Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople Development Plan Document

Disagree

Formal Objection to Traveller Site Expansion DPD CONSULTATION The Meadow, Chartway Street, Sutton Valence ME17 3JB Proposal: Development of 15 additional traveller pitches adjacent to 35+ existing permitted pitches (20 Pitt Road, 4 Crossdrive, 11 Chartway Street) 1. Overconcentration of Traveller Sites The proposal would create a cluster exceeding 50 pitches, contrary to the PPTS requirement for fair and balanced distribution and conflicting with DPD Policy GT1 and Local Plan Policy SP17. This level of concentration places a disproportionate burden on one rural community and risks undermining the positive, long-established relations between existing Traveller families and settled residents. Sustainable community cohesion depends on proportionate, well-distributed provision, which this proposal does not achieve. 2. Strain on Local Infrastructure & Services Local schools are full, and the nearest GP practice is not accepting new patients. Planning policy requires development to be supported by adequate infrastructure, which is not available in this location. Utilities and local services are already under pressure from existing Traveller sites in the immediate area, and further intensification would worsen this. 3. Highway Safety & Traffic Impact Chartway Street is heavily used by HGVs serving Winterwood, Griffins, Street Farm and Finches Caravan Park. Traveller children regularly use pony-drawn carts along this route, increasing vulnerability on an already hazardous road. Pitt Road is a single-track lane serving 20 pitches, 12 houses, a car dealership, a touring caravan park and holiday lets. It is also used as a rat-run to avoid congestion at Five Wents and Warmlake crossroads. The junction with Chartway Street sits on a blind bend where vehicles and children with horses must cross in front of oncoming traffic. Any increase in traffic would exacerbate existing dangers, contrary to NPPF paragraph 111 and Local Plan Policy DM1. 4. Environmental & Amenity Impacts The proposal would increase noise, lighting and general activity, harming local amenity (DM1, PPTS Policy H). The site forms part of a biodiversity corridor, and further development risks habitat fragmentation (DM3, NPPF Chapter 15). PPTS requires protection of the local environment and residential amenity, which this proposal fails to achieve. Planning Inspectors have consistently held that while property value itself is not a planning matter, the perceived impact of a development on the desirability and character of neighbouring homes is a legitimate material consideration where it relates to amenity and public confidence. Appeal decisions across England recognise that fear of harm and anticipated changes to neighbourhood character can carry weight even without quantified evidence. Given the proximity of The Meadow to existing dwellings, the potential for negative market perception should be acknowledged and assessed. 5. Conflict with Local Plan & Spatial Strategy The Maidstone Traveller DPD seeks to distribute pitches across the borough, not concentrate them in one locality (GT1). The proposal conflicts with the DPD's aims of balanced growth, sustainable development and integrated coexistence. The Local Plan identifies need but requires proportionate allocation in accordance with Spatial Strategy SS1 and Policy SP17, which this site does not provide. 6. Landscape & Rural Character The scale and density of the proposal are disproportionate to the rural/semirural setting, conflicting with Local Plan Policy DM30 and NPPF paragraph 174. PPTS Policy C requires rural sites to respect local character and scale — a requirement not met here. 7. Site-Specific Concerns: The Meadow (C4S019) There are already 10 permitted pitches immediately east of the site, intensifying overconcentration beyond what the DPD intends. A high-pressure gas distribution line runs along the western boundary, creating safety and development constraints under HSE PADHI guidance, PPTS Policy H and Local Plan Policy DM1. The cumulative impact of existing and proposed pitches would overwhelm local services, infrastructure and community cohesion. 8. Context from Maidstone Traveller Site Provision MBC's planned 15-pitch public site demonstrates the need for carefully selected, well-serviced locations near schools, healthcare and village facilities. The DPD identifies multiple potential allocation areas across the borough, emphasising distributed provision (GT1, PPTS Policy B). The council's strategy explicitly aims to avoid concentration and ensure sustainable, balanced accommodation. 9. Conclusion This proposal conflicts with national policy (PPTS), the Local Plan and the Traveller DPD. It results in overconcentration, inadequate infrastructure support, increased highway safety risks, environmental harm and erosion of rural character. It is inconsistent with Maidstone's spatial strategy for balanced, sustainable Traveller site provision. For these reasons I request that Maidstone Borough Council removes this site from the Traveller DPD / Local Plan allocations and considers more appropriate, sustainable and proportionate alternatives