Heathlands Garden Settlement SPD

Comment

Representation ID: 109

Received: 18/11/2025

Respondent: N/A Jsoffen

What is meant by affordable housing? Who is expected to afford it? Who is expected to live there - overspill from London and other Councils?
The area is fully stretched already - eg motorway (operation BROCK), A20 cannot take any more traffic, water shortages to current communities, old pipework - which water companies already canot maintain. Who pays for all of this - higher taxes, Council charges? Certainly not the developers who will say the money has run out and so S106 money won't materialise as promised.
What train and bus services - they already say it's uneconomic so there will be fewer?
Semi-natural wildlife parks, designed open spaces will further destroy natural habitats/nature. Plus, farmland is needed as farmland - not for building over.
This plan is a total disaster and not wanted by the community who have every right to say NO and to be listened to.

Comment noted.
The Government's National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) sets out the definition of affordable housing. Maidstone Borough Council keeps a Housing Register of people who want to be considered for subsidised housing and operate a Housing Allocation Scheme in accordance with the statutory provisions contained in law.
Section D of the SPD sets out at Paragraph 7.2.5 that infrastructure will be secured at the appropriate time as the development comes forward through the use of planning conditions and legal agreements.
Section C of the SPD sets out at 6.11 the range of necessary public transport improvements including the requirement for a new rail station and improved bus services.
Section C of the SPD sets out at 6.2 and 6.3 the key guidelines and principles relating to green and blue infrastructure, including the need to bring forward a diverse and connected network of habitats across the site and a 20% increase through Biodiversity Net Gain.