Local Plan Review October 2020

Maidstone Borough Council has released information following the Call for Sites consultation in 2019.

https://localplan.maidstone.gov.uk/home/local-plan-review

Marden Parish Council (MPC) has met on several occasions, along with members of the public and Marden Planning Opposition Group, to discuss this information and to put together a response to the MBC Strategic Planning and Infrastructure (SPI) Committee in November. 

MPC's responses earlier this year are being expanded in light of the recent information from MBC. Cllrs agreed the responses at the Full Council meeting on 27th October.  The documents, renamed Annex A to B and the letter, both of which have been sent to all MBC SPI Committee Members and Substitute Members, Helen Grant MP, County Cllr Eric Hotson and Borough Cllr Annabelle Blackmore, can be viewed below.

Cllr Kate Tippen will be attending the virtual SPI Meeting on 9th November to give a prepared statement.

 Marden Parish Council has no present intention to meet with the developer because of our fundamental objections to the Site 309 proposals as repeated in our recent ‘Maidstone Borough Council Local Plan Review: Frequently Asked Questions – October 2020’ document:

This site is being promoted as a new ‘garden community’ but its nature and location fails to meet the

requirements in MBC’s prospectus for “urban extensions” or “new settlements”. It is demonstrably neither

an extension to the urban area (which in the local plan means the town of Maidstone) or a new settlement

separate from an existing village.

 Instead, it would rapidly become a ‘cuckoo’s nest’ development, overpowering and fundamentally altering the

character of Marden in a way wholly incompatible with the ‘Garden City’ principles it purports to adopt and

being the complete opposite of the clear intention of the Marden Neighbourhood Plan...

 The site is of a size and location that would not allow for suitable mitigation schemes to be physically or

financially implemented which would adequately mitigate the impacts... The site is therefore neither

sustainable development nor deliverable within the timescale of the revised Maidstone Local Plan and should

not therefore be included.

MPC's stance on all the sites remains the same as their response from the previous consultation http://www.mardenkent-pc.gov.uk/community/marden-parish-council-13394/mbc-local-plan-review/

Meetings have been held on 29th September and 3rd, 6th, 13th and 20 October. It is also on the agenda for Full Council on 27th October. 

MPC have put together "Further Asked Questions" on this (see below).