Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
DECISION
Will 1,086 homes be built here?
Councillors will again be under pressure from both sides of the fence when they reconsider plans for more than 1,000 homes on the edge of Canterbury. Members of the planning committee had previously rejected a bid for 650 new homes in Sturry - a scheme widely condemned in the community - despite it being reiterated that the land is legally earmarked for housing in the Local Plan.
As a result, an associated housing proposal for 456 homes at neighbouring Broad Oak Farm was withdrawn because it is dependent on the first getting the go-ahead
Housing density had been among the reasons given for refusing the Sturry bid, so fresh plans have been drawn up for 630 homes on the old Greenfields shooting ground - a reduction of just 20 on the original bid. The new Sturry scheme, which includes a primary school and community building, will now be considered alongside the Broad Oak application on Tuesday night. Permission is also being sought for part of a £30m Sturry relief road, the funding for which is dependent on both housing schemes getting the go-ahead.
As well as housing density, the Sturry scheme was rejected on the grounds of a lack of affordable homes and open space, and inadequate protection of neighbouring ancient woodland. After the meeting in November, council leader Cllr Ben Fitter-harding took the unprecedented step of writing to Conservative committee members to remind them of the council’s obligation to deliver the Local Plan.
Planning officers are continuing to recommend approval of the latest applications, with a variety of conditions, including a detailed waste water and sewage removal solution approved by Southern Water.
That could include a new on-site drainage and pumping station which would require a 100 sq m compound accessible to tankers at all times.
It is likely to lead to a heated debate at the virtual meeting on Tuesday, with many of the same arguments for and against being presented.
The new plans have received almost 160 objections, including from Sturry Parish Council, the Council for the Protection of Rural England (Kent), Fordwich Town Council, the Society of Sturry Villages and the Woodland Trust. Campaigner David Wadmore, of the Sturry and Broad Oak Action Group, said: “So little has changed - they have just tinkered around the edges. It’s still a disaster for local people and we will continue to oppose it. “The fact is that the council made a stupid decision with this in the Local Plan and saddled themselves with this problem.”
■ What do you think? Email kentishgazette@thekmgroup.co.uk.