Extra meeting tonight over Kent local plan that could see nearly 10,000 homes built

Floods of opposition are expected at a public meeting in Canterbury tonight (May 21) to challenge plans for huge new housing developments. Canterbury City Council (CCC) will be hosting an extra public consultation event on its latest draft Local Plan after three previous such meetings were so packed out that some people were turned away.

The meeting, which is expected to once again see a large number of attendees, will be held at the Westgate Hall on Westgate Hall Road between 6.30pm and 8.30pm. It will include the same 45-minute district-wide presentation given at the previous meetings, alongside a 45-minute question and answer session.

In the latest iteration of CCC’s draft Local Plan to 2040, a total of 9,346 new homes would be built throughout the Canterbury district. While this is a notable reduction from the 13,495 previously proposed, many have still expressed their concerns over such housing plans.

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In particular, numerous residents and groups from Whitstable have contested the developments, with over 3,000 new properties planned for the town and its surroundings. These proposals include the construction of a 1,400 home estate on a farmland plot just off South Street.

Alongside the homes, this development would include a new community hub, shops, business spaces, a primary school and a special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) school if approved. Many have been vocal in their objections to these plans, including local anti-sewage group SOS Whitstable, who raised concerns on the impact this project could have on the ongoing waste water issue plaguing the area.

A spokesperson for SOS Whitstable said: “The stark reality is that Whitstable suffers from the most sewage releases per year in Kent, with Tankerton the area most affected. Our local wastewater treatment works is already over capacity and being investigated by the Environment Agency.”

Other key changes that have been made to the latest iteration of the Local Plan include the planning period being reduced from 2045 to 2040/41 and the removal of the proposed Canterbury Circulation Plan. Ahead of tonight’s meeting, Leader of the Council, Cllr Alan Baldock, said: “Creating a Local Plan that will pass muster with a Planning Inspector at the end of the process always leads to the need for some very difficult decisions to be made.

“But we want to hear people’s views – don’t forget, there have been huge changes to this draft compared to the last because we listened to feedback from the public. And if people have questions about the Local Plan, we want to do our very best to answer them.

“We’re very conscious high numbers at some of our previous events meant people were turned away. We hope those people will be able to make it later this month – this event is designed for them.”

A public consultation on the draft Local Plan is now live and will run until 5pm on Monday, June 3 after which the council will analyse the received responses to decide what further changes will need to be made to the Local Plan. The draft Local Plan can be found here and details on leaving feedback to the plans are available here.

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