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* * * News for 27th November 2004 * * *

Rochester South & Horsted: 27th November 2004

House More Controversial Planning Applications in Horsted

A new Care Home and a Telecommunications (mobile phone) Mast are proposed for the Horsted area

The Mid-Kent College migration, and the outline planning application for housing on the Horsted campus that has come from this, is clearly the biggest and most controversial planning application we have seen concerning any site in the Horsted area for several years. Even so, there are other planning applications coming forward for nearby locations that are also meeting strong local opposition. These two have both reached a particular stage this weekend:

No. 20 The Ridgeway
This old police house, more recently used as a residential facility for disabled children, is now proposed for demolition and to be replaced by a huge (double the size of the existing property) solid block resembling a Travel Lodge that is intended to be a Care Home for adults with mental health problems. This was earlier disguised as being intended for children again, but the real purpose has now been formally admitted.

Today (Saturday 27th November 2004) a very well-attended site visit was held there, with around forty residents and nine councillors including local ward councillors Ron Hewett and John Ward. This planning application is due to be decided at next Wednesday's meeting of the Development Control Committee — at which a decision was deferred to allow the applicant to liaise with the Planning Dept and local residents in order to come up with a more acceptable design.

Telecomms Mast at the corner of City Way and Horsted Way
This recent proposal is for a 12 metre (forty feet) high slimline mast with various antennae and a big dish, plus four equipment cabinets on the ground. The consultation period has just ended this Friday (26th November 2004) and your ward councillors have been made aware that several objections have been lodged with the planning department of the council.

The ward councillors will of course represent residents' views when this application comes before the committee, and are meanwhile maintaining contact with both the planning case officer and the residents.