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Flooding fears on homes site
RESIDENTS say the borough council shouldnotbe considering changes to a development in Bearsted when doubt remains over the risk of flooding. Lilk Meadow, within the flood
plain,was subject tonumerous con- ditions when permission for 50 houseswas approved in 2016. Now neighbours say changes to
the conditions of approval by Country House Developments have caused more confusion and growingconcern,particularlyinre- gard to how surface and drainage waterwill be controlled. Those in nearby Sutton Street
have calledfor the applicationto be thrownout, adding that the council has so far failed to meet planning demands by not providing evi- dence as to why the development was allowed on a flood plain. The latest round of amendments
includes raising the height of some properties anda change tobuilding materials, as well as a replacement circular road, without pavements. Sutton Street resident Matt Trott said: “Theoriginal applicationis in- credibly difficult to follow – there have beenmultiple conditions laid out when the application was sub- mitted,but thenamultitudeof sub-
COMMUNITY groups can now apply forupto£250for theirwildlife and nature projects. Applications for thegrant arewel-
come fromgroups with an existing affiliation to a park, open space or community garden. Maidstone Borough Council is of-
fering the money from its small grants fund as part of its Go Green, GoWildinitiative,whichencourages biodiversity and the creation of wildlife corridors and habitats. Groupswhomay apply include:A friends’ of park group, residents’ as-
sequent applications to remove them, of which the council have never issued letters of notifications. “Unless I log onto Maidstone’s
planningportal eachweek, it isvir- tually impossible to keep a track on all these items.” Ward councillor Val Springett
(pictured) is working to get clarifi- cation from planning officers. She has insisted the amended applica- tion is considered by councillors. She said: “Unfortunately, the re-
fusal of this applicationwould un- doubtedly see it approved at appeal. I amworking with officers to get assurances that measures to protect the site and neighbouring homes from flood risk are robust enough.” She added: “People are con-
cernedabout these latest changes to the ridge heights, which would make the development more visi- ble, and many believe the new buildingmaterials being suggested would lower the quality and ap- pearance of the development.” The developmentwould include
30 houses for sale on the openmar- ket and 20 affordable properties Maidstone BoroughCouncil said
thematterwould be considered by the planning committee.
Grants for wildlife projects
sociation,Nature Reserve Trust or a community group. The type of projects that will be
considered include: those requiring materialsandtools,wildlifeprojects, clean-up projects, biodiversity im- provements and tree-planting schemes. Non-constituted groups canwork
with their parish council or “friends of” group to apply on their behalf. The deadline for applications is
5pm onWednesday, July 31. Each group can apply for up to £250 for an individual project.
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