Heathlands Garden Settlement SPD

Comment

Representation ID: 503

Received: 14/12/2025

Respondent: Miss Elizabeth Meek

Noble principles that won't see the light of day once developers do their sums. Your points are all aspirations that can't be enforced and so the result will be more homes that aren't eco-friendly.

Comment noted.

Comment

Representation ID: 504

Received: 14/12/2025

Respondent: Miss Elizabeth Meek

Devise a system of fines that developers will have to pay if they don't abide by your lofty principles. Can't so that? Developers will say it's not economic? No, so it's clear that the whole SPD is pie in the sky, aspirational but not enforceable. We'll end up with a standalone sink housing estate plonked in the middle of the country, in full view of the AONB or whatever they want to call it now, completely spoiling the local area. Thanks a lot. I'll be moving away.

Comment noted.
The SPD sets out a range of principles & guidelines, infrastructure and phasing requirements and Officers consider this provides an appropriate level of detail at this stage in the planning process.
Future planning applications will set out more details around the proposed layout of buildings, uses and infrastructure across the site.
All future applications will be the subject of consultation and future decision making.
Infrastructure will be secured through the use of planning conditions and legal agreements, as part of the consideration and determination of future planning applications.

Comment

Representation ID: 505

Received: 14/12/2025

Respondent: Miss Elizabeth Meek

Design codes would be good if they were realistic. But you're up against developers wanting to maximise their profits and market forces. Great ideas will never see the light of day so I'm not going to waste my precious time telling you what you already know.

Comment noted.

Comment

Representation ID: 506

Received: 14/12/2025

Respondent: Miss Elizabeth Meek

Make sure they are enforceable - oh, you can't?

Comment noted.
Design codes will set out a rules based approach to future Reserved Matters applications across the site. These future Reserved Matter applications will be considered by the Council in terms of their conformity with the Design Codes and will provide an important element to control design quality going forward.

Comment

Representation ID: 507

Received: 14/12/2025

Respondent: Miss Elizabeth Meek

All these open spaces will be looked after by private companies that can charge residents - which makes the houses essentially leasehold. That's the next scandal. What's the alternative? The council paying for maintenance - oh, that didn't work either, did it? Although the Scots seem to manage to retain a parks & gardens sector and the French do it very well. But that would mean higher taxes...

The SPD includes guidelines and principles relating to Stewardship at Chapter 11.1 which requires that the approach will need to be financially viable and self-sustaining over the long-term with developer contributions at least over the initial phase before it can become self-sustaining. The SPD states that if charges are required, that they are set up and enforced in an equitable way with local control over the management of the system, with open, transparent and accountable governance.

Comment

Representation ID: 508

Received: 14/12/2025

Respondent: Miss Elizabeth Meek

No way to make it affordable long term. The answer - don't build a garden settlement in the middle of nowhere in the middle of a recession. Or get the schoolkids to do something useful - picking litter, cutting grass. Useful skills

Comment noted.

Object

Representation ID: 509

Received: 14/12/2025

Respondent: Miss Elizabeth Meek

It's two hours of my life I won't get back. It's alright for you, you're being paid to come up with these lofty ideals and have no skin in the game when they come up against the cold light of reality. We've told you all these things before and you didn't listen then, so I don't hold out much hope that you'll listen now. STOP THIS MAD PROIJECT NOW BEFORE YOU WASTE ANY MORE OF OUR MONEY! And fix the potholes & litter, sort out the gypsy problem and get rid of Alison Broom

Objection noted.

Comment

Representation ID: 510

Received: 14/12/2025

Respondent: Miss Elizabeth Meek

It's far too long for most people to bother to read. Frankly, most of us have better things to do. I'm only bothering so you don't say nobody cares. We do care, a lot, but we feel that either you won't listen or you'll use our answers to say for example that xx% agree with xx. The consultation was badly publicised and I doubt anybody would have gone if I hadn't spent 2 days making posters. Can I claim for a ream of A4 and a whole load of laminating sleeves?

Comment noted.
Ideas and initial proposals to be included in the SPD were the subject of informal public engagement in May 2025, with several in person engagement events held in Lenham with Officers available to answer questions and explain the approach.
The Council have included a 6 week consultation period for the draft SPD, in excess of the statutory minimum of 4 weeks to provide stakeholders including local communities time to consider the SPD and supporting documents. In person events were held again in Lenham as part of the current consultation process on the draft SPD.
The consultation has been publicised through various means.
All comments made are being considered by Officers and amendments are being made in light of feedback received.