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Lydden Hill circuit expansion approved by council
The proposal to expand Lydden Hill racing circuit has been approved by Dover District Council.
Some 100 members of the public were at the DDC planning meeting last night (Thursday, January 30) to hear councillors back proposals to pull down the circuit’s two-storey administration building and replace it with a two- to three-floor pavilion including office space, external viewing areas, function areas and six garages. Permission for a new access road from Geddinge Lane and extra land for parking was also sought.
In addition, the applicant wanted permission to carry on motor-racing events 52 days a year as well as use the site for bicycle training and racing and advanced driver tuition. Further, there are plans for corporate events and motorsport experience days.
DDC planning officers had recommended approval of the scheme, but the local authority says the permission includes some 30 conditions, several relating to more stringent noise monitoring. Forty-nine ‘silent days’ including 10 weekends, when no motor vehicles can be used at the circuit, form part of those conditions.
Noise management will be reviewed every six months for the first two years and annually after that.
Councillor Michael Holloway moved for the application to be approved. “There had been racing at Lydden Hill at least since 1947,” he said. “This will provide significant employment benefits.”
Roger Walkden, seconding the motion, added: “Lydden Hill circuit was established before people in the surrounding villages moved there. This scheme would bring significant advantage to the district.”
Peter Walker was another councillor supporting the plans: “Dover needs to be revitalised. Jobs are needed and more leisure facilities are needed. Tourism now plays a big part in our future.”
Dover CPRE had objected to the scheme when it was first mooted in 2015 and maintained its opposition to what was being promoted.
Derek Wanstall, chairman, had said: “The circuit’s proposed expansion can only bring more noise and traffic problems to the nearby village of Wootton, plus the site is within an AONB. Residents’ tranquillity and quality of life can only deteriorate if the expansion is approved.”
Councillor Peter Jull supported objectors, saying: “This has affected people in Denton and Wootton with noise, litter, fumes and traffic.”
It was reported at the meeting that there were 1,224 letters in favour of the application and 98 opposing it.
Wednesday, January 31, 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
