Last chance to stop Heathlands

04 / 04 / 23

SOHL has played a critical role in holding Maidstone Borough Council to account over the last three years, fighting on behalf of our local community, to stop the Council’s disastrous plan to build a new town of over 5,000 houses on the edge of Lenham. This is over and above the 1,000 homes already agreed in the Lenham Neighbourhood Plan up to 2031.

We are proud to say that we have been a proverbial ‘thorn in their side’ and continue to work closely with Lenham Parish Council in taking action to challenge the Borough Council’s proposal.

….. and the fight is not over yet.

This is our last chance to stop the proposed Heathlands Garden settlement from being included in the Local Plan, but we now need to move quickly to ensure we have the necessary funds for legal representation to challenge the Local Plan – if we are required to do so – which could cost around £40,000.

We urgently need your help. We know times are difficult for many with the current cost-of-living increases, but if you feel you can make a donation or pledge, 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: 600121
  • Donate online or make a pledge, go to  www.saveourheathlands.co.uk/donate
  • If you have cash or cheque donations, please call Kate Hammond 07925 606 236 and she will arrange for the funds to be collected. Cheques are to be made payable to: Save Our Heath Lands.

Every little bit will help. A huge thank you to all those who have already given generously to support 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.

 

 

Our new Supporters’ Pledge Fund

We have spent the last three years opposing the disastrous Heathlands proposal through the regulatory planning system. It is still our hope that Heathlands will be thrown out in the final stages of the local plan-making process and common sense will finally prevail.

In the unfortunate event that the planning system fails our community, we believe we will be left with no choice but to mount a legal challenge on the decision to adopt the Maidstone Local Plan, if it includes the Heathlands policy.

To mount a legal challenge, we will have to move extremely quickly, and this could be as soon as July 2023. To help us gauge how much we will have in our ‘fighting fund’ to pay for legal representation we are asking our supporters, who feel they can, to pledge any amount of £500 or more. This will help us know what funds we have before we commit to any legal support and allow us to call upon funds swiftly in an equitable way.

To pledge £500 or more to our Supporters’ Pledge Fund, please visit our website here to find out more and download a pledge form.

What is a pledge?

The pledge allows funds to be paid across only when it is needed.  If the funds are not needed, then the funds stay in your pocket.

What are the funds needed for?

We need funds to pay for legal representation to challenge  Maidstone Borough Council’s plan to build 5,000 houses on the edge of the village. This so-called Garden Community will be 2.5 times larger than the size of Mote Park in Maidstone and will have a devastating impact on Lenham and the surrounding villages.

How the pledge works

  1. The SOHL scheme applies to those who wish to pledge any amount of £500 or more
  2. You advise SOHL, in confidence, the amount you would like to pledge by completing a pledge form. (ADD link)
  3. To secure a pledge, an immediate contribution of 20% of the sum pledged should be paid as a donation.  This will be deducted from your pledge balance.
  4. At this stage no further money is physically transferred but all the pledges will be recorded, in confidence, in the SOHL funding plan.
  5. If/when the time comes that we need additional funding beyond that raised more conventionally, the same percentage of each pledge from all participants of the scheme will be requested.  A two-week notice period would be given in writing indicating the amount being requested. Donations made will be deducted from your pledge balance.
  6. If exceptional circumstances arise which jeopardise your commitment to this scheme, we respectfully request you to advise SOHL at the earliest convenience.
  7. The scheme will be managed by the SOHL Executive in accordance with data privacy laws and overseen by the Chairman of Lenham Parish Council. The system is set up with the utmost discretion and confidentiality.