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Act now to stop plans for thousands of houses around Kent Science Park

Swale Borough Council is looking at supplying even more housing in Swale than has been identified by Government.

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It’s kicking off; Kent Science Park and its developer partners namely QuinnGH DeanAttwood have a habit of ruining festivities so here it is; it affects South Sittingbourne, Rodmersham, Tunstall, Bredgar, Milstead and Bapchild etc.....

Kent Science Park joins assault on Council with plans for 400 new houses

The Kent Science Park is the latest in a long line of speculative house builders to have a pop at the Borough Council’s Local Plan which allocates housing sites until 2031.

Science Park hoodwinks public with false employment growth claims

As the Kent Science Park cooks up yet another growth plan, this time projecting the creation of a further 2,550 jobs over a 20 year timeframe, it would appear that they have got in a muddle over their previously claimed employment figures.

Secretive Plans for New Motorway Junction Fast Tracked as Top Priority

Plans for the speculative new £20 million junction are set to leapfrog all other transport priorities in Swale including the completion of the Northern Relief Road and improvements to Stockbury Roundabout.

The case for major expansion of the Kent Science Park has certainly not been proven.

First we had planning applications for new buildings, then before these were let and some still haven’t even been built, there was a urgent requirement for expansion beyond the security fence to retain Ecologia and service interest from potential new tenants.

Rural roads to suffer if Southern Relief Road is built

New evidence only made available today as part of the consultation exercise expels many of the myths surrounding the Southern Relief Road including the so-called benefits to the rural road network.

Success claims highly questionable

Recent press releases from the Kent Science Park would have you believe that the park has been successful despite the downturn in the economy, with a number of new tenants taking residence. However only a year ago the park had reported a massive drop in the number of tenants based at the park down from 84 to just 60 companies.

Failure to attract new tenants put down to access issues.

Swale Borough Council has reported that it is their understanding that the Kent Science Park’s failure to enact on previously agreed planning applications is due to the lack of access.

Expansion of the Kent Science Park highly unlikely in the next 20 years according to Swale Borough Council

The Council have stated that inclusion of the Kent Science Park within the Core Strategy is a significant risk which could undermine the Core Strategy itself, as deliverability and therefore soundness of the plan as a whole would be compromised.

Costing in excess of £100 million to create just 1,250 local jobs by 2056 is the Sittingbourne Southern Relief Road worth it?

With traffic relief to the town centre its major selling point, and most of the surrounding network predicted to get far worse can this road even be justified on transport grounds?

Bad news for Swale as the Borough Council predicts that only a third of jobs will go to locals

As the Borough Council weighs up the evidence for expanding the Kent Science Park, it is revealed that in line with the traffic modelling projections, the prediction is that a vast majority of the planned jobs would go to people from outside Swale.

Finally the evidence that exposes the myths surrounding the benefits of the Southern Relief Road

We can finally put to bed some of the myths that a Sittingbourne Southern Relief Road will be a significant factor in regenerating Swale’s fortunes.

Swale Borough Council has officially backed the Kent Science Park proposed route for the Southern Relief Road

Even though many Councillor’s present at the LDF panel meeting last Thursday had no prior knowledge or involvement in the decision making process, it appears that someone in the Council had agreed to limit the scope of the traffic model to four alternative routes all of which were drawn up by the Kent Science Park themselves.

The Southern Relief Road is dead in the water

It was interesting to observe the commentary from Councillors on the LDF panel following Thursday’s unveiling of the second run of the long awaited transport model.

Dirty tricks as false rumours are circulated

We are given to understand that rumours have been circulated regarding the Five Parishes Opposition Groups objectives in campaigning against the Kent Science Park expansion proposals. The rumours suggest that FPOG would wish to see the Kent Science Park closed down.

Council leader supports Science Park housing

Cllr Bowles comments in this week’s East Kent Gazette provide an interesting insight into the substance of both the Councils supporting evidence and arguments for the housing numbers being proposed in the Core Strategy

Mass development of Swale’s countryside back on agenda?

The large scale expansion plans have not gone away – they have again resurfaced in Swale Borough Council’s Core Strategy document, supported whole heartedly by Kent Science Park’s management.

A false economy

Evidence provided by Kent Science Park, which Swale Borough Council has used to attempt to justify development options in the Core Strategy document which will ultimately be the subject of a full public enquiry, claims that the park has grown by a massive 14% over the last 2 years.

Expansion without housing is not an option

Mr Speck might wish to distance himself from the housing, but Government policy demands that the new motorway junction has to connect to a major road such as the A2, therefore the KSP expansion plans and the housing are inextricably linked whether he likes it or not.

Swale’s ‘Pick Your Own’ Consultation

Have your say on Council’s plans for the next 20 years. Also referred to as the ‘Council’s Issues and Strategic Spatial Options’ consultation you are invited to comment on all aspects of Swale’s future from housing and employment through to transport.

Study shows that the Kent Science Park has had no impact on Swales’ Knowledge Based Economy

The myth that the Kent Science Park would elevate the Borough’s status in Kent to become the central focus of a knowledge based economy has finally been laid to rest in a specific study from Swale Borough Council.

Landscape Capacity Study casts doubt over viability of large scale expansion.

The land around the Kent Science Park is according to the report highly sensitive, of high landscape value and has a low capacity for change.

Policy Based Evidence Creation – Making the Evidence fit the Policy

Rather than adopting the traditional approach of relying on evidence to support and formulate planning policy it would appear as though Swale Borough Council are adopting policy based on evidence creation in its forthcoming Core Strategy Consultation.

Locate in Kent funded by Kent Science Park

The inward investment quango set up and funded by largely by KCC and the Kent Developers Group a developer lobbying group whose members include LaSalle Investments operators of Kent Science Park.

Late departure for Arrivals Centre

In the summer of 2008 the Kent Science Park promoted its new Arrivals Centre as part of £25 million investment programme to create 500 jobs over a four to five years period. Nearly two years later the Arrivals Centre which gained planning consent on 11th September 2008 has still not commenced. 

Mass development of Swale countryside back on agenda

Back in June 2008 when site manger of the Kent Science Park James Speck stated that “Rural Link road is not part of science park plans.” we knew it wouldn’t be long before the true scale of the expansion plans came to light.

Kent Science Park propose tax on workers to pay for future expansion plans

LaSalle owners of the Kent Science Park have met with planning officers from Swale Borough Council to discuss possible funding options for A2/M2 link road which include a toll on cars entering the science park.

Keith Ferrin on KSP's real ambitions

Cllr Keith Ferrin discusses why he believes the Kent Science Park is all about money and housing and nothing to do with science.

Gordon Henderson on housing to fund roads

Gordon Henderson explains the danger of using housing to fund roads and how this all went horribly wrong with the Queenborough and Rushenden Relief Road where the developers promises have not materialised.