Gladman Developments’ plan for 240 homes off Ratcliffe Highway in …
Plans to build more than 200 homes off a busy stretch of road have been met with opposition.
Gladman Developments Ltd has applied for planning permission, in principle, for 240 properties off Ratcliffe Highway in Hoo St Werburgh, near Rochester[1].
The proposal would include 60 affordable homes and would cover a 30-acre site, currently farmland, west of the village.
Plans were submitted to Medway Council earlier this month and have attracted a number of comments from opponents.
Karen Hills, commenting on the council’s planning portal, said: "I feel that without improved infrastructure and the provision of additional doctors’ surgeries, dentists and schools, building further properties is not viable.
"It is already extremely difficult to book appointments with doctors and dentists and schools are at capacity.
"The Ratcliffe Highway and Four Elms Hill are already overloaded with traffic at peak times and, as the only main route off of the peninsular, it becomes impassable when there are road works or a road traffic accident.
"This severely impacts the ability of people to get to work or school and so for anyone who is self-employed, the loss of earnings must be a huge concern especially given the current economic climate."
Another Hoo resident, Janice Watts, believes the "quality of life" for villagers will reduce further should the application be given the green light.
"Hoo was a beautiful village, but has now become an unattractive eyesore where money has become more important than quality of life for its residents," Mrs Watts said.
"How are residents meant to get a doctor's appointment with even more people when it's a nightmare already getting seen?
"Everyone is talking about saving the planet and going green, and here we are talking about losing yet another green area and filling it with more pollution through new housing and vehicles.
"This application has got to be denied if the council has even a modicum of respect for the quality of life for the residents and council taxpayers of Hoo."
A planning statement submitted with the plans says there is a "critical shortage" of housing in Medway.
It said: "There is a need for around 1,700 affordable homes per annum, yet on average only 211 have been delivered in the district (Medway) since 2017/18.
"For many years, the delivery of housing has fallen behind the council’s own targets and below the district’s local housing need."
It added: "There is a critical housing shortage in Medway that is being exacerbated by low development completions.
"More housing development is drastically needed to address this situation.
"The suitability of residential-led development at land off Ratcliffe Highway is clearly established through national planning policy.
"Its development will contribute to supporting the council’s housing land supply, meeting local market and affordable housing needs, and would contribute positively to economic, environmental and social sustainability."
The Gladman application comes just two months after the government pulled the plug on £170m of funding promised to Medway Council[2].
The money was due to pay for infrastructure such as new roads and green spaces needed to support 12,000 homes being built on the Hoo Peninsula.
A new rail link featuring a Hoo Peninsula station was part of what had been proposed but has since been dropped.
However, funding was withdrawn by Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove after the project was deemed financially unviable.
References
- ^ Rochester (www.kentonline.co.uk)
- ^ pulled the plug on £170m of funding promised to Medway Council (www.kentonline.co.uk)