Questions over decision

The Planning Inspectorate upholding the Ashford Hockey Club appeal is concerning because a read of the decision notice shows the identified main issues ignored the fundamental two, and within the document these were summarily dismissed.

Questions will now be asked of the Inspectorate directly. What needed to be closely scrutinised should have been the health and safety of the children and the permanency of the replacement pitches. Both these were the grounds for refusal by the planning committee in face of the Ashford Borough Council officer’s recommendation to approve.

It should be remembered this is not a normal planning application per se.

The replacement pitches are in a flood zone, to the bottom of an escarpment, and subject to surface water to make the ground slippery and dangerous at times.

Indeed, during this winter’s rain fall it was permanently waterlogged.

The slippery nature of the surface by water is a severe safety hazard to bad injury. The lease disallows any buildings for the children to use, access by emergency vehicles non-existent and placed some distance away, and emergency attendance needing to negotiate a narrow public footpath over a stream.

To get to the pitches, children will have to walk some 600 yards across a busy car park. If I was a parent I would be concerned and consider holding AHC and Kennington Juniors Football Club to account for any injury to my child.

Also, the lease agreement between AHC and the land owner gives either party a 12-month break clause.

How can this arrangement satisfy the fundamental FA condition for them to be permanent?

What now worries residents is this comes on the back of the Conningbrook Park recent approval, the AHC plan showing a dead-end road into AHC land between the housing, and the replacement pitches lease easily being broken within 12 months. This raises the spectre of the 2008 development plan covertly resurrected i.e. move AHC to Conningbrook Park, and the lost ABC housing number moved to AHC land. To reassure residents, ABC, Quinn Estates [the developer behind Conningbrook Park] and AHC need to publicly declare this is not and will never be the case and AHC land never turned over to housing.

Cllr Winston Michael

Goat Lees ward, Independent