junction. Parish councillors made various suggestions should this application be approved, including moving the vehicular access to the north end of the site. It is likely a planning application taking into account public comments will be submitted soon.


Aylesford Newsprint Site


Demolition continues a pace and we under- stand the administrators are still marketing the site for employment purposes. Its future is therefore uncertain.


Lunsford Lane


Complaints have been made about the flooding which occurs across the pavement and verge outside the houses close to the M20 bridge. We await to hear from KCC on what is a problem that has gone on for some years.


Lloyds Bank premises Permission has been given to re-establish the flat over this closed Lloyds Bank in Larkfield. A take- away application for what was the bank below awaits a decision from TMBC.


Speeding problem goes on


AS RESIDENTS of West Malling know, there is a problem with speeding on the approach roads to the town. Members of the Parish Council and


other volunteers have been carrying out Speedwatch sessions to highlight the issue and to ensure repeat offenders are warned about their driving. During the most recent session, in Swan Street, of 168 vehicles passing towards the High


Street, 49 were recorded speeding ie driving at 25mph or more in the 20mph zone. Parish Cllr Nick Stapleton who carried out the Speedwatch measurements with colleague Gwyneth Barkham, said: “This is the highest proportion of vehicles speeding (almost 30%) of all the sessions run anywhere in West Malling. “To my mind, it reinforces the need for


stronger signage or traffic calming in Swan Street.”


The registered keepers of vehicles seen repeatedly or excessively speeding anywhere in Kent in the previous 12 months are sent a warning letter and advice by Kent Police.


If you would like to join the Speedwatch volunteers please contact the parish office on 01732 870872 or clerk@westmallingpc.org


LOCAL CONTACTS


Trudy Dean, Malling Action Partnership chairman E: trudy.dean@kent.gov.uk T: 01732 843 119 Citizens Advice Bureau – T: 01732 440488 Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council main switchboard – T: 01732 844522


Pothole reporting – T: 08458 247800


Travel Enquiries Nu-Venture Buses – T: 01622 882288 Trains – T: 08457 484950 Arriva Buses – T: 0871 200 22 33


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