College Scales Down its Horsted PlansResponding to the numerous responses from local residents to its initial proposals for outline consent for its Horsted campus, Mid-Kent College has done considerable work on revising their plans for this site, and has now submitted revised plans.
Their recently-appointed consultant has already been in contact with ward councillors and has met to discuss these new proposals. It has to be stated that they have done a very good job, and the new design is of much lower desnity, has almost as many houses as flats, is now no more than three stories high, and incorporates provision for community facilities such as a doctor's surgery and nursery/primary school.
Here is the revised plan (full size).
If it hadn't been for the severe traffic problems already existing at the Maidstone Road/City Way junction on which this development would impact, this really would be a creditable attempt to help meet the ever-increasing housing targets imposed by central government on this part of the country.
In practice, of course, the highways issues are already so enormous (and worsening all the time) that it would be just about impossible to devise any kind of housing scheme at this location that would be workable in practice. It would need flyovers and underpasses just to avoid complete blockages at the junction (and also at the Shorley Avenue roundabout) especially at the peak weekday morning and evening periods. Even this would merely shift the problems up or down nearby roads and not overcome them.
Local ward councillors have made alternative suggestions to the consultant, along with approaches that could make them possible, in particular for light employment which would be ideal for this brownfield site. Especially bearing in mind that it might not be possible for the colege to move away from the Horsted campus in the end (there are considerable difficulties with the planning application for the Lower Lines planning application at Brompton) a way to repair those of the current college buildings that need it needs to be available, just in case no other way to proceed can ultimately be found. Again, your the local councillors have put workable suggestions to the consultant.
The new planning application (reference MC2005/0229) will need any objectors to submit their representations afresh to the planning authority (the usual Compass Centre address), amended or rewritten as necessary if they had already been made in respect of the original proposal.
Meanwhile, once a copy of the revised plans and some other information requested by ward councillors has been received, as many households in the surrounding area as physically possible will be notified of what is now being proposed, and if necessary a second public meeting will be called.
Remember: it is all being done by the local ward councillors. Attempts by others to jump on the perceived bandwaggon count for nothing and will not help. If others genuinely wanted to help the local residents they would have liaised with us throughout, to avoid duplication and to get their facts straight. It is all obvious in hindsight, of course, but we know that a (thankfully very small!) minority of residents have been taken in by claims by political opponents of the ward councillors. Yes, they should have known better, and this is too important to fall into such traps, but hopefully those few have now learnt this and will not get caught a second time.