5,000 homes earmarked for Lenham Heath

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Transcript

00:00These fields earmarked for a massive development. In a recently adopted local plan,

00:065,000 homes are outlined for Lenham Heath. A campaign group has been seeking a judicial review

00:13against Maidstone Borough Council, but updating this packed out community hall,

00:19well they told locals it had failed. What happens next, and we were very prepared for this,

00:25is that we ask for permission for an oral hearing with the judge, with a High Court judge,

00:31and in that our barrister will make the case as to why we believe our legal challenge at

00:36the Maidstone local plan should go before a formal hearing with the High Court.

00:42It was the Conservative-led authority that adopted the plan earlier this year,

00:47but since there's been an election. The newly elected Green Party leader opposes the scheme

00:53and he says he plans to urgently review the local plan.

00:57We cannot start it until we're out of the pre-election period, at the very earliest,

01:01which is in about a week's time. There is a process to go through within the council to

01:08get to that point, but as soon as feasibly possible we will start that local plan review

01:14and we will work on a better plan next time.

01:19Councils will often say it's important to have a local plan, because without it

01:23there's little argument for planning committees to turn down development.

01:27But equally, land earmarked for homes will be attractive to developers.

01:32People do need houses, but they need to get the right kind of houses

01:35in the right place, and that's the principle that we're working on as the parish council.

01:40Parliamentary candidates from the local area were also there.

01:43The proposed development on Heathlands, described sometimes as a Heathlands garden village,

01:47but around 5,000 homes, which I oppose and I have opposed every step of the way for the

01:52last five years, working alongside the campaign group to try and stop this development.

01:56I am totally 100% behind the reasons why they oppose this site. It's huge,

02:03the impact it's going to have on the environment, the strain on the infrastructure is massive.

02:07The campaign group to save Lenham Heath has been ongoing for years,

02:11but a council leader says a review could take more than three years.

02:16Gabriel Morris, in Lenham.