BGGC BULLET POINTS FOR YOUR RESPONSE
BOROUGH GREEN GARDEN CITY SITE 408 LP29 -- OBJECT
TMBC's Draft Local Plan proposes 3000 houses in the valley between Borough Green and Wrotham, justified by the provision of a "Relief Road" from Darkhill roundabout at Ightham, to the A20 at Nepicar.
A Public Consultation begins on the 1st October for 6 weeks, and we urge everyone to write in objection, however brief, using the title above as a header, and below we list some topics as a guide. It can be as long or as short as YOU want, the important thing is to say something, and submit during the six week period !
Loss of Metropolitan Green belt - the whole site is Metropolitan Green Belt and needs Exceptional Circumstances to allow development.
North Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty - TMBC intend to build right to the boundary of the AONB at Ightham which in itself causes harm to the setting of the AONB. The view from the North Downs into our valley is currently open fields, woodland with just church spires marking our small rural settlements. This will become an urban landscape destroying the setting and views into and out of the AONB.
Traffic. Apart from the obvious increase in traffic generated by an extra 3000 houses, there will be 10-15 years of accelerated sand extraction and landfill, plus construction traffic, all using the existing A25 and A227 because TMBC are not insisting on completion of the Relief Road before house construction starts. And every other Local Authority is planning similar vast quantities of housing.
The real answer to traffic through our villages is J5 Slips.
Transport and Travel Trains and bus routes are already failing to cope with demand - and there is no new money to meet a doubling of the population.
Air Quality. Pollution levels in Borough Green in 2014 were high enough that an Air Quality Management Area was declared, which should limit development. The new development and its traffic will increase pollution levels, and impact public health.
Water Supplies All this development and remediation will be taking place right over the Local Aquifer, risking pollution of our sole drinking water supply
Quarrying History - This area has suffered from sand and stone extraction for over 100 years, and now huge landfill and recycling operations. We have done our bit in the National Interest, it is time the land was restored back to Greenbelt.
Destroying Rural Life - we are a collection of small rural villages, but this scheme will turn us into a vast urban area, a Town the size of Tonbridge or Kingshill.
Disproportionate- This is 44% of TMBC's entire housing proposal, and many urban areas escape completely
Other Topics - Medical Facilities, Schools , and other infrastructure, Contaminated Historic Landfills
Write to Local Plan Consultation, Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council, Gibson Building Kingshill ME19 4LX
Or Email local.plan@tmbc.gov.uk
More info at www.boroughgreen-news.com , your own Parish Council website, or
https://www.tmbc.gov.uk/services/planning-and-development/planning/planning-local-plans
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