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.

This plan has already allocated some 10,800 houses over the plan period, but developers argue that the figure should be in the order of 18,000.

Swale Borough Council spent five years consulting on options and the public and councillors backed the 10,800 houses figure. Ultimately the appropriate level of housing will be decided during the Examination in Public due to take place in November/December of this year.

The Kent Science Park has for some years now, insisted that it was not interested in building housing, so it is disappointing that yet another promise has been broken.

“To put the record straight, the owners of Kent Science Park have no wish to develop homes in the vicinity of the science park and have put no proposals for housing development into the Local Development Framework.”

James Speck, Director of Kent Science Park

The housing proposal is, in our opinion, a complete red herring and will almost certainly fail to successful mitigate the level of development and employment growth anticipated, and will exacerbate problems on the rural road network.

We are absolutely astounded that after 11 years, the Kent Science Park, have finally conceded that the Five Parish Opposition Group was correct all along about the potential to develop within the existing security fence.

This startling admission is sure to have huge ramifications and raises serious questions about all previous evidence provided by the Kent Science Park.