Local decisions needed on offices We must not let this happen

Sometimes the best ideas turn out to be not so brilliant after all

year ago, the government decided to excuse the owners of office blocks from the need to obtain planning permission if they wanted to convert them to housing.

The move was a knee-jerk reaction, but it was done to help solve the perceived housing crisis.

And in this area, where there have been repeated pleas to save the countryside, it seemed like a good idea.

Every town has a number of old offices that landlords find difficult to let; why not turn them into handy town-centre pieds-a-terre?

But with the value of residential property so much greater than commercial, the rush to conversion has exceeded all expectations.

Our research shows 17 proposed office conversions in the past six months – and that’s just the town centre. There have been others in Allington and Headcorn, for example.

The net effect will be to increase pressure on outof-town business locations – such as Waterside Park – intruding into our countryside, because in the future firms will rightly say there are no town-centre office spaces left.

The problem is essentially one of too much centralised control. There will be some conversions that it is right to allow, others not so.

Our local councillors are the ones to determine what is best.

Despite all its talk of supporting localism, the government is still not trusting local members to make local decisions.

Editor

News editor I attended the public meeting (October 31) held by Gleesons about the proposed development of Fant Farm.

In attendance were representatives from Cratus, Gleesons and dha Planning.

It was evident they are treating this development as a foregone conclusion.

They said they had already had a meeting with planning officers.

No one made any mention of the grade 1 agricultural land, the railway line the 15th century bridge at East Farleigh or the traffic generation.

Residents are at present fighting a planning application by Jubilee Primary School to put a 420-pupil building in Gatland Lane.

There is no playground and the traffic is a contributing factor against this planning application.

I can see the scenario unfolding: 420-pupil school, school buys Gatland Park for playground, Fant Farm developed, residents told country park on development can be used for football, dog walking etc, no one uses park, they build more houses.

I know the local residents will fight (we are not a divided community). We must not let this happen. The Fant Farm land has been removed from the Local Plan. Someone tell Gleesons. Barbara Skinner, Gatland Lane, Maidstone