News | Call for sites


downsmail.co.uk Full call for sites list revealed


THE “call for sites” list has been released after months of secrecy by the borough council. We have obtained a summary of


plots put forward by owners to Lib Democrat-run Maidstone Borough Council. The authority has come in for in-


tense criticism, in its guise as a ‘mas- ter developer’, for spending tax-payers’ money on its develop- ment plan for 5,000 homes on Lenham Heath. It is also promoting a scattering of town centre “oppor- tunity’ sites for 1,000 homes. The lat- ter would have meant a 14-storey tower block and the removal of the War Memorial at The Broadway. These plans have been rejected in the face of a massive public outcry and community opposition. The op- position Conservative group doubted the whole process, claim- ing it encouraged speculation and


Here is a summary of the sites submit- ted to MBC: 1 Land adj Brehmar Garage, Headcorn Rd brownfield: Health centre with 30-35 1 bed units for elderly 2 The Homestead, Headcorn Rd, brown- field; 12 homes 3 Mid Kent Roofing Yard, Forstal Lane brownfield: 12-16 units 4 Land Adj Penn Court, Manor Lane greenfield: 24-30 units 5 Land Adj Dingly Dell, Heath Road, brownfield, 20-24 units 6 Land at Lenham Road, greenfield: ap- prox. 20 units 7 The Paddocks, Staplehurst, greenfield: 48 houses, 17 affordable


8 Land south-east of Bassetts Bungalow, Staplehurst Rd, greenfield: 5 houses 9 116-120 Week St, Maidstone, brown- field: 2 Retail units, 9 Residential 10 Bydews Place (1), Dean St, Mixture of both: 20 units 11 Bydews Place (2), Dean St, greenfield 4 units


12 Land at Forsham house, Forsham Lane, greenfield, 5 units 13 Land between Chartway St & Maid- stone Rd, SV, greenfield: Housing is pro- posed, not quantified 14 Land at Puddledock, Caring Lane, greenfield: 12 detached units 15 The Kia Site, Ashford Rd, mixture of both: 90-100 units 16 Fir Tree Farm & Norton Lea, Plough Wents Rd, greenfield: 1,000 units 17 Land West of Headcorn Road, Maid- stone: greenfield, 65 units 18 Land Rear of Beech house, North St: greenfield, 5 units


19 Land North of Lenham Road, Headcorn greenfield: 24 units


20 Land adjoining the Limes, Heath Rd, Mixture of both: 15-20 units 21 Land adj Southways, Sutton Valence greenfield: 10-20 units 22 Land rear of Chart View, Chart Hill Rd greenfield: two gypsy pitches, Site 1 of 2 23 Land rear of Chart View, Chart Hill Rd, greenfield: Gypsy Pitches, site 2 of 2


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increased residents’ anxiety. The senior leadership team at the council has already agreed to deliver 17,600 houses contained in the Local Plan. Fewer than 6,500 have been built, so far. But the call for sites submissions


will satisfy the need for another 10,500 in the Local Plan review. MBC's leaders have ruled out cross-party pleas for a halt to all house-building while infrastructure associated with its plans lags be- hind.


Leader of the Opposition Conser-


vative Group, John Perry (Staple- hurst) said: “I’ve always thought a ‘call for sites’ would be a bad idea as it encourages every speculator to put forward any and every daft plan.Some of the sites south of


24 Land next to St Margaret's School, Collier St, greenfield: 10-20 units 25 Land next to the Village Hall, Collier St, greenfield: 20-40 units 26 Land north of Green Lane, Collier St, greenfield: 20-40 units 27 Land at George Street, Staplehurst, greenfield: 80 units (Original proposal was for 80 extra care units) 28 Land rear of 2 Mays Cottage, East Farleigh, greenfield: 14 small semi-de- tached homes, or 4 large family homes 29 Court Lodge Farm, Lenham, greenfield: Housing is proposed, not quantified 30 Land at junction of New Cut Rd & Bearsted Rd, greenfield c.63 beds, nurs- ing/care home proposed 31 The Old Cherry Orchard, Maidstone Road, greenfield: 3-9 units 32 Hawthorn Farm, Ulcombe, greenfield: three gypsy pitches 33 Land at Knowlesden Farm, Chart Sut- ton, greenfield: Not stated 34 George Street, Staplehurst, green- field: housing is proposed, not quantified 35 The Alpines, Detling, brownfield: six units, 36 Premier Inn, Forstall Road, brown- field: Hotel annex building proposed 37 Rear of the Gables, Staplehurst, green- field, 20-40 units 38 Peacock Farm, Chart Hill, greenfield: 40 houses


39 Land East of Stilebridge Lane: brown- field: 100 houses


40 Land at corner of Dean Street, green- field, six houses 41 Backland Plot off Peens Lane, green- field: 10 houses


42 Backland Plot off Church Lane, brownfield: 7-10 houses 43 Plot off Peens Lane (South), greenfield: two houses, allied land for horses 44 Land off Long Lane (West), green- field: nine houses, allied land for horses 45 West of Boughton Lodge, brownfield: one house, Allied land for horses 46 Land off Church Hill Rd, brownfield: 60 houses


47 Land off East Hall Hill, greenfield: seven detached houses


Maidstone East December 2019


Maidstone, in places like at Marden and Staplehurst, are a case in point: transport infrastructure is so obvi- ously lacking and some of these sites have already been refused planning permission multiple times. It is dis- appointing that five months have passed since the call for sites closed, but MBC have done little in that time to reject the really bad ones. A lot of people will suffer anxiety as a result.” Cllr Jonathan Purle (Bridge Ward)


said: “There are few surprises for Maidstone town because the council itself has been leading with some pretty bad ideas – like 14-storeys on the site of Lidl and Matalan. We need this council to stop any more high-rise buildings, reject the sorts of the awful modernist architecture


48 Land south of Forge Lane, greenfield: 10 houses


49 Land off B2163 (South), greenfield: four houses 50 Army Hut Farm Stables, Stockett Lane, brownfield: 50-75 units 51 Pinkhorn Farm, Headcorn, greenfield 100 residential units, also 6000sqm ear- marked for office space 52 Weald of Kent Golf Course, Maid- stone Rd, greenfield: includes hotel, golf course, further sporting facilities 53 12-14 Week Street, Maidstone, brown- field: Proposed hotel with minimum of 140 rooms 54 Field on Dairy Lane, Chainhurst, greenfield: proposal includes housing and office space, though not quantified 55 Victoria's Cabaret Club, Ashford Rd, brownfield: six detached houses 56 Clapper Lane, Staplehurst, brown- field: 40 units 57 Land off Oak Farm Gardens, Headcorn greenfield: Housing proposed, though not quantified 58 Green Lane Farm, greenfield: 35-50 units 59 Fellinpits, Beltring, greenfield, 35-45 units per hectare, 40 hectares 60 Rush Farm, Couchman Green Lane, greenfield, 20-30 units 61 Kettle Lane, East Farleigh, greenfield: 5 units


62 243-245 Queens Rd, brownfield: It appears to relate to provision of a road 63 10-15 Caring Lane, Bearsted, green- field: five detached houses 64 Land South of Marden Rd, Staple- hurst, greenfield: 126 units 65 The Finches Caravan Park, Chartway Street, brownfield: 30 units 66 Land east of Lodge Road, Staplehurst, greenfield: 90-105 residential units (65,000sq ft earmarked for business) 67 Cliff House, Cliff Hill, brownfield: No in- formation


68 MAP Depot and next land, Lower Road, Mixture of both: 30-40 units 69 Homelands Farm, Dean Street, green- field: 167 units


70 Land next to Willow Wood, Vicarage


that seems so prevalent, and come up with a plan for better roads, cleaner air, more school places and more GP surgeries.” Independent Maidstone council-


lor Eddie Powell accused the coun- cil of “predetermining” its own proposals ahead of the other 300+ in the summary below. A senior build- ing expert, who asked not to be named, claimed that the construc- tion industry had “gone berserk” over MBC's handling of the call for sites process. The council said MBC “takes a


pro-active approach to place-shap- ing, engaging with landowners and developers to give clarity as to what development it would be open to, rather than simply responding to developer-led proposals.”


Lane, brownfield: 10 units 71 Marley Road, Harrietsham greenfield: 10-15 units 72 Garden Close, brownfield: 2 houses, 2 units


73 Bearsted Golf Course, greenfield: 28 units


74 Land to the South of Little Cornwells, Goudhurst Rd, greenfield: six units 75 Land North of Wheelers Lane, Linton Hill, greenfield: 13 units 76 Couchman Green Lane, Staplehurst, greenfield, Children’s nursery proposed 77 Teiside Nurseries, Lees Road, brown- field: 7-30 homes, 10 business units, 12 shepherd huts 78 Haven Farm, Sutton Valence, brown- field: 50-55 units


79 Land South of Heath Road, Boughton Monchelsea, brownfield: 10 units 80 Land West of Loder Close and West- wood Close, Ham Lane, greenfield: 53 units, 40% social housing 81 Lenham Road, Headcorn: greenfield 56 units 82 Land rear of Firenze, Headcorn Rd, greenfield: 27-30 units 83 Hartley Dene, Harrietsham, greenfield: 50 units


84 Land off Heath Road, East Farleigh, greenfield: 35 units 85 The Builders Yard, Leeds Village, brown- field: not specified 86 Elsfield Cottages, Ashford Rd, brown- field: housing proposed, not quantified 87 Milsted's Field, Hampstead Lane, greenfield: five units 88 Land South of Ashford Road, green- field: 7 Bungalows 89 Yalding Enterprise Park, Hampstead Road, mixture of both: Business space and caravan park


90 Land next to Bridgehurst Oast, How- land Road, greenfield: 40 Homes 91 Teston Field, greenfield: Housing amongst other developments proposed, though not quantified 92 Land adjoining Cleavesland and St Mary's Close, Laddingford, greenfield, 250 units 93 Linden Farm Barn, Coxheath, green-


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