Kentish Express Ashford & District
HOCKEY CLUB HOMES GIVEN GREEN LIGHT
GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR OVERTURNS COUNCIL DECISION
A controversial housing project has been given outline approval - despite being refused by Ashford Borough Council.
Ashford Hockey Club has sought for four years to build nine houses on its site, with a lost football pitch being replaced with two in a field across the road from its Ball Lane home in Kennington.
The homes, which will front onto Canterbury Road, are seen as vital in raising the £220,000 needed to renovate the club’s astro-turf in line with safety regulations.
Having being discussed at meetings of Ashford Borough Council’s planning committee, the proposal was eventually refused in a meeting held in August.
Chief among the members’ concerns were the susceptibility of the new football pitches to flooding, and the safety of Kennington Juniors Football Club players having to walk across Ball Lane to access them.
It was also suggested not all fundraising options had been considered before deciding on approving the housing plan, which will see the properties accessed via a new entry point to the site off Canterbury Road.
However, the club appealed to the government’s Planning Inspectorate over the decision - a motion that has now proven successful.
The news that the houses will be built, only after a more detailed ‘reserved matters’ plan is approved, has been met with a variety of reactions.
For Paul Dawson, the chairman of Ashford Hockey Club, it’s a momentous step in a longfought effort.
He said: “Given we’ve been working on this for four years, it was quite a relief in the end.
“I’m feeling quite cheerful about it.
“The fact that we’ve got ourselves some capital is good news for the hockey club, for the Kennington Juniors and sport in Ashford generally as a lot of other organisations use the pitch.
“It’s secured our future for the next few decades which is great.
“Like most clubs, we’re always looking for the next bit of money to keep going and when your particular sport is run on an astro-turf pitch it’s an expensive venture.
“We’re just happy we’ve got to where we’d hoped to get - it’s taken us a bit longer than we’d anticipated but we’re happy to finally be at this point.”
Mr Dawson noted that it is not known when the more detailed proposal will be submitted, and highlighted the delaying quality of the coronavirus pandemic.
Contrary to Mr Dawson’s feelings, ward representative Cllr Nathan Iliffe (Con) expressed some dismay at the newly approved additions to the area.
He said: “I’m disappointed with the Planning Inspectorate’s finding to overturn the decision made by the Ashford Borough Council’s planning committee.
“I maintain the opinion that this site is in a rural setting, this part of Kennington is not a suburb, to see the site developed will be if enormous disappointment to local residents and to me.
“The only silver lining to come out of this is to hope that this development safeguards the future of Ashford Hockey Club and that the club keeps to their word to remain at the Ball Lane site for decades to come.
“I suggest the managing committee of Ashford Hockey Club make a note of the lifespan of the new pitch when it is installed so that they can properly manage their finances and fundraise to cover the costs of its replacement, thus avoiding the need to sacrifice any more of their playing fields for housing in the future.”
A spokesman for Ashford Borough Council said the authority notes the decision of the Planning Inspectorate and it awaits the reserved matters application.
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