Tag Archives: housing need

Petition: change the housing methodology that’s costing us greenfield land

Posted , filed under Planning
The government is using out-of-date growth projections as it pushes through its assessment of housing need

There can’t be many of us who are unaware of the government’s ‘standard methodology’ that is artificially inflating the numbers of houses to be built on greenfield sites.
Many local authorities are being forced to remove protection from large areas of countryside when in truth there is no need.
In response, a petition has been set up calling for the methodology to be changed. Entitled ‘Change the Standard Method for calculating local housing need’, campaigners state:
“We call on the Government to change the standard method for calculating local housing need. The current method uses growth projections from 2014, which we believe is out of date and more recent data should be used to calculate the baseline amount of housing needed.”

  • If you would like to sign the petition, click here   

Wednesday, May 4, 2022

Otterpool Park

Posted , 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

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