16 / 03 / 24
The Government’s Planning Inspector has completed his two-year examination of the Maidstone draft Local Plan and concluded that subject to a series of main modifications, the Plan is “sound and capable of adoption.”
The draft Local Plan includes Heathlands Garden Settlement as an allocation site along with Lidsing in the north of the borough on the border with Medway. The two sites total 1,310 acres of predominantly greenfield land, roughly three times the size of Mote Park.
The Inspector’s decision is deeply disappointing. SOHL, along with our professional advisors, remain of the opinion that the Inspector has given an overly optimistic assessment of the Heathlands proposal.
What happens next?
The Inspector’s decision to find the draft Local Plan sound allows the Council to recommend it to the Full Council for adoption. An Extraordinary Full Council meeting has been convened for Wednesday 20 March and each of the borough’s 55 elected councillors will be given the opportunity to vote.
Should the majority of councillors vote in favour then the Local Plan will be adopted.
Our intelligence tells us that the Maidstone Conservative Group, currently the largest political party on the council, will be supporting the adoption of the Plan. We are not yet aware of what way the Maidstone Liberal Democrat Group, the second-largest party, will vote.
An allocation in a Local Plan is not planning permission to begin building. The developers (Maidstone Borough Council & Homes England) have a long way to go and a lot of work to justify that the development will work. This includes securing sufficient mitigation on transport, water, environment, health and education provision. They also need to acquire the remaining part of the land!
SOHL is working with Lenham Parish Council and other interested parties to assess whether there is a case to legally challenge any decision to adopt the Plan.
This does not mean the fight is over. Not by a long way.
We need your help though.
What we need you to do
We need as many local residents as possible to meet outside Maidstone’s Town Hall (on the High Street) at 6pm on Wednesday 20 March. We have 30 minutes to lobby councillors as they enter the Town Hall before they go to vote on the Local Plan. The local press will be in attendance.
It’s really important that we can demonstrate a united voice and the significant local opposition to this unbelievably bad plan.
Help Fund Legal Action
We appreciate times are difficult right now but if you feel you can make a donation or pledge (see more below), whatever you can afford, then here is how you can donate:
Cash transfers can be paid to Save our Heath Lands
Account number: 56825161 Sort Code: 60-01-21
Donate online or make a pledge at: www.saveourheathlands.co.uk/ways-to-donate
Every little bit helps. A huge thank you to those who have already given generously to the campaign. All our expenditure is overseen by the SOHL Management Committee and our use of funds to date is fully recorded and available for inspection on request.
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