1 week Ago By [email protected] (Daniel Esson, Local Democracy Reporter)
Plans have surfaced for almost 500 homes near a large village, with almost half set to be marketed as “affordable”. Housebuilding firm Richborough is eyeing up land near Meopham for development. Documents submitted to Gravesham council by consultants Wardell Armstrongon the developers’ behalf on April 22 set out future proposals for 470 homes across two sites close to each other in the village.
Both are situated north of Meopham, near Hook Green and cover a total of 52 acres. 350 homes are proposed for agricultural fields east of Wrotham Road near the parade of shops, and a further 120 on another parcel of land south of Longfield Road. Half of the homes on each of the sites are set to be marketed as affordable homes - meaning they will be sold or rented at below the market rate.
On the smaller site to the east, the consultant’s firm writes: “The proposed development has potential to provide a new school car park and drop off area in the eastern area of the site.” They add: “To the east and west of the sites, land is predominantly arable agriculture, with trees and hedges dispersed throughout.” The documents are not a planning application, however, they are an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) scoping report.
Large developments sometimes require EIAs to be submitted alongside them - so developers submit shorter, less detailed versions of their plans to the local council in advance, for the council’s planning teams to decide if an EIA is needed. In this case, the consultants are arguing that “significant effects are not likely as a result of either scheme in isolation, or both in combination”. “The extent of any likely impacts can be successfully dealt with by appropriate technical study and consideration through the planning proposal,” they write, arguing that EIAs are not required.
Under planning rules, Gravesham council’s planning department must decide and respond within the next three weeks. Richborough has been asked when they may submit a full planning application..
