Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople Development Plan Document

Disagree

I wish to raise my objections to the above proposed site in Water Lane, Bearsted on the following grounds – The site lies within the Kent Downs AONB, which has already been identified as an area to be protected against development for its intrinsic beauty, character and flora/fauna. The site is located off Water Lane, which is a narrow single track lane in places, that as its name implies, suffers from being a water course in times of excessive rainfall and can cause severe problems with vehicular access. The Lane is wholly unsuitable for coping with additional significant traffic from future developments because of its lack of width, no pavements for walkers and very limited passing places for vehicles. The entrance to the proposed site from Water Lane would be via a narrow access road designed for single dwellings and would not be suitable to convey significant traffic from the site. In addition the junction of Water Lane with The Street is close to a dangerous bend and would present a greater potential for road accidents involving traffic leaving Bearsted & Water Lane. Bearsted Green is already a vehicular congestion point because of necessary local roadside parking and traffic from the M20/A20 using it as a cut-through and is easily exacerbated by any size of lorry seeking a short cut. Any future developments in Bearsted will only serve to make this situation worse. The proposed site would add additional pressure to the community’s basic services of schooling, primary medical care and dentistry, which are already unable to provide effective services for Bearsted residents.