For what its worth, this is what I said when I addressed Medway Councils planning committee this evening, although they didnt take any notice of us - shame on all of them I say! START Thank you Madam Chairman and Committee for giving me the opportunity to speak. On Tuesday of this week, a common sense judgement was made by the Airports Commission, with regards to the rejection of a hub airport in the Thames Estuary, particularly on the Hoo Peninsula. This was, and is, great news for local people. The Leader of this Council, Cllr Rodney Chambers, responded to the announcement by saying that “it would have resulted in the mass destruction of habitat and wildlife that could never be replaced”. He went on to say: “This has never been about ‘nimbyism’, this has been about fighting for what is right for Medway and the environment.” Whilst agreeing strongly with the Leader’s remarks about a Thames Estuary airport, I believe his comments should also be applied to the devastating planning application before us this evening. In February of this year, agents for the applicant told me that Lodge Hill would be a new heart for the Hoo Peninsula. I found this remark incredibly disrespectful and insulting to the many thousands of residents living on the Hoo Peninsula, including the many volunteer parish council groups who work so hard to maintain a sense of identity and community in each village, and who try their best when working with Medway Council to give local residents a fair deal. Life might not be as good as we would like it to be in our rural communities on the Peninsula, but we certainly don’t need a gigantic artificial new town plonked slap bang in the middle, with no historical connection or relevance to neighbouring settlements. On the 18th March, at a special meeting of the Rural Liaison Committee to discuss Lodge Hill, a huge number of Parish Council representatives were in attendance – more than I have seen at any meeting since I was elected in 2011. Not one representative at that meeting spoke positively about the Lodge Hill idea. The long evening was filled with passionate, meaningful and detailed accounts from Parish Councillors – each and every one objecting to Lodge Hill, explaining why this application would have such a destructive impact on our existing settlements and to the way of life enjoyed by so many for so long. The feedback from that meeting cannot be dismissed in my view. Allowing development at Lodge Hill would clearly have a huge local impact, but also a large impact at the national level. Not only would it destroy habitat for, perhaps, the most important site for nightingales in the country, it would set a dangerous precedent for all protected wildlife sites across the country. The National Planning Policy Framework has a number of tests to ensure that special sites are protected unless there really is no alternative. If the strict hierarchy of ‘avoid – mitigate – compensate’ is undermined then this has implications for important wildlife sites all across the UK. If this development goes ahead it will be one of, if not the largest, wholesale destruction of a SSSI, destroying more habitat in one go than the total loss to development of SSSIs in the last seven years. The application offers no certainty on exactly where the proposed Nightingale Compensation Land would be (although it is suggested as broadly being in the Shoeburyness / Foulness area, and therefore lost to Kent). Not only is recreating suitable habitat for a nationally important population risky and uncertain, it also has implications for the surrounding designated sites. The idea that developing Lodge Hill would save Capstone Valley is too simplistic. The applicant’s own ‘Development Needs and Alternatives Report’ projects that annual housing delivery of between 1,020 and 1,353 homes is required for Medway. Lodge Hill would provide only 300 houses per year, and reiterates the fact that either new large scale sites need to be found and / or it has to be accepted that Medway cannot meet its needs alone. This housing need should be met through a strategic review, and not the persistent pursuit of unsuitable development at Lodge Hill. Lodge Hill is not a predominantly ‘brownfield’ site. This has been verified by an independent Inspector at the Medway Core Strategy hearings – and in any case, the presumption in favour of development does not stand due to the fact that the area is of high biodiversity value. There are many flaws in the environmental surveys carried out on the applicant’s behalf, as I note from the objections raised by the RSPB, Kent Wildlife Trust, Buglife, Kent Bat Group and the Kent Reptile and Amphibian Group. Arguably, this calls into question the veracity of the whole application. I know some members might be concerned about the consequences of saying NO to this application this evening, with regards to a possible impact on their own wards. But I believe the biggest consequence, for us all, will come as a result of saying YES and approving this bonkers idea. The decision you take this evening, members, will be remembered for many generations to come. The impact of your voting will either begin a process for giving the ‘green light’ for destroying our much loved Hoo Peninsula, or, as I hope will be the case, it could mark the beginning of a new chapter whereby our treasured landscape, full of international importance, history, community spirit and life, will finally be recognised and regarded as one of the most important natural habitats in southern Britain. In conclusion Madam Chairman and Committee, I reflect on my opening remarks, in relation to the comments from Cllr Rodney Chambers. This is not about ‘nimbyism’, this is about doing what is right. The right thing to do is for this Committee and for this Council to reject the Lodge Hill planning application. This would send out the message loud and clear that, in no uncertain terms, we stand shoulder to shoulder with the residents we were elected to serve. Thank you.
Posted on: Thu, 04 Sep 2014 20:11:27 +0000
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