Local Plan - SNAFU

Canterbury City Council gaffe delays decision on draft Local Plan

A decision on whether a document earmarking almost 16,000 new homes in the Canterbury district can be put out to consultation has been delayed – because of an administrative error. The document proposes 15,600 new homes on sites in Canterbury, Herne Bay and Whitstable before 2031.

Canterbury City Council was today forced to admit it did not advertise the fact its executive committee would be deciding on Monday whether to approve the draft Local Plan for public consultation. When making key decisions, councils are required to give a minimum five days’ public notice – something CCC overlooked in this case.

It means the decision will now not be heard until the end of the month, sparking criticism of the council’s handling of the process. Opposition leader Alex Perkins (Lib Dem) said:

“Let's just hope there is no one waiting in a brewery hoping to enjoy a party in the next few days.” 

City council leader John Gilbey (Con) admits the delay is frustrating, but claims there was no need to publicise the upcoming decision. He said:

“I don’t think this is a key decision because it’s consultation – it’s not that we’re deciding to do this. We’re putting it out there for the public to look at and have their say. If there’s any doubt then we will take the safe route and wait a week. I’m not happy about losing the time but I’m not prepared to take any chances.”

kentonline 17th May 2013

Local Plan: Whitstable councillor says - Get Involved

Campaign groups and residents are being urged to have their say on a document that will set out plans for the town's future development. At the first public discussion of the draft local plan on Monday, Whitstable Conservative Ashley Clark said it was vital that people got involved.

The town has been earmarked for 400 new homes alongside Duncan Down, between St Luke's Close and the Thanet Way, with a new junction off the Thanet Way. There is also a proposal for a green burial site on part of Duncan Down as well as more pedestrian access.

Cllr Ashley Clark

Mr Clark – who is barred from commenting on the Down plans because of his role as secretary of the Friends of the Downs – said:

"I don't agree with everything in this local plan. But this is not the end, this is merely the beginning. We are going to have a consultation but to do that we need something to put out to consultation, otherwise it would be like herding cats. Canterbury has got off lightly in the past. Whitstable has taken a lot of pain."

Studies commissioned by the council suggested most people's preferred choice for more developments was Herne Bay, then larger villages, then Whitstable, and last Canterbury. [click here to see why this is untrue]

But 70% of people did not support building on greenfield sites.

thisiskent 17th May 2013

Local Plan: extra NHS funds needed for population boom

A top doctor says extra NHS funding will be needed for local health services to cope with an influx of more than 15,000 new homes in the district.

Dr Mark Jones, the clinical chairman for NHS Canterbury and Coastal Clinical Commissioning Group, says it would need extra government cash to deal with an estimated population increase of 40,000.

Dr Mark Jones

He was speaking after the release of the city council's draft Local Plan, which has earmarked land in Canterbury, Herne Bay and Whitstable for 15,600 new homes before 2031. He said:

"We are aware of the development of the Canterbury Local Plan and will work closely with the council to address the opportunities and challenges the proposals present to the health needs of the population. The new health and social care structure enables the CCG to work closely with the council, and other partners, through the local Health and Wellbeing Board. NHS budgets are based on population size so we anticipate an increasing population will be supported by increased levels of NHS funding."

Dr Jones' comments came before a first public debate about the controversial draft plan. East Kent Hospital Trust spokesman Gemma Shillito said:

"The trust has had some early dialogue with Canterbury City Council. We recognise the need to provide additional facilities and housing in the city and now that the plans have been published, we will be looking in more detail to see what impact the plans may have on clinical services delivered at Kent and Canterbury Hospital."

A dozen speakers voiced their fears at a council meeting on Monday, complaining about a lack of consultation and the scale and location of the future developments. The Guildhall was packed for the meeting of the city council's overview committee, where residents spoke against numerous elements of the plan. The document recommends homes are built at a rate of 780 a year, including 4,000 in a "garden city" in south Canterbury.

But a proposal to send the plan back to the council working group to get more input from the community and a reduced rate of house building was rejected. The motion was put forward by Liberal Democrat opposition leader Cllr Alex Perkins, who branded the draft document a "developer-led plan" which local people had not been consulted on. He said building a vast housing estate in south Canterbury was only being proposed to pay for new roads. He said:

"The working group should work with local residents and associations for their vision of what they want in the district."

Cllr Nick Eden-Green, who was a member of the working committee, said he believed the huge scale of housing planned in south Canterbury was "undeliverable". He argued far fewer houses - about 550 a year - was appropriate and they should be built where there was most economic need, like Herne Bay and Hersden.

The city council's head of regeneration, Ian Brown, insisted the council wanted to create communities, not housing estates. He believed the sites in Herne Bay would launch regeneration in the town and fund relief roads at Herne and the Sturry crossing by-pass.

HB Gazette 16th May 2013

Local Plan: Letters

Spend money from new homes on town

I think the construction of new properties in Herne Bay is a good thing (Housing Boom, Herne Bay Gazette, May 9). They seem to be building a relief road, extra schools and a new GP surgery to cater for the extra people.

This means local shops and businesses in the area will benefit hugely. This is welcomed by people such as myself who do have some big plans to promote the town in the future by use of event promotion.

What needs to be ensured is that the tax revenue from the families in these homes needs to be spent back on the town and not in other places like Canterbury and Whitstable. Herne Bay needs regenerating, let's hope Canterbury City Council are not just doing this out of pure greed.

Ben Fisher, Mill Lane, Herne

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Local Plan as good as could be expected

Of all the functions which local government is required to carry out, planning is inevitably one of the most contentious and challenging (Urban Brawl, Kentish Gazette, May 9).

Whether seeking to identify where different forms of development might go and to dratt the related policies in a Local Plan or deciding if planning permission should be granted for anything from a small porch to the largest housing estate, it is bound to upset someone.

The grander the scale, the more the council is likely to offend if it gives the green light.

People these days are far more environmentally aware and have easier access to information. Society as a whole places increasingly greater values on matters like wildlife and countryside conservation, looking after our built heritage and avoiding problems like flooding and pollution. Anything involving more traffic is bound to be controversial.

It is inevitable, therefore, that if it is to identify land for new housing of the scale envisaged, the Local Plan will give rise to concern.

If this scale of housing is needed, there are sound reasons for placing it on the edge of Canterbury to meet sustainability principles relating to travel to services such as schools and shops.

No doubt the council has wrestled with other options and considered them objectively. It should come as no surprise that land south east of the city has been chosen. It has been eyed for development, albeit of a lesser scale, for many years and potentially gives direct access to the A2.

That said, I regret that the city council is forced to find land for this quantity of new homes.

I am also sorry that this land is now under renewed threat of development, particularly as I grew up in the area and fondly recall the mix of hop gardens complete with hop-pickers and their huts, cherry, apple and pear orchards and lettuce fields, complete with tall hawthorn windbreaks which once occupied the land off Nackington Road.

I anticipate and fully understand the likely concerns and fears of local people at the scale of development and its implications and the loss of valued countryside.

Your front page headline screams "Urban Brawl". No doubt, whoever produced that is congratulating him or herself. I thought when I first saw it that you were back to the subject of the city's night-time economy. But the subject of Canterbury's future is far too serious for such cheapness.

The city council will already have expended considerable money and time on what is a highly complex matter - a glance at its website will give a clear idea of what is involved.

There will be disagreements, arguments and serious discussion, of course, and the opposition expressed from Alex Perkins and Fred Whitemore is to be expected. However, it is fairly put and your report includes reference to nothing which constitutes a "brawl" comparable to what might occur outside a pub.

John Gilbey is absolutely right: the city council has no option other than to find land for the number of homes dictated to it by others. If it does not, it faces the very real prospect of people throughout the district facing uncertainty and ad hoc planning permissions being given at appeal to unscrupulous developers, probably at very great cost financially to local taxpayers.

Tim Fisher, Hatch Lane, Chartham

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The main problem with the proposed Canterbury development plan is not what is included, but what is left out.

A further 15,000 new homes will generate a considerable amount of extra trafiic, yet no new roads are planned to cope with this traffic apart from a possible bypasses at Herne and the level crossings at Sturry and Broad Oak, plus a few new junctions on to existing roads.

The ill-thought-out plan to prevent traffic passing through the Westgate Towers caused major congestion problems, showing just how critical the traffic situation is already around Canterbury.

When Ashford was made the main growth town for east Kent, the roads were put in first before the houses were built, resulting in improved traffic flow. The city council should notify the government that it can only plan for the extra 15,000 new homes when it is told where the new roads needed to support such a massive development shall be built.

After all, it is the government's responsibility not only to provide new homes but also the infrastructure needed to support these new homes.

With the government talking about stimulating the economy with more infrastructure projects, this would seem to be the ideal time for the city council to ask for the bypasses around Canterbury that are so long overdue.

Mike Armstrong, Broadview, Primrose Hill, Chartham Hatch

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I cannot help but agree with the comment from Lib Dem leader Alex Perkins about the Local Plan: "I am afraid there is so much wrong with this Local Plan draft it is hard to know where to start."

First, we were told that the publication was delayed to allow a traffic report to be included, but the only traffic report is dated December 2012 and simply confirms the obvious, that all the options increase traffic in already-congested areas.

Secondly, a substantial increase in housing is proposed with little improvement to the road infrastructure, certainly no improvement to the known bottlenecks. For a start, any expansion south of Canterbury must be conditional on a south Canterbury to Sturry link road.

Thirdly, we are all being encourage to use public transport. Two nearby villages have a rail link to Canterbury, Selling and Bekesboume. How many houses are proposed in these locations? None.

But the final laugh must be for the proposed high-speed bus service from the Boys' Langton to the city centre. Why bother? It is quicker to walk.

Harry Macdonald, Churchill Road. Canterbury

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One would have thought that Canterbury City Council would have learned from its Westgate Towers traffic scheme fiasco, but clearly not.

I would like to remind them that they are not all-powerful and cannot do whatever they please.

They are not empowered to alter major roads, cannot relocate secondary schools, and as for shutting down level crossings - they should learn the meaning of the term "ultra vires".

Ray Sanders, Old Dover Road, Canterbury

 HB Gazette 16th May 2013

Local Plan: That's too many new houses to be built

Councillor Paula Vickers and I have sat on the Local Plan steering group for the past several years as Lib Dem nominees. We fundamentally disagree to the proposal to increase the rate of house-building to 780 per annum from the recent level of around 550.

Consequently some of the site allocations are unnecessary, in particular the 4,000 houses in south Canterbury. We have insisted our objections be minuted during meetings at which both Conservative and Labour representatives agreed the higher figures.

This plan has been flawed from the start. It should have taken its cue from the public responses to the earlier and abandoned Local Development Framework. This gave us our best indication of what local people wanted.

We should have first openly consulted with local people about the dilemma between the need to build on greenfield land (we have almost no brownfield left) and the need to build new homes for our changing population. We should have considered the "garden city" option advocated by the government's new planning framework. And we should have done this years ago.

However, we do agree with Cllr Gilbey on one thing. The Local Plan is indeed the most important document ever about the district's future. The population of Canterbury district has grown almost 50% faster than the South East average according to the 2001-2011 census figures. The published draft local plan calls for 15,600 new houses to be built between 2011 and 2031 or 780 a year. For the last few years we've been building around 550 houses a year. This means building 42% more homes a year when we have already grown faster than the south east average. This is unsustainable and a figure of 500 houses a year, or 10,000 over the plan period, is right.

The figures are complex and are explained in the plan. Because we have some sites allocated, because we are ahead of target, and because some new ‘windfall' sites will be found, a 15,600 target will mean 9,916 houses on new, mainly greenfield, sites. On the other hand our 10,000 target will require only 4,316 new houses.

We agree that many of the sites put forward in the draft plan should be considered but that the south Canterbury site for 4,000 houses will risk the historic setting of the city, our main attraction and economic generator. It will cause intolerable levels of traffic and use largely Grade 1 farmland which forms a key green buffer between Canterbury and Bridge. If this site is removed from the plan there is still plenty of choice between the sites left which should indeed be publicly debated.

There is also a major brownfield site in Hersden that was taken out of the plan at the last minute on Cllr Gilbey's insistence. This must be reconsidered together with the Howe Barracks site giving much more choice over where we should build. These two brownfield sites alone could mean 1,000-1,500 fewer houses on farmland.

This plan was promised in November. It was then delayed to January, then February. Latterly we were told by Cllr Gilbey it had to be delayed until May for new traffic modelling data to be included.

This new data has not been given so the reason to delay it for publication late on the day of the local elections does seem extraordinary. It was not a date ever discussed or agreed by any of us on the working party. and clearly a decision he alone made.

Cllr Nick Eden-Green (Lib Dem. Wlncheap Ward)

HB Times letter 16th May 2013

Local Plan: money to flow out of Herne Bay

Hundreds of homes at Herne Bay are needed to pay for improvements to roads across the district, councillors have revealed.

As the area's draft local plan was discussed in public for the first time on Monday, officials said the developments at Altira Park, Strode Farm and the former golf club, as well as near Briary School, in Greenhill would bring in vital cash to pay for a new crossing at Sturry.

Relief route

Developers would also be asked to fund a "relief route" for Herne - but opponents said it did not go far enough and a bypass was needed. Canterbury City Council's head of regeneration Ian Brown said:

"We are trying to build communities, not just individual housing estates. The Herne Bay sites will provide a new regenerative beginning for the town, a new focus and will contribute to new transport infrastructure. In part that will help to fund routes through and the Sturry bypass."

The plan includes proposals for 1,000 houses at the Altira park, together with a new doctor's surgery and community facilities.

The developers would have to pay for new links to the Thanet Way, work to discourage motorists from using Heart-In-Hand Road and make a contribution to a relief route at Herne and the Sturry crossing.

The golf club scheme - of 400 homes, business units, convenience stores and a sports hub, plus care home and doctor's surgery - would also bring in money for the Herne relief route and Sturry crossing, as well as a new footpath to the Strode Farm development. That site will have 800 homes, business units, shops, a new parish hall and cash for the crossing and relief road.

The final contribution is from 600 homes near Briary School, in Greenhill, along with allotments, and community facilities.

But town stalwart Dick Eburne said the plan to improve Bullockstone Road as the relief route did not go far enough. He raised concerns about transport, and said the public transport system would need significant investment in order to meet the target of more people choosing to travel sustainably within three years. He said Herne needed a bypass and Bullockstone Road was not suitable, and that through traffic on the A28 should be diverted.

Members of the council's overview committee supported more development at Herne Bay rather than Canterbury, where plans for 4,000 homes south of the city, near Nackington Road, were criticised. Lib Dem councillor Nick Eden-Green said:

"Put houses where we need economic development, Herne Bay and Hersden, not south Canterbury."

Studies commissioned by the council suggested most people preferred more developments at Herne Bay then larger villages, then Whitstable, with Canterbury last on the list. [This is a lie - click here to see the truth.]  But 70% of people did not support building on green-field sites.

Planned development at Hersden and Broad Oak would also bring in funding for the road network. Lib Dem leader councillor Alex Perkins said:

"Whether we need this local plan is another matter. I would like to refer it back to the local plan steering group."

His proposal was not supported by the committee, nor was one by Labour's Alan Baldock for an extended consultation period.

Consultation is expected to start in June for eight weeks and the plan is due to be revised by councillors in December, with a public inquiry due to take place next summer before the document is finalised.

HB Times 16th May 2013

Local Plan: Griff says - voice your opinion

TV personality and campaigner Griff Rhys Jones has fired a broadside at the new draft Local Plan, which he fears is encouraging "free-for-all development" to help solve economic problems.

He was in the city yesterday (15th May) speaking as president of the campaign group Civic Voice and to launch the Canterbury Society's alternative publication, "The Future of Our City - A Residents' Vision for Canterbury".

The society's alternative vision has been produced with the help of 15 other local residents' groups who feel their views are often ignored by the city council. It also believes building new homes in the district at the rate of 500 to 550 a year - compared to almost 800 proposed in the Local Plan - would be sufficient "to achieve realistic economic aspirations".

Griff Rhys Jones

Griff Rhys Jones wrote the foreword to the 43 page report, which he says is a very important document for Canterbury, written by people who really know their own city. He said:

"There are dark forces at work in the government. Some are seeking to solve some of the general problems in the economy by proposing free-for-all construction in badly-placed or out-of-scale developments. They are promoting profit-led anarchy as policy. They want more development come what may and loosening of the ties they believe prevent it."

Speaking before the launch, he added:

"The results of a Civic Voice survey show that 63% of people say that while they care about where they live, they have no influence when it comes to responding to the major changes that impact on their area. So it's great to see the local community in Canterbury working together to put forward their vision for the future.

The public needs to be aware that the draft Local Plan is soon available for comment. I urge people to respond to it and take the opportunity to voice their opinion."

HB Gazette 16th May 2013

Local Plan - Deceit, Lies and Outrage

As the Local Plan gradually works its way into the public's awareness and (hopefully) gets increasing coverage, I'll be flagging the more obvious spin, deceit, lies, flannel, truth-stretching and the like.

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14th May 2013: thisiskent reported that "Studies commissioned by the council suggested most people's preferred choice for more developments was Herne Bay, then larger villages, then Whitstable, with Canterbury last on the list."

I haven't read all 3,250 pages of the Local Plan fun pack, but as far as I can tell at the moment, the above quote (which presumably originated from somewhere in  Military Road) is bullshit.

The likeliest source of information about who would want what built where would be the Ipsos/MORI poll that CCC commissioned - the report was delivered to them in April 2012.  Here is the question that was asked, and the responses:

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Click it to big it

... and this is how Ipsos/MORI portrayed that result in their report to CCC: 

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Click it to big it

So there doesn't appear to be anything that supports the claim that Herne Bay is "most people's preferred choice for more developments".

Local Plan: What's wrong? Where to start?

CCC Liberal Democrat leader Alex Perkins has panned the draft plan. He said:

I am afraid there is so much wrong with this draft local plan it is hard to know where to start. We clearly do need more housing, but the premise and process here are completely wrong.

For a start, the plan is entirely developer-led. A plan like this should be resident-led. The council should have worked with local residents to come up with a vision for the district - and used that as the basis for the plan. Instead they have just asked developers where they want to develop - and produced a plan based on where the developers see the most profit.

I don't for one second accept that building 800 new homes every year for 20 years is sustainable! The current plan pays no regard to the huge number of homes already being built in other districts across east Kent. Five hundred a year across the district maximum, with no more than a third of those being built on sites in Canterbury is more realistic.

Canterbury already struggles with traffic, air quality and infrastructure problems. This plan offers no remedies for these issues and is based purely on so-called economic drivers. What's more we already have hundreds of additional student apartments being built in the city which apparently don't count toward the total of homes we have to accommodate. So the pressures on Canterbury are effectively doubled.

The answer is fewer houses per year, and more of them on brownfield sites - like the former Chislet colliery, the barracks and the old prison. Surely that is better than the 4,000 houses that John Gilbey wants to build on high quality farmland to the Southeast of the city.

Canterbury's sewers, roads and hospitals are already at capacity. This planning document can only make a bad situation a lot worse.

HB Times 9th May 2013

Local Plan: the vision for 2031

Multimillion-pound plans to build 15,600 homes and transform roads "will support 6,500 new jobs across the district by 2031".

Canterbury City Council's draft Local Plan seeks to change roads in areas including Sturry and south Canterbury and create a new park-and-ride site close to a new A2 junction near Bridge.

The document, which is due to go out for public consultation from June 14 [actually June 20th], earmarks eight major sites of development in Canterbury, Herne Bay, Whitstable, Sturry and Hersden, with house-building and employment land suggestions for additional areas including Howe Barracks, and the current council office site.

The scheme will mean 9,916 new properties in addition to some 4,500 already in the pipeline or expected to be applied for, being built at a rate of some 780 per year, and 96,775 square metres of employment land being created in the next 17 years.

Proposals

Proposals include 4,000 homes, two primary schools, business space, allotments, shops and a medical centre in south Canterbury, which will also benefit from a £20 million junction on the A2 opposite Renville Farm and the relocated and extended park and ride on agricultural land close to the new junction.

Sturry and Broadoak will have a build of 1,000 homes, business units, community facilities and a £12 million bridge over the level crossing, which will be closed, bringing cars out at the park and ride.

CCC chief executive Colin Carmichael said:

"We have had lots of conversations with KCC and highways and in principle they are happy with this. The crossing will be closed and with traffic from Thanet and Herne Bay being diverted this will entirely change the character of Sturry."

Four hundred homes and an extension of the Duncan Downs village green, which will be doubled in size, and allotments are planned along the Thanet Way at Whitstable, another 1,000 homes, doctors surgery and 33,000 square metres of business space at the Altira site at Hillborough, and another 600 homes in Greenhill, near Briary school.

Strode Farm is earmarked for 800 homes, retail, employment and leisure space and a new relief road. The Herne Bay golf club site will get 400 homes, a doctors surgery, care home and leisure facilities. Hersden could get 800 homes, employment space, a community building and games area.

A new retail park is planned for Wincheap, and Howe Barracks could offer some limited development opportunities of up to 400 homes. The Ministry of Defence is understood to be selling the land next year.

CCC is also suggesting an Eastern bypass to run from the new Sturry bridge to the new A2 junction at Bridge. Government funding would be applied for to help with the costs.

Council leader John Gilbey said:

"This is a unique opportunity to get the relief road established even though we can't afford to build it right now."

The aim of the housing plan is to provide at least 30 per cent of the properties as affordable homes for families in the district and to try and keep graduating students who could add to the economy.

It is hoped the homes will also be used by the growing "knowledge" sector in Canterbury, made up of software and IT firms and professionals such as architects and accountants.

The district has seen jobs growth in this area despite the recession of around 36 per cent. Cllr Gilbey said:

"The knowledge sector, such as scientific, research and professional services, is a strong area. Our innovation centre is 95 per cent full and we could do with another one. There are incubation firms for hi-tech industries at the universities and we want to keep these people here."

The draft plan, which will be discussed by an overview committee at CCC on Monday 13th May, will go out for consultation for eight weeks [now 10 weeks]. People will be able to see copies at libraries and online. There may also be roadshows in the district.

It is expected the plan will be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate in Summer/Autumn 2014. The independent inspector will make the final decision on whether the plan is viable. For more information, see the plan at http://tinyurl.com/CantLocPlan

HB Times 9th May 2013

Local Plan: Herne's identity at risk

People in Herne "have right to be concerned" about the inclusion of Strode Farm on the Local Plan.

In it the council says it would be likely to approve plans for 800 homes being built there. The plan also says a relief road would need to be built for Herne, linking Canterbury Road with Bullockstone Road.

Locals have expressed fears of losing village identity and the increased traffic levels that would come if developments at Strode Farm and Herne Bay Golf Club get the go-ahead. Herne and Broomfield parish council clerk Monica Blyth said:

"The issue the parish council has is the majority of the developments proposed are within Herne or within a couple of miles.  This will have a huge effect on the amount of traffic coming through the village and residents are concerned about losing the village's identity. 

We understand that we will probably have to have something built.  We have been talking to the Campaign to Protect Rural England and are hoping to liaise with them about what is the best way forward."

In a questionnaire given to Herne and Broomfield villagers earlier this year, 342 opposed any development of the golf club or Strode Farm.  Another 52 said they would accept the golf club but oppose Strode Farm and 13 said they approved both proposals.

While a planning application for the golf club is imminent, this is not the case with Strode Farm. Developer Hollamby Estates, which has been linked with the site, says that submitting a planning application will be a long way off.

MP Sir Roger Gale says a condition of any development should be that a relief road would have to be completed first, before houses are finished. He said:

"Often people want to build houses to make money and then say we will give you the land to make the road.  We have got to have funding for the whole road first. A road around the village of Herne has got to be done.  Until that is resolved, I cannot see any real progress being made on that site.

Herne have right to be concerned about the proposed development for Strode Farm.  It's not to say there shouldn't be any housing but a massive housing estate would be unsuitable."

Residents have to speak out

An action group like the one which stopped a Tesco being built in Herne has not been ruled out by Herne and Broomfield parish council. Clerk Monica Blyth said:

"It's a possibility, but that was a different issue. The main thing that stopped Tesco was the issue of access to the site and the fact they wanted to extend it more than they had planning consent for. This is a very different issue. we will have to wait and see."

The council also called on residents to air their views when the Local Plan goes out for formal public consultation.

"It is no good signing a petition saying we don't want it. They need to make their reasons clear why this in not a suitable place to have a development."

The Details

A relief road from Canterbury Road to Bullockstone Road would bisect the 800 home development at Strode Farm. Money for this would be contributed to by developers of the four Herne Bay strategic sites.

A parish hall would be built at Strode Farm as well as some local shops. A footpath linking Lower Herne Road with the golf club development would also be inculded. Developers would also have to contribute towards the cost of the new rail crossing at Sturry.

HB Gazette 9th May 2013

Local Plan: grey area at Greenhill

Land at Greenhill would include 600 homes according to the Local Plan.

The vaguest of the four strategic development sites proposed for Herne Bay says it would include community facilities "to be determined".

A series of allotments and leisure facilities would also be built. Developers would need to contribute to a Herne relief route at Strode Farm.

HB Gazette 9th May 2013

Local Plan: school on the golf course

A new school could be built in Herne Bay after land was ear-marked for educational development in the draft Local Plan.

Developers behind proposals for the former golf club confirmed talks are ongoing about putting a new secondary school on the site, along with a sports hub, supermarket and about 400 homes.

A map published with the Local Plan lays out an area to the west of the golf club site ear-marked for educational use.

The Gazette understands a school would be placed where developers initially planned to put a health club and sheltered accommodation.

Mark Quinn

Quinn Estates director Mark Quinn said:

"We have been speaking to several education providers and we will always look to work with the people of Herne Bay to create a community benefit for everyone."

Herne Bay MP Sir Roger Gale said:

"I regard the golf club proposals as very exciting. I have spoken with the developer and more than one school within the area, with a view to creating a secondary school on the site. We could create a satellite grammar school on that site."

Overall, the proposals would include about 400 homes, a Tesco, a sports hub and offices for small businesses. All of this has been included in the local plan.

Mr Quinn added:

"We think our site is one of the strongest in terms of community benefits and we are looking forward to working with Canterbury City Council and the people of Herne Bay to make this happen."

The first phase of Quinn Estates' proposals is expected to be sent for planning permission imminently. The developers are waiting for the opportunity to respond to a council report on the impact the development could have on retail in the area. Several sports clubs have been offered the use of facilities if the plans are approved.

Clive Cripps

Herne Bay Hockey Club chairman Clive Cripps said:

"I am delighted it has been included in the Local Plan. It takes us closer to making a reality what we have been dreaming-about over the past nine months. These are going to be a great benefit to the town. In the form it is planned, it will give the town the best sports facilities it's ever had and is ever likely to have."

Sir Roger said he had also held discussions with Quinn Estates about the inclusion of a school there. He added:

"I don't think the density of houses in this development would be too high"

Lost Identity

Herne and Broomfield parish council has sald it will oppose plans for a golf club development, althouqh councillors concede they wlll probably have to accept it. Clerk Monica Blyth said:

"Residents are concerned about loslnq the village's identity. We will be swallowed up and become a part of Herne Bay and Greenhill and that is not what anyone wants. We understand that we will probably have to have something."

The Details

A sports hub is the stand-out feature of the 400-home development. This would include eiqht hectares of cricket, tennis, football and hockey pitches, as well as open space. A hectare has been set aside for commercial use, which would become the Tesco site it Ouinn Estates' plans are approved. A separate leisure hub would include a doctor's surgery, businesses and a pub.

The plan says 1.25 hectares would be set aside for Herne Bay High School, but this is not understood to be part of the plans for a new school. Space for a care home has also been allocated. A footpath connecting the site to Herne would also be funded with the developers at Strode Farm. Developers would also have to contribute towards the cost of a Herne relief road at the farm and a level crossing in Sturry.

HB Gazette 9th May 2013

Local Plan: Target of 3,000 homes is "over-ambitious"

Almost 3,000 homes, two new schools and a sports hub have been earmarked for Herne Bay in a controversial council document.

The huge developments on four sites in the town were included in the draft Local Plan. It means applications for massive housing estates in Herne, Hillborough, Greenhill and on the former golf club site are almost certain to get the go-ahead.

The document’s release has sparked fears too many homes are being built in Herne Bay, with the town earmarked for half of the district's eight major development sites before 2031.

Environmental groups say the focus is too much on meeting economic targets, rather than considering the environment and people's wellbeing.

Sir Roger Gale MP

MP Sir Roger Gale says he would oppose plans if they were for "little boxes" rather than homes with gardens. He said:

"My overriding concern would be in terms of density of the development, the number of houses being proposed and the transport infrastructure. This is not a local MP saying ‘over my dead body’. It is a question of saying this has got to be right and done in the right order.

I would have been surprised if Herne Bay was not chosen as a large site to meet the district's housing needs. There is a need for housing and, over the last 15 years or so, far too few homes have been built nationally. But I don't want to see the totality of Herne Bay's environment demolished to accommodate the city district's housing needs. The pain has gotta be shared"

Under the plans, 1,000 homes would be built at Hillborough, 300 at Strode Farm, 600 at Greenhill, 400 at Herne Bay Golf Club and 190 on land at Bullockstone Road.

Planning permission for 50 homes on the site at Greenbill has already been submitted by Hollamby Estates, which is also behind plans for Strode Farm. Sir Roger added:

"There is a vast difference between 50 and 600 homes. We need to talk about that and gather soundings of local opinion to reach an acceptable compromise. We need the right kind of housing and that means family homes with gardens. Given the figures before us, I am concerned about the density. The demand is for three to five-bedroom housing. It is a question of making the right kind of provision. It sounds to me like there will be lots of little boxes and if that is so then I would have to oppose it."

Director of the Kent branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England Dr Hilary Newport added:

"The infra-structure constraints are always a concern. We are concerned about the level of housing growth across the board. It is based on over-ambitious growth targets. It does not take into account proper sustainability. This is too much to do with the growth of the economy, rather than the environment and people's well-being."

Canterbury City Council leader John Gilbey has rejected suggestions the authority could opt for fewer homes. He said:

"We have no choice. If we put in for 500 homes a year, it will not get past the first stage of the planning inspection and will be bounced straight back, just wasting money. We need a plan, otherwise it will be a free-for-all for developers and we will lose appeals."

HB Gazette 9th May 2013

Local Plan - Herne Bay

The story so far:

• Maps of the proposed areas in Herne Bay. The cartoon maps come from the Agenda of the Overview Committee 13th May 7pm. I've super-imposed them on a Google map that shows Herne Bay's Urban Boundary.
  
• The Draft Local Plan, to read onscreen or download. 

N.B. The "Land at Greenhill" and "Bullockstone Road" developments are being dealt with in the planning process, as they have already submitted their applications. This is the reason given to explain why they don't appear on any of the Council's Local Plan maps. I've included them in the last map for completeness.

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2013-05 the Draft Local Plan 2013 by HerneBayMatters

Local Plan - Herne Bay, Golf Course

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Local Plan - Herne Bay, Strode Farm

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Local Plan - Herne Bay, Hillborough

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Local Plan - Whitstable, Thanet Way

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Local Plan - Sturry

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