TMBC Planning Meeting re Application TM/24/00372/OAEA

Statement on the Planning Meeting held by Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council on 24th June re Application TM/24/00372/OAEA

Last night at 18.30 the third meeting took place at Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council buildings in Kings Hill to discuss the planned large housing development that will consist of 1,300 homes on the 80ha site between Kiln Barn Road, Ditton to Hermitage Lane, Aylesford and Barming. It also discussed upgrading the current footpath that crosses the East Malling Research site to a road linking Kilnbarn Road to New Road, East Malling (the "sustainable transport corridor").

The previous two meetings highlighted Area 2 and Area 3 TMBC Councillors concerns about the assurance of supply of water, the potential of minerals on the site and the proposed sustainable transport corridor. However, the area planning committees have now been subsumed into a single committee that considers all applications across the borough.

All attendees (including those Councillors who had already seen it) had to watch the same pre-recorded slideshow and commentary presented at the two previous meetings.

When parishes and members of the public were permitted to speak, two parishes (Ditton and Teston) and two members of the public spoke highlighting all our objections. The wide-ranging objections showed the depth of feeling in the area.

Consultants spoke about the concerns raised at the previous two meetings but did not show any substantial new evidence to mitigate the concerns of the committee members.

In the end after another 3.5 hours of debate, and the recommendation to approve from the Director of Planning, the committee voted by 10 votes to 3 to record that they are minded to refuse the application. The legal team at Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council is concerned that the reasons recorded as grounds for refusal are likely to be subject to a legal appeal by the landowner. TMBC will now undertake a costing exercise to determine the potential costs such that the Planning Committee is fully informed of the potential financial impact of a legal appeal before a formal decision is made.

It means that now after 9.5 hours over 3 meetings, another meeting will be needed to determine if the plan is refused formally.

DPC will issue updates covering any new announcements and will continue to work alongside local TMBC councillors to resist the application