A blot on the landscape

CPRE Protect Kent is firmly opposed to any new electricity pylons between Richborough and Canterbury. There are two routes which are currently being proposed in National Grids consultation. These routes would both likely to traverse open countryside in many places, and we find this unacceptable in 2013. Whilst one of the proposed routes would largely follow, and could replace, the existing pylons, CPRE Protect Kent believe that it is time National Grid started to invest in infrastructure for the future, rather than using this mode of transmission which blights our beautiful landscapes.

The new connection from Richborough through to Canterbury is likely to cut across some truly beautiful open countryside and we must ensure that this area is safeguarded against this type of inappropriate development. There are a number of reasons for objecting to this new proposed line of pylons in this area and we should all fight to ensure that our countryside is preserved for future generations, especially, when as in this case, there is another viable option. We would urge the public to respond to the consultation so that we can make sure these pylon plans are altered so that we might preserve our countryside for future generations.

A range of community consultation events have been planned. The details of these are below and we would encourage members of the public to attend and argue for undergrounding of the proposed pylons.

• A number of important documents have yet to emerge. For example, a rigorous transport plan and a finalised air-quality assessment. The latter is critical given that allocations at Teynham will feed extra traffic into AQMAs.
• There seems to be no coherent plan for infrastructure delivery – a key component of the plan given the allocations being proposed near the already crowded Junction 7.
• There seems to have been little or no cooperation with neighbouring boroughs or even parish councils within Swale itself.

The removal of a second consultation might have been understandable if this final version of the plan were similar to that being talked about at the beginning of the consultation process. It is, however, radically different in the following ways:

• There has been a major shift in the balance of housing allocations, away from the west of the borough over to the east, especially around the historic town of Faversham. This is a move that raises many concerns.
• A new large allocation, with accompanying A2 bypass, has appeared around Teynham and Lynsted, to which we are objecting.
• Housing allocations in the AONB around Neames Forstal that were judged “unsuitable” by the council’s own officers have now appeared as part of the housing numbers.
• Most of the housing allocations being proposed are on greenfield sites, many of them on Grade 1 agricultural land – a point to which we are strongly objecting.

Concerns about the rush to submit the plan

The haste with which the plan is being prepared is especially worrying given the concentration of housing in Faversham. If the town is to take a large amount of new housing, it is imperative that the policies concerning the area are carefully worked out to preserve, as far as possible, the unique nature of the town. The rush to submit the plan is likely to prove detrimental.

As Swale does not have a five-year land housing supply, it is open to speculative development proposals, many of which would run counter to the ideas contained in the current plan. Some are already appearing. This is a common situation, and one that, doubtless, is a reason behind Swale’s haste.

Our overriding fear, however, is that this emphasis on haste is ultimately going to prove counterproductive. This is because it is our view that the plan, in its current form, is unlikely to pass independent examination. We are urging Swale to listen to and act upon the comments being made about the plan and to return the plan to the council with appropriate modifications before submitting it to the Secretary of State.

Essentially, this means treating the current consultation not as the final one but as the ‘lost’ second consultation.

The consultation ends on Friday 30 April and we strongly urge residents to make their opinions known if they have not already done so.

Further information

• Read more on the Swale Local Plan
• Read CPRE Kent’s detailed comments on the plan
• View the council’s consultation document