HUGH ROBERTSON ATTACKS JOHN PRESCOTT OVER DESTRUCTION OF KENT'S ESSENTIAL CHARACTER

Hugh Robertson has attacked John Prescott for destroying the character of semi rural communities such as Bearsted near Maidstone.

His intervention follows a strongly worded letter to the MP from the Bearsted and Thurham Society after 250 concerned local residents attended a public meeting.

The issue arises when property developers acquire detached, period houses surrounded by a garden at a price which makes them unaffordable to young families. The developers demolish the original house and then erect three or four separate houses in its place – thus increasing the density on the site by three or fur times.

These mini developments fall below the threshold for local infrastructure improvements or for affordable housing targets. The local community thus sees the character of the neighbourhood destroyed, green space developed and the infrastructure stretched over capacity.

The local council, Maidstone, which should be able to stop this, argues that it is unable to do so because of guidance from John Prescott’s office called PPG£. This states that preserving the essential character of an area is not grounds for refusing planning permission if the density of a site has not moved up to 30 dwellings per hectare.

Hugh said: “John Prescott is reversing a central tenet of planning policy ever since the war – namely that the essential character of an area should be enhanced and preserved.

“John Prescott has already inflicted 12,000 extra homes on Kent, without the infrastructure to support them and now seems intent on developing over the remaining green spaces in our suburbs.

“If he does not change this disastrous policy now, Kent as we know it, will simply be destroyed.”