Ahead of tomorrow’s TMBC Planning Committee meeting, where the Bradbourne planning application for up to 1,300 homes between Ditton and Hermitage Lane will be reconsidered, please see my statement below.
Throughout my time as a Member of Parliament, overdevelopment has been one of the most persistent concerns raised by constituents, and I have fought hard to protect our precious green spaces from inappropriate housing developments. While I have no statutory authority over individual planning applications, I will always make representations on behalf of my constituents on controversial housebuilding proposals such as this.
Yes, we need more homes, but new development must prioritise brownfield sites first and be infrastructure-led. While I recognise that the Labour Government’s increased housing targets have placed councillors across Kent in an extremely difficult position, we have a duty as elected representatives to oppose substantial and inappropriate overdevelopment when necessary.
The Bradbourne proposals for up to 1,300 additional dwellings would place intolerable pressure on local infrastructure that is already operating at, or beyond, capacity. Approval of this development would make it even more difficult for residents to secure GP appointments, find school places for their children, and travel on increasingly congested roads.
Furthermore, the greenfield agricultural land that would be lost if this development proceeds is becoming ever more important to our food security in an increasingly uncertain world.
The scheme would also remove yet another significant area of open countryside between Maidstone and Aylesford, further contributing to the steady urban sprawl across our rural landscape. This would place additional strain on green spaces and local services from Allington to Kings Hill. These concerns are heightened when considered alongside recently approved developments at Bunyards Farm in Maidstone and Ivy Farm in East Malling, as well as the proposal for a further 53 homes at Hermitage Park.
I also remain deeply concerned about the impact this development would have on existing water supply issues. As many residents will know, South East Water was invited to respond to TMBC’s Local Plan consultation and confirmed that it cannot currently provide sufficient water supplies to meet the needs of more than a third of the homes the Government is requiring the authority to plan for. That is why I have written to the Government calling for an urgent review of housing targets across the South East.
We cannot rationally approve major new housing developments when water companies are openly admitting that they cannot guarantee adequate drinking water supplies. I therefore hope that councillors will give significant weight to these concerns, alongside the views of local residents, when reaching their decision on this application.
