LENHAM HOUSING: Public meeting on January 24 - details

Wednesday 15th January 2020

A PUBLIC meeting to discuss Maidstone Borough Council's plan to become the "master developer" of the massive housing development at Lenham Heath is to be held on January 24.

MBC director William Cornall, who has been appointed by the council to lead the 5,000 homes scheme, will be on hand to answer questions from an expected audience of 300 people.

Residents have been angered by MBC's "secret" plans to acquire private land to create a "garden community".

Martin Cox, leader of the Liberal Democrat-led authority, will also be attending, as will his deputy borough council leader Faye Gooch.

The Lib Dem authority has already agreed to central government demands for 17,600 houses in the 2017 Local Plan but has warned it may take another 10,500 when that is reviewed. 

Lenham is among the sites put forward as a possible scheme with MBC as the developer, leading to accusations of "pre-determination" from critics.

Tory opposition leader Cllr John Perry, who has been invited to attend, has yet to decide if he will go.

Last month, Cllr Perry successfully persuaded a majority of elected members to take the council's entire housing proposition to the Government via local MPs, pleading the case for a revision of the Government's methodology for calculating housing numbers.

Labour party group leader Malcolm Mackay said: "I said I would be at the meeting and that's the case at the moment."

It will now be down to the affected MPs to lobby ministers of state to make those revisions a reality.

Residents are becoming increasingly worried about the effect large scale housing development is having on the borough and beyond without adequate roads and service provision.

When: Friday 24th January 2020

7:30pm - 9pm

Where: Lenham Community Centre

Groom Way, Lenham, Kent, ME17 2QT

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