MAIDSTONE SECOND WORST BOROUGH IN KENT FOR GARDEN GRABBING

Maidstone has been branded the second worst Council in Kent for building new houses on land previously used as gardens.

Maidstone has been branded the second worst Council in Kent for building new houses on land previously used as gardens. Figures released this week in Parliament show that in 2005, the last period when a Labour/Liberal/Independent coalition was in power in Maidstone, 54% of all new residential buildings built in the borough were built on land classed as residential – which means gardens.

The problem comes about because, under John Prestcott’s planning rules, gardens are classed as brownfield sites and thus are subject to a presumption in favour of development. The Conservative Party are backing a bill seeking to change this to be called The Land Use (Garden Protection) Bill.

Hugh Robertson, the Member of Parliament for Mid Kent, a Constituency that includes Bearsted, Grove Green and Thurnham said,

“These figures prove beyond doubt what we have suspected for some time – namely that considerable numbers of new houses are being built on land that was previously used as gardens. In areas such as Bearsted, it is a common sight to see three or four new houses squeezed onto a site where previously there was one house and a garden. This leads to increased congestion and destroys the character of the neighbourhood.

At a national level, this proves the case for increased legislative protection. At a local level, Maidstone Borough Council must be robust and reject these applications”.