Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Changes delay Kingsmead plans
A planning application for the ambitious development of Kingsmead is yet to be submitted despite hopes construction will start next summer.
Developer Linkcity, formerly Bouygues Development, was due to put formal plans in for approval to Canterbury City Council this autumn following public exhibitions and a second consultation in July, but it is understood changes will be made to the original proposal – known as the Canterbury Riverside project – which has delayed the submission of the application.
Caroline Hicks, head of business and regeneration at the council, says the team at Linkcity, working closely with officers, is looking at opportunities to mitigate any delay to the overall delivery of the scheme.
“As is often the case with devel- opments of this nature, undertaking survey work and investigating revised design parameters which respond to issues raised during the second public consultation have taken longer than anticipated,” she said.
“Be assured we will keep you updated with progress.”
Linkcity unveiled detailed proposals for the huge development in July, which the public was asked to comment on.
If approved, the 10-acre site, which includes the existing Serco depot and former coach park, will boast an eight-screen cinema, shops, bars, restaurants and a new public square for events, markets and an ice skating rink.
The regeneration will also include 500 student rooms or flats, without parking, and 84 private homes, including 65 one and two-bedroom apartments.
In addition, there will be 30,000sq ft of office space, 325 underground parking spaces and a new riverside walkway and pontoon on the banks of the River Stour.
Sue Langdown, chairman of the stakeholders’ group for Kingsmead, insisted stakeholders were pleased with how the process was being conducted.
“The group has met with Linkcity twice this year and we’re hoping to have another meeting with them before the end of the year,” she said. “I think they’ve been very willing.
“We’re very positive about the way it’s been done. We feel it could be a model for the future.”