Apr

KCC Local Elections – Eric Hotson

Blog, KCC Elections, Local Elections, News Article

Marden Planning Opposition Group (MPOG), have received a statement from Eric Hotson, the independent candidate for Maidstone Rural South Ward, which with permission, we will relay. This is a statement for the Kent County Council election on Thursday 6th May 2021. Please be aware that this is a different separate election/ballot paper from the Maidstone Borough Council election, both are held on the same day.

“I have supported residents and the Parish Council, by making written representation, in their objections to the additional sites detailed in the draft Regulation 18 b Preferred Approach. The next Call for Sites consultation is due in June/July and, hopefully your policy considerations and evidence base will have been taken into account and supported by your Borough Councillors.

I based much of my objections on the lack of employment and highway infrastructure. In 2020, Maidstone Borough Council and Kent County Council jointly commissioned a Transport Modelling Assessment. A key recommendation from the study was that the Local Plan review should move away from a reliance of allocating sites in Rural Service Centres ( Marden, Headcorn and Staplehurst ) and large villages ( Langley, Boughton Monchelsea and Sutton Valence ) which are less likely to be able to deliver significant sustainable transport improvements. Reference is also made to existing congestion and air quality issues along the A229 and A274 corridors.”