Kent Science Park

The underlying key is a better education system at every level. At the top end we need a university and a further education college (I’m in discussions); at the bottom end we need SureStarts for Milton (we need a site) and Murston. In the middle, we have far too many students leaving our secondary schools without a grade A-C at GCSE and not enough going onto further and higher education. Without higher standards we will not attract high-end added value businesses that currently adorn the M3 -M4 corridor. That is the challenge for our community.

Into this mix, without much notice, comes a Pensions Fund (owned by Mars) wanting to persuade us that their Science Park needs to double in size. It also wants a southern ring road from the A2 to a new exit off the M2. To pay for this - £12 million for the exit; maybe £25 million for the road – it wants SBC to grant a section 106 notice. Basically, if the Science Park can build somewhere between 5000 and 6500 additional houses on green field land then KCC will build the road.

Currently the Swale Draft Local Plan (2007-2017) has a new build of about 9000 homes (mainly on brown field sites). Nine thousand homes is a tough call without the additional infrastructure being agreed and funded. It is after all another 25,000 or so people. The Science Park proposals will put an additional 12-15,000 people into Sittingbourne. We will be relegated. The plan is simply unsustainable. Never mind the Highways Agency opposes a new M2 exit or that there hasn’t been a new Science park built since 2000 without a university attachment, a private science park if it fails to attract science (the current park only has 40% science) will become just a glorified business park and we will all have been fooled.

This is a big decision for our community. I am in touch with all the politicians at national and local level and have further meetings with Cllr Andrew Bowles (Tory Leader, SBC) and my local Labour colleagues shortly.