
Residents have until midnight Sunday (December 12) to comment on Maidstone’s plan for 17,746 houses in the borough, 82 per cent of which are to be on greenfield sites.
CPRE Kent is dismayed Maidstone Borough Council is persisting with a spatial strategy prioritising allocation of greenfield sites ahead of brownfield sites.
This includes 5,000 houses in Lenham Heath and 2,000 houses at Lidsing on greenfield sites under the guise of ‘garden settlements’.
The council openly accepts the strategy is based on a clear political desire for garden settlements, which seems to be being put above all other considerations.
This is despite its own consultants telling it that this is the least sustainable option and will have a significant negative effect with respect to climate change.
We think this is wrong and have made this known in our response.
The consultation ends on Sunday, December 12, at 23.59 and we would strongly urge residents to make their opinions known if they have not already done so.
• CPRE Kent’s detailed comments on the Local Plan can be found here
• The council’s consultation document can be found here
Friday, December 10, 2021