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Maidstone Council’s call for building land and how it will affect East Farleigh

As highlighted by Simon Webb and the Downsmail there has been an extensive offer of land for development in the East Farleigh Parish in response to a request from Maidstone Council. More details from the Downsmail can be found here... Downsmail article about building in East Farleigh

There's a meeting of the East Farleigh Parish Council where this matter will be raised, please come along to the Old School Hall at 7pm Tuesday 5th November.

Here's a letter from Dennis Fowle who is organising a response to the proposals in his loacl area, Priory Close. He urges others to organise local opposition to the amount of the land that is being flagged as potential building land.

Dear Priory Close resident,

Priory Close Residents Association has been made aware of land offers for residential development in our part of East Farleigh in response to Maidstone Council’s Local Plan call for such offers.

The map/plan (below) indicates offers for land very near to Priory Close and shows proposals for Byedew Farm (500 houses between Priory Close and the road to Tovil) and Court Lodge Farm (about 250 houses) on the opposite side of Lower Road. You will see other proposals for East Farleigh, bringing the total number of houses on land offered in our area of the parish to around 900, well above the total number of houses currently in our ancient parish (mentioned in the Domesday Book) of around 700.

The offers for the whole of the borough will be considered by Maidstone Council early next year. They can be seen on Maidstone Council’s website from Monday November 4. They total more than 60,000 houses on about 330 sites and the council needs to earmark about 10,000 to meet the current round of Government demands. Some land offers are seen as speculative with little chance of progressing or face known serious restrictions.

Comments/objections are invited by Maidstone Council by February. This is now on the agenda of East Farleigh Parish Council (it meets next on Tuesday November 5, 7.15) and officers of our own Residents Association have already met to come to terms with land offers near to the Close, to consider their impact and our key points of objection. Other areas of East Farleigh near to us are likely to take similar action and there is already talk of working together.

There are various very significant areas of objection to consider. Key ones at this stage seem to be the severe damage to the character of our ancient rural farming village; the impact at a stroke of more than doubling the population of East Farleigh and the inadequacies of all kinds of services and infrastructure; and the current serious road problems, especially at our notorious amazingly-busy single-lane ancient Listed bridge (plus railway crossing), Station Hill, Lower Road, Vicarage Lane and Dean Street.

As the picture becomes clearer and village action evolves over the next few weeks our association aims to keep Priory Close residents informed.

Dennis Fowle, Dalbury, The Priory, Lower Road, East Farleigh, ME150EX. dennisfowle28@gmail.com