If there was ever a time to support our rural businesses, that time is now

Many of our rural businesses will struggle to survive the coronavirus lockdown – some, it is fair to say, will go to the wall.
Our support for such businesses has never been more crucial. Among so many other things, we value their independence, their courage and their ability to offer us something beyond the mainstream supermarket offering.
We should not forget how important supermarkets have been during the lockdown – without them, it’s difficult to imagine how the system would not have broken down entirely. But… we love our smaller, independent operations and we would hate to witness them fold.
This is an appeal to rally round them as much as we can. Many of course will not be able to host visitors or ‘shoppers’ – but some will be able to get their goods to us.
An example is a shop operating from The Plough Inn at Stalisfield, near Faversham, which is taking food to the local community.
You can order via email (info@theploughinnstalisfield.co.uk) and the goods are packed and prepared at the shop. When the order is ready, you will be called to collect it, with payment taken over the phone.

In the west of the county, we were given details of the situation in Cranbrook, where “the bakers, both butchers, the newsagent and DIY shop are all open, some with reduced hours, providing vital necessities”.
Our caller continued: “Outside the town, both Cranbrook Farm Shop (at Charity Farm) and Hartley Farm Shop are offering online ordering and collection.
“Cranbrook Fishmongers at Hartley Farm is open and offers deliveries to those who are self-isolating. Chittenden Farm Shop, near Staplehurst, is open, selling local fruit and vegetables, protecting the staff with a massive glass screen.”
The county’s horticulture industry is also facing a hugely difficult time, with visitors unable to visit nurseries. Even increased mail order is unlikely to make up for lost sales from customers and plant fairs, all of which are cancelled.
The following is not an exhaustive list but does detail some nurseries that are able to deliver plants to customers:

• Madrona Nursery, Bethersden: can deliver orders within 10 miles (no charge) or further (small charge). Website: www.madrona.co.uk
• Rapkyns Nursery, Broad Oak: catalogue on the website (www.rapkynsnursery.co.uk). Plants supplied by mail order or for collection or local delivery. Email: rapkynsnursery@hotmail.com Phone: 07771 916933
• Anne Gurr, Cranbrook: selling tomato plants by appointment from a stand on the Cranbrook/Tenterden road. Payment by bank transfer. Phone: 01580 713843
• Bumbles Plant Centre, Cranbrook: delivery for orders of more than £50 and a click-and-collect service. Website: bumbles-plant-centre.co.uk
• How Green Nursery, Edenbridge: ‘contactless’ delivery service. Email your order, pay by BACS and delivery will be to a dedicated drop-off point. Website: howgreennursery.co.uk
• Bean Place Nursery, Headcorn: delivery service within 20 miles of Headcorn for orders of more than £25. Also click and collect via the website www.beanplace.co.uk. Collections from a designated spot at the nursery, or orders sent through the post for as long as permitted. It is hoped that open days planned for September will go ahead. See also new Facebook page. Phone: 07841 484822 or 07779 728378
• Blooming Green, Linton: planning a new initiative. Keep an eye on website www.bloominggreenflowers.co.uk
• Golden Hill Plants, Marden: taking orders and payment online. Plants delivered or left at the gate on a trolley. Phone: 01622 833218 (ask for Fiona). Website: www.goldenhillplants.com
• Iris of Sissinghurst, Sissinghurst: with the Chelsea Flower Show cancelled, many iris are available via mail order for as long as permitted. Website: irisofsissinghurst.com
• Frankie’s Farm Shop & Staplehurst Nurseries, Staplehurst: bulk orders can be delivered (minimum charge). Website: www.frankiesfarmshop.co.uk
• Pineview Plants, Wrotham Heath: working nursery, rarely open to the public. See website www.pineviewplants.co.uk and email a wish-list.

Thursday, April 9, 2020

• 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