A28 Link Road – KCC/CA/0091/2019 – Construction of part of a new road (A28 Link Road) including viaduct between A28 Sturry Road and A291 Sturry Hill and associated on-line improvements. A28 Sturry Link Road, Sturry, Canterbury.
View documents at:
https://www.kentplanningapplications.co.uk/Planning/Display/KCC/CA/0091/2019
This application will be determined by Kent County Council’s Planning Committee. CCC has been a statutory consultee. The relief road is to mitigate the effects of the two large strategic housing applications CA17/01383/OUT (Sturry) and CA/18/00868/FOS (Broad Oak).
These two housing applications and the KCC link road application are intrinsically linked together.
APPLICATION NO. CA//17/01383/OUT – LAND AT STURRY/BROAD OAK, STURRY
Outline application (with all matters reserved) for the development of up to 650 houses and associated community infrastructure comprising primary school, community building, public car park and associated amenity space, access, parking and landscaping; and detailed/full application for the construction of part of the Sturry Link Road and a local road from the Sturry Link Road to Shalloak Road.
APPLICATION NO. CA//18/00868/FOS – BROAD OAK FARM, SWEECHGATE, BROAD OAK, CT2 3QR
Hybrid planning application comprising: detailed/full application for development of 456 residential dwellings comprising 402 houses and 54 flats, with associated open space, landscaping, car parking, access and other infrastructure (following demolition of 52 Shalloak Road, existing agricultural buildings and structures); and outline application (with all matters reserved) for development of a commercial area with up to 212sqm of Class A1 and up to 593sqm of Class B1 use.
The Officers’ Recommendation for both housing applications was to: Defer to the Head of Planning to grant planning permission subject to appropriate safeguarding conditions and the completion of a Section 106 agreement
The above two planning applications for the new Sturry and Broad Oak developments went to CCC Planning Committee on 17 November 2020. View the meeting at https://youtu.be/ik4OhR4Syy0 . The meeting lasts 2 hours 26 minutes.
Members felt there were the following reasons for refusal:
1. Over dense, over-development – above national average and when compared with others in the local area
2. Inadequate protection of and significant harm to ancient woodland which is therefore in breach of a para in the NPPF
3. Lack of useable public open space
4. Inadequate and inappropriate health provision locally
5. Site has contamination of lead, as used as a shooting ground for 60 years, so para 178 of the NPPF is breached
6. The lack of affordable housing
7. Poor layout, resulting in division of the layout by the road
The Head of Planning said he found all the reasons proposed for refusal by Members difficult to defend and urged Members to rethink through the reasons/grounds for refusal.
However Members voted 10 : 3 (with no abstentions) to REFUSE the application.
The planning committee was therefore unable to hear the next Broad Oak application – this application relied heavily on the Link Road through the Sturry application and as Members had just resolved to refuse that application the position of the highways impact on that needs to be reviewed.
The Broad Oak application was therefore withdrawn from the Agenda.
The future is uncertain but it is possible that there will be an Appeal lodged by the developer.
KCC Cllr Marsh has confirmed that the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP) funding of £5.9m to cover the shortfall in funding to build the road and the viaduct bridge has been extended to March 2021 but this is reliant on these applications getting approval.
Cllr Glover has advised that she has been told that the Sturry application will come back to the Planning committee by early 2021. The Head of Planning at CCC is talking to the developer about making amendments to the application.