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Otterpool Park

Posted 14th Nov 16, filed under News, Planning

CPRE Kent has raised concerns about the proposed development of 12,000 homes at Otterpool Park near Westenhanger in Shepway.

Photo: No Otterpool New Town

The masterplan, by Shepway District Council, has won the backing of Government including a pledge of £750,000 capital funding.

However, there is no objectively assessed need for housing on this scale in this area. It will be more than half the size of Folkestone and well over twice the size of Hythe. We are concerned about increased congestion and inadequate infrastructure.

CPRE Kent Director Hilary Newport said: “People living in villages nearby are already being impacted by the huge Operation Stack lorry park. This will blight our countryside and affect our communities. We believe in positive place-making but this needs to be done in the right place with sustainable communities and where there is a proven need. The priority should be for brownfield sites and to build out those planning permissions already granted.”

Fore more information see here and here.

Residents are meeting for an update and to plan their reaction to the plans at 7pm at Lympne castle tomorrow (November 15th). For more information see https://www.facebook.com/nootterpoolnewtown/

November 14th 2016

Directors’ report and financial statements available

Posted 1st Nov 16, filed under News

The CPRE Kent directors’ report and financial statements for 1015-2016 are available to view now.

You can read about our campaigning on issues such as the Lower Thames Crossing, the Operation Stack lorry park and aviation as well as our engagement with local plan preparation and planning issues in general. Plus details of the charity’s financial activities.

You can read the report and accounts here.

The report and accounts will be discussed at the AGM on 18th November. For more information click here.

November 1st 2016.

Devastating impact of Heathrow expansion – our view

Posted 31st Oct 16, filed under News, Transport

CPRE Kent has expressed its concern about the effect on tranquillity and the environment of airport expansion after the Government backed a third runway at Heathrow.
The countryside protection charity has campaigned against airport expansion at both Gatwick and Heathrow, in particular because of the serious impact on air quality and the devastating effect of aircraft noise.

photo: CPRE

“Aircraft noise brings misery to those living under the flight paths, including many people in west Kent,” said CPRE Kent Director Hilary Newport. “The importance of tranquillity cannot be overstated – it is the main reason why people enjoy the countryside, it can prevent stress and increases our enjoyment of exercise and play.”

Photo: Phil Weedon

CPRE Kent also fears the extraordinary pressure that will be placed on the environment and existing infrastructure around Heathrow. Thousands of additional employees and passengers will be drawn to an area of the country already struggling to cope with the demand for housing and transport. Continue reading →

Autumn/Winter Kent Voice out now

Posted 31st Oct 16, filed under Blog

The new edition of Kent Voice is packed with articles and updates on our campaigns, including our recent victory at the Court of Appeal with the quashing of planning permission for 600 homes in the AONB at Farthingloe.

There are lots of interesting articles ranging from the difficulties in getting rural affordable homes built, keeping garden chickens, light pollution and the heritage of hops and orchards in Kent. plus we are encouraging people to try to recruit more members so have included a membership form and also an article on volunteering with us – do take a look.

To read Kent Voice click here.

Pond Farm, Newington Planning Inquiry

Posted 18th Oct 16, filed under News, Planning

CPRE Kent has set out its case against proposals to build up to 330 homes on greenfield land at Pond farm in the village of Newington near Sittingbourne.

We will be taking part in a planning inquiry into the plans by Gladman Developments Ltd. next month. Gladman is appealing against Swale Borough Council’s non-determination of the outline planning application.

Pond Farm, Newington, Photo Vicky Ellis

Concerns include:

the site is not allocated for housing in Swale Borough Council’s local plan
it would increase the village size by 30% and change the character and landscape of both Newington and nearby Hartlip
loss of grade 1 farmland (orchards), loss of hedgerows and risk to protected wildlife
it would increase air pollution on Newington High Street above acceptable EU levels, add to congestion and have an impact on safety on the A2
it is unsustainable with no proper transport infrastructure plans
the Ramblers Association is joining with CPRE Kent to object to the permanent loss of important footpaths used for recreational and health purposes
harm to the setting of important heritage assets

To read our full evidence papers click here and scroll down to consultation responses – there are seven papers in total.

October 18th 2016.

2016 AGM – Friday 18th November

Posted 11th Oct 16, filed under Events

The 2016 AGM of CPRE Kent will be held at 2pm on Friday 18th November at Lenham Village Hall.

Flax field by Vicky Ellis

At the meeting the Honorary Officers and members of the Board will be elected, accounts considered and membership and volunteering opportunities discussed.

Sue Chalkley

Helen Whately

Following the AGM business the Keynote Speakers will be Sue Chalkley OBE FCIH, Chief Executive of Hastoe Housing Association, and Helen Whately MP who will talk about “Delivering Rural Affordable Housing”.

The AGM will be preceded by a ploughman’s lunch at 12:30 (£12 per person). Between 12:30 and 2pm there will be an exhibition of CPRE Kent’s campaigning work, as well as interesting books and gifts for sale.

To view the agenda click here.

To view the invitation and book the ploughman’s lunch click here.

To read the minutes of the 2015 AGM click here.

For nominations see the letter here and form here.

The director’s report and financial statements to 31 March 2016 are available here.
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October 11th 2016.

New design guide will help solar panels shine

Posted 4th Oct 16, filed under Energy, News

Get them right, and they can be an attractive part of your home and lower your electricity bills. That’s the message about solar panels from CPRE and a leading building science centre, who have teamed up to prevent common design pitfalls.

The new guide and summary leaflet on solar design, today published by CPRE and BRE National Solar Centre, show how solar panels on buildings can look good whatever the structure or surrounding landscape [1,2].

Among the various design principles, we advocates the use of panels that match the size and shape of existing roof tiles. We sugges installing panels symmetrically or ensuring that panels fully cover the roof. Aimed at property owners, designers and installers, the guide and leaflet also illustrate how the sun is already helping to power an incredible range of the nation’s buildings – from homes and listed churches to greenhouses and office blocks.

Continue reading →

Dover AGM next weekend

Posted 3rd Oct 16, filed under Events

The Dover district committee of CPRE Kent holds its annual general meeting next Saturday (8th October) at 2pm at The Royal Hotel in Deal.

The speaker will be Kent branch chairman Christine Drury who will outline the work of CPRE nationally and at county and district level and take questions.

Dover lane by Graham V photo

Members and anyone interested in CPRE is welcome to attend. Tea and coffee will be served at the end.

CPRE Kent is keep to attract new members throughout the county. Don’t forget members are entitled to two-for-one or half price entry to many gardens and attractions across England and receive both Kent Voice and Countryside Voice twice a year.

For more information contact Derek Wanstall, Tel: 01304 363610 email: d.wanstall22@btinternet.co

Thanks for your support on Farthingloe

Posted 19th Sep 16, filed under Blog

CPRE Kent certainly hit the headlines last week with our great news on Farthingloe. We won an important victory in our lengthy legal battle to save an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and two judges at the Court of Appeal quashed the planning application to build 521 homes and a 90 apartment retirement village.

Not only were we on all the local radio and television programmes but the press coverage ranged from the lead story in specialist planning magazines to a prominent three-quarter page feature in The Times. It was covered well in all our local newspapers (with some good supportive comments) and featured in publications as far away as Portsmouth and Scarborough. Plus tens of thousands of Twitter interactions and hundreds of Facebook engagements.

The Times, 15th September 2016

You may be particularly interested to read the following UK Human Rights blog by clicking here.

We also wanted to share some of the positive comments with you – below is just a snapshot:

“My goodness, that is a tiny membership subscription well spent.”
“… just fantastic news! ”
“What a splendid result.”
“It is terrific that the Appeal Court ‘saw through’ the efforts of Dover DC to pretend that they were taking proper account of the AONB.”
“Wow, it has made our day. What a day for all those of us who want to protect our glorious countryside.”
“It is indeed a very gratifying outcome and makes campaigning on such developments worthwhile,”
“Hooray . Well done indeed!”
“This is indeed a landmark ruling and one which offers a lot of optimism for the future.”
“A brave move for CPRE to take this so far through the courts, but vindicated by absolutely the right result.”
“What a fantastic result – great news for the CPRE and the Kent Downs.”
“Hats off to @CPREKent for its fight to save beautiful countryside in the Kent Downs AONB. Campaigning works!”
“Great news, well done @CPREKent”
“Well done @CPREKent We need orgs like u to protect our countryside”
“So pleased for @CPREKent after saving Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty outside Dover from developers.”
“Too right! Congrats @CPREKent Councils should develop brownfield sites & protect countryside”
“Fantastic legal victory for countryside & important precedent requiring decisions to include adequate reasons”
“This is brilliant! Thank you so much! I spoke against this at the original, shambolic planning meeting and I’m over the moon!”
“Restores faith in our legal system”
“I am so glad the hard work has paid off. It is very good news and I finally can celebrate a victory which means hopefully beautiful Kent countryside stays that way.”

Thank you once again to everyone who supports us.

September 19th 2016.

Victory as judges quash planning permission at Farthingloe

Posted 14th Sep 16, filed under News, Planning

We are delighted that we have today (14 September) won an important victory in our lengthy legal battle to save an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty at Farthingloe near Dover.

Two judges at the Court of Appeal have quashed the planning application to build 521 homes and a 90 apartment retirement village.

Lord Justice Laws and Lord Justice Simon allowed the appeal against last December’s judicial review on the basis that Dover District Council’s planning committee failed to give legally adequate reasons for granting permission, contrary to an officers’ recommendation which had made “trenchant criticisms” of the density, layout and design of the proposed development.

Council planning officers had made huge efforts to mitigate the harm while ensuring the scheme was still financially viable. They recommended a reduction in the number of homes to 375 and changes to the density and design to protect the most sensitive part of the landscape. This was ignored by both the developer, China Gateway, and the planning committee.

CPRE Kent Chairman Christine Drury said: “This is excellent news – we have been absolutely determined to save this beautiful and historic area of countryside. The developer and planning committee knew the scale of the development – one of the largest ever proposed for an AONB – would cause severe damage but rejected all efforts to mitigate this. This case is not just important to the people of Dover but for the principles of planning law because AONBs have the highest possible level of protection.”

In his judgment, Lord Justice Laws acknowledged that it was “an unusual case” and that “the scale of the proposed development is unprecedented in an AONB”. He said: “A local planning authority which is going to authorise a development which will inflict substantial harm on an AONB must surely give substantial reasons for doing so.”

He went on to conclude: “I consider that the Committee (Dover Planning Committee) failed to give legally adequate reasons for their decision to grant planning permission.”

CPRE Kent, Natural England, the Kent Downs AONB Unit and the National Trust all opposed the decision at the time and it is astounding that the case was not called in by the Secretary of State despite the strongest advice to do so from his own advisors.

Christine Drury added: “This is exactly why CPRE is here – we will never give up on the countryside. I would like to thank our legal team, our members and everyone who supports us in our campaigning.”

Read the judgment here.

September 14th 2016

Lorry park consultation response

Posted 12th Sep 16, filed under Campaigns, Transport

CPRE Kent has submitted its response to the lorry park consultation, reiterating our stance that a single, huge lorry park is the wrong solution to the wrong problem.

Photo, kentonline

Kent is an inevitable and unavoidable bottleneck in the flow of traffic between the UK and the rest of mainland Europe, and the rising volume of freight transiting this bottleneck is the most important issue that needs to be addressed. The disruption caused by Operation Stack in 2015 demonstrated the fragility of the logistics industry’s reliance on this concentrated route.

Instead of an expensive and damaging lorry park, we call for a solution which would offer real resilience to the nation’s trade and transport links and offer flexible alternatives to the logistics industry, both now and in the future. We believe that investment should instead be made into mandatory improvements in fleet management practices, so that no HGV driver benefits from racing to be nearest the front of a physical queue in Kent in the event of delays in the normal operations of the crossings.

This solution would also put an end to the anti-social ‘fly parking’ of HGVs which blights Kent’s roads, and it would remove the need for the implementation of ‘Dover TAP’ which holds HGVs back in the A20 approaching Dover. While this limits air pollution in the centre of Dover, it causes delays to other road users and merely shifts the air pollution to other areas, such as Aycliffe.

Hilary Newport commented: “We object in the strongest terms to the significant expenditure of public money on a built solution, in the marked absence of a transport strategy that does anything other than support and indeed encourage the steady growth of road based freight.”

In our response we also raise concerns about flooding, the impact on the landscape, heritage assets and the environment, loss of public rights of way and loss of agricultural land.

To read the full response click here.

There is still time to respond to the consultation – the deadline is 23rd september. See the link below for details:

https://highwaysengland.citizenspace.com/he/managing-freight-vehicles-through-kent/

September 12th 2016

Celebrating 90 years of protecting the countryside

Posted 7th Sep 16, filed under Blog, Events

Our garden party at to celebrate CPRE’s 90th anniversary was a wonderful occasion. We had a fitting 90 guests and enjoyed the lovely setting of Hever castle. It was also an opportunity to raise our concerns about airport expansion as well as mark 90 years of campaigning to protect our amazing countryside.

A very special couple joined the celebrations – long time CPRE members Peter and Jean Davies who both turned 90 this year, along with the Queen of course. Peter cut the specially made CPRE cake.

All photos by CPRE Senior Planner Paul Buckley – thank you to everyone who made the event such a success.

Peter Davies, aged 90, cutting the CPRE 90th anniversary cake

Peter and Jean Davies, former Kent members, celebrated 90th birthdays on 26/3/1926 and 15/3/1926 respectively

Among the 90 guests were the chairmen of CPRE Kent, Sussex and Surrey, aviation campaigners, many committee chairmen and members of CPRE Kent, our president Craham Clarke and vice presidents Amanda Cottrell DL and Richard Knox-Johnston.

Julia Robinson from Wakehurst; Sally Pavey, CPRE Sussex; Brendan Sewill, Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign; Duncan Leslie, Chief Executive of Hever Castle; Martin Barraud, Gatwick Obviously Not

Wendy and Graham Clarke with Sarah Sturt from Kent Life

CPRE Chief Executive Shaun Spiers and CPRE Kent vice president Richard Knox-Johnston

Director Hilary Newport, Wendy and president Graham Clarke, vice president Amanda Cottrell DL, chairman Christine Drury

CPRE Kent Director Hilary Newport; Ashford Chair Hilary Moorby; Maidstone Chair Gary Thomas; Kate Britten and Sevenoaks Chair Nigel Britten

Landscape Heritage?

Posted 24th Aug 16, filed under Blog

By Rose Lister

In my last article I asked what you think of when someone mentions heritage. Have I opened your eyes to the idea that heritage covers more than just bricks and mortar? Now let me ask you, what about hills? What of the valleys and rivers that stand stretching and winding through our county? What of the farmlands that make us the Garden of England? Our landscape is something we all use and rarely consider to be an inheritance, a place of magnificence that holds the secrets of our past. Our landscape feeds us, clothes us and gives us shelter. It gives us the air we breathe. Do we really appreciate it?

In recent years our built heritage has been making waves in the planning system showing that what we created in ages past is precious. Don’t you think that the landscape this lies in deserves to make the same waves? Areas such as National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty have long been recognised and now the settings of historic buildings are also making their mark. In 2014 Barnwell Manor in Northamptonshire won an appeal case that affected the setting of a Grade I listed building. 2015 saw a home win for CPRE Kent when the Waterside Park application was quashed due to the developments negative effects on the setting of the Grade I listed Leeds Castle.

However, although landscape that was the main issue, it was the attachment to the heritage asset that made it worth saving. Surely the same curtesy should be extended to our landscape heritage?

Since 2014 CPRE Kent has been fighting a battle to save our landscape heritage. The Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty has been the subject of a skirmish between developers and defenders. The prospective development at Western Heights and Farthingloe is threatening our landscape heritage. Much of the AONB is carefully managed – it is home to much of Kent’s historic fruit farming industry, it thrives with ancient woodland, the landscape holds the stories of generations long gone, even some of the species that live there are endemic. As such this beautiful and versatile landscape has been threatened for the very reason it was designated. It is a beautiful place and people will pay a premium to live in it.

Farthingloe view from Western Heights, photo CPRE

Continue reading →

CPRE Kent protests about phone mast plans

Posted 27th Jul 16, filed under News, Planning

CPRE Kent has objected to plans for two phone masts, both over 300m high, at Richborough because they would cause heritage, landscape and ecological harm.

Richborough, photo: Vigilant Global

Plans for two separate masts have been submitted to Dover District Council – one at the former Richborough power station and one at land to the north of Kings End Farm. Both would disrupt important views across heritage landscape. The area is near the Wantsum Channel, the setting of the historic Richborough Fort. Due to the flat, open nature of the landscape, the proposed masts would represent a substantial and unpleasant feature, ruining views to and from Richborough Castle across this beautiful and distinctive area.

CPRE Kent also believes that the applicants have not demonstrated that they have fully considered alternative sites and other technologies which would avoid harm to landscapes of historical, cultural and archaeological importance. Plus, there is no indication that the applicants have discussed the schemes to see if they could share a mast.

The sites also have notable bird, invertebrate, mammal and reptile species, including golden plover (a Special Protection Area species). The risk to birds is a significant concern of CPRE Kent and this issue should be discussed in detail with Natural England, Kent Wildlife Trust and RSPB.

Planner Jillian Barr said: “We are very concerned that masts of this great height would spoil an important and historic landscape and could harm bird and other wildlife populations. We are calling for alternative sites and technologies to be considered and for mobile phone operators to work together and share masts so there are fewer to spoil our landscapes.”

The full responses can be read here and here.

July 27th 2016

Looking forward to celebrating 90 years of CPRE at our garden party

Posted 18th Jul 16, filed under Events

Wonderful celebration planned to celebrate our 90 years

Monday 5th September, 4-6pm, Hever Castle, £30 per ticket

Ninety years of protecting the countryside, the wonderful landscapes we love and our passion to preserve this scenery and rural heritage for future generations – that’s surely something to celebrate!

So we are looking forward to our special garden party to mark the 90^th anniversary of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, an especially appropriate milestone coming in the 90^th birthday year of CPRE’s Patron, Her Majesty the Queen.

Photo, Peter Smith

Hever Castle in West Kent will provide the perfect setting of a picturesque and historic English castle and gardens. Hever epitomises what CPRE is about: celebrating amazing landscapes and heritage and the importance of campaigning to protect the countryside. The party will not only celebrate our 90 years of campaigning, but will highlight current threats, in particular the effect of aviation noise on tranquillity which has such a big impact on Hever and parts of Kent, Surrey and Sussex.

Photo, Pete Seaward

Tickets are now sold out but we will be posting photos of the celebration and reporting it in our autumn edition of Kent Voice.

Payments can still be made via the button here (scroll down to the ‘merchandise payments’ button) if you have booked a ticket but still need to pay.

We look forward to seeing many of you there – monday 5th 4-6pm, entry to the grounds from 3pm.

CPRE_90_rgb

August 30th 2016.