Sturry housing plan cuts the Green Gap

Peta Boucher outlined the issues arising from the ill-conceived housing development to the west of Sturry (Gazette, July 27).

There is a brief interlude after leaving Canterbury when to the left there is a very pleasant view of fields rising up the side of the Stour Valley with woodland at the top, before reaching Sturry.

This has formed the “Green Gap” to prevent the two settlements coalescing, which has been the city council policy. This was repeated in the 2014 Draft Local Plan as providing “Strong protection through new Green Gaps (... Sturry)” .

Beyond Sturry there is intrusive development all the way to the far side of Hersden.

That, along with much else in that document, was misleading, as the accompanying plans showed the “Green Gap” between Sturry and Canterbury reduced from about 1.2km at present to 350m. A further revision of the Draft Local Plan further reduced the gap to 250m.

You published the developer’s plan which indicated another reduction to about 190m with additional incursions into land next to Shalloak Road.

However, your report suggested that the planning application would be nodded through as it conformed to the Local Plan.

This is not the case and members should resist this departure from an already visually destructive policy document.

Within the Local Plan is an analysis of

Melanie Smith took this snap of an elephant hawk moth on on a fence in South Court Drive, Wingham