News
downsmail.co.uk MP leads homes quota protest
MP HELEN Grant is leading a delegation of 10 parliamentarians to protest about huge increases in housing quotas set for constituencies in Kent. Mrs Grant, member for Maid-
stone and the Weald, has written to housing secretary Robert Jenrick with a dire warning of the damage a massive house-building pro- gramme will do to the county. Maidstone borough faces an in- crease from 880 homes per year to almost 1,600. Kent is being hit by nearly 3,000 extra annually. The Government’s scheme, aim- ing to deliver 300,000 homes in the south east, is contained in a White Paper which overhauls the present planning system, largely doing away with local government scrutiny and public intervention. Seeking an urgent meeting with Mr Jenrick, Mrs Grant wrote: “By way of comparison, housing num- bers required by the Northern Pow- erhouse regions, such as Greater Manchester, are scheduled to de- crease under the proposed reforms. “Under the Government’s new proposals, new homes will need to be delivered in areas which have already shouldered a substantial amount of housing growth. “They are areas where road in- frastructure is creaking, particu- larly in our towns, where school places are under pressure and where access to GP appointments is proving increasingly difficult. “Local plans ... will be left in tat-
Covid-19 alert
pupils isolate PUPILS at a primary school in Aylesford have been told to isolate after a child tested positive for Coronavirus.
The diagnosis in a year six pupil
at Valley Invicta Primary School re- sulted in the whole year group being sent home. A Valley Invicta Academies’ Trust spokesman said: “The pupil, and their year group, will now quarantine, following advice from Public Health England. Home learning and live lessons are being made available to affected pupils. “The trust’s risk assessment,
which is based on Government and Public Health England guide- lines, has been strictly adhered to. “The wellbeing, health and safety of pupils and staff is our ab- solute priority and we will con- tinue to do everything possible to protect and support them.”
18 SIGNING UP
The 10 Kent signatories are: Helen Grant (Maidstone & the Weald); Tracey Crouch (Chatham & Aylesford); Tom Tugendhat (Tonbridge & Malling); Damian Green (Ashford); Craig MacKinlay (South Thanet); Greg Clark (Tun- bridge Wells); Gordon Henderson (Sittingbourne); Gareth Johnson (Dartford); Rehman Chishti (Gillingham & Rainham) and Roger Gale (Thanet North).
Mr Jenrick has been accused of “concreting out, not levelling up” by Isle of Wight MP Bob Seely, whose constituents face 100% more homes than were originally planned for the south coast island. Some 30 Tory MPs are report-
edly part of a WhatsApp group an- gered by proposals. According to a report in the Sun-
ters and planners will have to re- start the process, wasting so much time and tax-payers’ money al- ready spent.
“There is understandable and widespread concern amongst our constituents about the impact upon our green spaces, including areas of
outstanding natural beauty, the green belt and farmland.
“The proposals also appear in- herently unreasonable, particularly to those local authorities in Kent who have already successfully worked with the Government to deliver the homes we need.”
day Times, figures released by de- sign firm Stantec demonstrate huge increases are planned for Tory-held constituencies largely at the expense of Labour-controlled towns and cities such as Salford, Nottingham and Liverpool which see substantial reductions in hous- ing numbers. l Helen Grant’s column, page 47
Battle to save elds Stroke unit
THE fight to save Forty Acres Field, East Malling, from de- velopment by the hands of house-builders Wates has reached a critical stage. Whilst the initial application from Wates has gone to appeal, scheduled for December 1, the developer has submitted a sec- ondary application to move plans forward for their pro- posed 250 new homes. A statement said: “Wates
have submitted a duplicate ap- plication, which will enable the
(Tonbridge & Malling) council to approve the applica- tion locally, in line with the of- ficers’ recommendation, and will bring forward the site’s many benefits in the short term.” The
surrounding parish councils to the Forty Acres site
– Leybourne, East Malling and Larkfield, and West Malling – are currently crowdfunding to raise the £80,000 estimated for legal representation at both the Wates planning appeal and local plan inquiry. Objections to the initial plan- ning application by Wates will not be carried over to the du- plicate application, so all pre- vious and any new objections must be lodged with TMBC by September 17.
Bob Ulph, chairman of Ley- bourne Parish Council said: “Residents feel strongly about the rural setting of our parish and we’re pleased to be part of the group of parish councils fighting for the surrounding countryside.
“It’s about protecting these fields forever.”
recruiting
THE stroke department at Maid- stone Hospital, scheduled to be one of three hyper-acute units in Kent, is expanding with new staff, extra beds and more patients. The plan took a step forward
after the Court of Appeal refused permission for an challenge by op- ponents against the locations in Maidstone, Ashford and Dartford. But the Secretary of State has still to decide if there should be an in- dependent review of the NHS’s se- lection process. Patients from the Tunbridge
Wells area were already treated at Maidstone, and recently Medway Hospital closed its stroke unit, with patients now being seen at Maid- stone or Dartford. Seven staff members from Med-
way were transferred to Maid- stone, which is “actively recruiting to increase staff members further”.
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