Canterbury

If you are a CPRE member living in or close to Canterbury, Whitstable or Herne Bay, are you aware the district council has put out for public consultation a new draft Local Plan?  It proposes several very large new housing developments on greenfield sites.

The CPRE Canterbury District Group is working hard on submitting a response to the district council, due in by 21 October. We have agreed to focus a CPRE submission on five key points:

• Excess greenfield site allocations overall, including retention of Merton Park and Brooklands Farm; lack of master plan or order of priority; mapping of section 106 commitments missing: allocations are not described in a joined-up narrative, leaving open questions about funding from developers for infrastructure, despite some new infrastructure being indicated as expected and obviously being necessary
• Failure to allocate sufficient brownfield sites: not identifying significant new sites and building change of use opportunities, after a desultory call for additional proposals last November; inappropriately low density anticipated on inner city sites e.g. Military Road former council offices, Wincheap business park, Beckett House
• The East Canterbury greenfield site allocations along the A257, especially vague specification of route of link road to A2 across the railway line through Mountfield Park (South Canterbury) and allowing developers to reach 1,000 dwellings occupied before being obliged to fund it
• No update of the draft District Transport Strategy, despite criticisms by KCC Highways of the practicability of the avowed “bus first” approach aimed; full transport arrangements review called for in the light of abandoned and newly proposed site allocations compared with 2024 draft LP version, especially an urban roads capacity review
• What have CCC learnt from delays and challenges to previous greenfield site under the 2017 LP? For example, allocations in Thanington, Howe Barracks, Sturry and Mountfield Park were made with inadequate evaluation of local objections, affordability and viability of new infrastructure to be funded by developers and evident challenges related to accessibility, traffic movements, wastewater treatment, environmental harm, electricity supply, water supply, amenities, provision of schools and healthcare, affordable housing, social housing, green spaces for current as well as new residents to use etc.

If you are interested in supporting the work of the district group or joining it, please let us know. info@cprekent.org.uk

Chairs: Sarah Cassidy and Peter Styles