Public Consultation on the Local Plan Review

Residents who are part of MPOG are drawn from all walks of life with many varied reasons for joining together to object to the so-called “Garden Community” proposal north of Marden. As such, it is likely our group member’s responses to the MBC consultation will vary according to these viewpoints.

Some may oppose development on greenfield sites such as Marden on environmental grounds, especially as this time of climate change. Others may object to the loss of valuable farmland, or the impact on the village’s many heritage assets. Perhaps you may feel that there is no need for new house building, and MBC should challenge the number of houses they have been asked to build. Some may feel that house building is necessary, but only in town centre locations with the existing infrastructure to support them. Others may not wish their country way of life to be extinguished by a town, and some might object to the underhand ‘greenwashing’ of this out-of-scale development as a ‘Garden Community’.

What ever your reasons for joining with MPOG, the important thing is to make your voice heard, so MBC cannot claim that “no one objected”. The time to do this is now – because until the end of September 2019, the Local Plan is being reviewed by MBC.

If you aren’t sure what a Local Plan is (or a Local Plan Review), don’t worry. MPOG have prepared some guidance and information on what the Local Plan is, here.

What should I write?

It’s entirely up to you – anything that you feel is appropriate. MPOG have prepared some guidance notes for those who aren’t sure what to write or are looking for some general tips – download them here and use as much or as little as you wish – although you should write it in your own words ideally.

 

Number of responses received

MPOG’s very own response-o-meter attempts to roughly track the number of responses to the Local Plan Review that have come from Marden residents. If you have completed your response to the Local Plan then please click here to add to the tally!

 

How do I respond to the Local Plan Review?

1. 1. The DIY method:The Local Plan Review document, as well as information on how to respond, is all found here:

       

      https://www.maidstone.gov.uk/home/primary-services/planning-and-building/primary-areas/local-plan-review

      If you are working off a laptop, the easiest way to submit your response is to download the response form (PDF) here https://www.maidstone.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/287793/Response-form.pdf and save it onto your desktop. You should then be able to enter your responses directly into the PDF and, once completed, email it to ldf@maidstone.gov.uk

 

1. The ‘lazy’ method:
   You can also download MBC’s Local Plan Review comments form directly from this link (right-click, and choose Save As)

   With this file, MPOG have already filled in some of the answers for you, but you can edit them yourself to reflect your own opinions.

   This file is in .PDF format, and allows you to type/edit your own responses directly into the file – although if you prefer you can print it out, and write your responses onto it the old fashioned way, then post it to MBC.

   NOTE: If you are not able to add/edit text in this file, then make sure that you are opening it with Adobe Reader – it will NOT allow you to edit the file if you are opening it in your web browser, eg Chrome. Make sure you save it to your computer, then open the file.