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* * * News for 28th September 2005 * * *

Rochester South & Horsted: 28th September 2005

House Mid-Kent College and 20 The Ridgeway Updates

Mid-Kent College Horsted planning application deferred for public site visit;
New design for 20 The Ridgeway to be unveiled

Although all three other planning applications for Mid-Kent College's proposed move to the Lower Lines were approved at a special meeting of the Development Control Committee on Monday 19th September 2005, and the committee looked set to approve the housing development outline plans for the Horsted site as well, a passionate speech from local ward Councillor John Ward persuaded the committee to defer a decision until a members' (and public) site visit had been held.

This is likely to be arranged for a Saturday morning sometime in October 2005, and a good turnout by residents of the surrounding area is expected.

Meanwhile, the much-delayed revamped design for the proposed mental health hostel at 20 The Ridgeway has suddenly move forward a pace with a (very selective/limited) invitation to certain residents to attend a showing of the new plans at a date to be finalised in the second week of October.

Unfortunately, this is to be held at the West Kent NHS Shared Services Agency (the applicant) premises on Medway City Estate—not exactly local for the invitees, and decidedly awkward to reach on foot. It is also intended to commence at 6 pm, which many folk will find it hard to make in time, after work.

We are trying to get them to change to a venue near to the application site, and at a later starting time; but are also formulating stand-by plans in case that plea should fall on deaf ears. We are determined to put in a good showing, despite all the barriers that the applicant is trying to put in our way...

Updated: 5th October 2005

The site visit for the College has now been set: Saturday 15th October 2005 at 19am in the college's main hall.

Updated: 15th October 2005

The site visit was held, and though there were difficulties getting leaflets about it out to all areas, there was still a good turnout by residents and all the main points were raised as strongly as before. One interesting twist was that some residents actually favour housing, though they appear to be very much in the minority. Concern at heavy vehicles serving industrial uses of the site seem to have been the root cause of this; though the employment uses envisaged by the ward councillors were very much lighter, such as benchwork, purely electronic products (i.e. web designand software, needing no shipping) and offices. We are als hoping that it will be possible to establish a new secondary school on the site.

The decision on this planning application will be taken this Wednesday evening, 19th October 2005, at the planningmeeting being held at Municipal Buildings Gillingham, starting at 7pm.

Updated: 19th October 2005

The decision has been made, and (not entirely surprisingly) the members of the Development Control Committee voted by a five-vote majority to approve the college's outline planning application (ten in favour, five against). This was a far better result than what had originally looked to be an almost unanimous vote of approval, but not a sufficient change to secure the refusal that most if not all of the nearby residents wanted.

Thus the battle is lost, but not the war! Ward councillors have other plans up their sleeves, and the first of these is already being pursued. Such moves are now the only way the site can be prevented from becoming what many have termed "tomorrow's slum".

If ever there was a need to have local elected representatives of communities, this is it. We shall also need our community's support in whatever we do next, and this might involve petitions and rallies, so do be prepared to support whatever initiative we propose. For the moment, we are working quietly on behind-the-scenes activity, so no-one else needs to be involved at this stage. Any news that can be publicised will of course appear on this website.