Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Builder ordered to keep more space in giant development
Developer must stick to ‘garden city principles’
Developers behind a 4,000-home ‘garden suburb’ earmarked for the city’s outskirts are being ordered to include more open space in their masterplan.
Corinthian Land’s Mountfield Park scheme forms Canterbury’s biggest planning application of all time.
If built, it would see the city expand to an area four times the size of the historic centre.
Corinthian’s masterplan shows a huge residential scheme on 560 acres of green space – stretching from Canterbury’s southern edge to the village of Bridge.
It has proposed allowing 190 acres of open space, but planning chiefs have now written to the developer suggesting they will not accept the bare minimum.
The authority says that Corin- thian – if following ‘garden city’ principles – must offer more public space than set policy dictates.
In a letter to Corinthian’s agent, Canterbury City Council’s planning applications manager Cherry Jones writes: “We would expect the amount of open space proposed to be over and above the minimum requirement as set out in the draft open space strategy.
“A garden city is defined as a holistically planned new settlement which enhances the natural environment and offers high quality affordable housing and accessible work in beautiful, healthy and social communities.”
Her letter also states that Sport England, the public body charged with the nation’s health and sports promotion, had expressed concern over a “shortfall of sports pitches” within the proposals.
“Further consideration of, and amendment to, both these issues will need to be submitted,” Mrs Jones adds.
Formal public consultation on the application closed at the end of May.
Planning chiefs have said that more information from Corinthian will be available to view in due course and that comments will be invited on this, too.
They have been unable to hint at what this information may contain, but an increased open space provision is now expected.
Alongside thousands of contemporary homes, Mountfield Park would offer retail units, sports pitches, two primary schools and a new site for Kent and Canterbury Hospital, should the health trust decide to move.
A system of residential roads has been drawn up, served by a park-and-ride scheme and with direct access to the A2 via a new interchange.
Canterbury City Council has sifted through more than 150 responses from members of the public.
John Trotter, a spokesman for Corinthian, said “The company and its consultants are involved in on-going discussions regarding all the matters raised in the council’s letter.
“All of the issues raised will be addressed in the coming weeks.”
He added: “The issue of the level of public open space and green infrastructure provision has been discussed in great detail with council officers.
“Mountfield Park exceeds the site specific standards for the South Canterbury Allocation set out in the emerging Local Plan.”
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