20,000 + homes by 2040.
Housing is undoubtedly the most controversial issue in Thanet. The Government’s housing targets, embedded in Thanet District Council’s (TDC) Local Plan, call for the construction of more than 17,000 homes in the area by 2030, adding another 4,500 by 2040. And, as anyone who has driven out of Thanet to the west can see, the plan is very much in action with new developments springing up everywhere from Westgate to Cliffsend.
But the plan raises some very serious questions. Do we really need this number of houses? Can they be supported by the already creaking infrastructure? Are they being built in the right place? Are they the right kind of houses?
These questions prompted Cllr Mike Garner, the Thanet Greens Chair, to propose a motion that calls on TDC to pause the granting of new planning permissions for builds of more than 10 dwellings and allow for a review into the impacts the current house-building programme is having across Thanet. The motion will be debated at the TDC meeting on Thursday 12th October. The meeting is open to the public so please come and support the motion. It starts at 7pm in the Council Chamber, Council Offices, Cecil St, Margate CT9 1XZ.
To read the motion in full click HERE.
Infrastructure problems
Speaking about the motivation behind the motion, Cllr Garner said, “We’re all familiar with the concerns about Southern Water’s infrastructure. It is not fit for purpose, either to consistently guarantee a supply of fresh drinking water to us all or to effectively deal with the associated sewage and any heavy rainfall without polluting the sea, devastating the biodiversity around the coastline and impacting local businesses, especially during the tourist season.
“Other infrastructure related concerns we are all familiar with are the impacts on GP surgeries, the hospital, schools, and of course the road network.
“The housebuilding programme also raises a number of other questions which need to be addressed.
– How many previously approved planning applications are being sat on by developers?
– Why are so many properties left empty and not made available as primary residences, including many of the new houses being built?
– How many previously approved affordable homes have actually been built and made available at affordable prices?
“I’m sure we’ve all had similar conversations with residents on their concerns about the infrastructure impacts I’ve mentioned, concerns I’m sure that featured prominently in most of our election campaigns and concerns which get raised regularly when significant planning applications are discussed around the District, from Westwood to Birchington, via Westgate and Garlinge.
The motion was featured on the BBC News website in August. See their piece HERE.
Greens’ housing charter
Nationally the Green Party is calling for a radical change in the way we build new homes and use land. The party’s co-leader Adrian Ramsay said,
“Today, speculators and developers are allowed to chase the biggest profits and ignore local needs. Too many villages and towns have seen large-scale developments take place without the community infrastructure expanded alongside, such as GP surgeries, bus services, cycling and walking networks and nurseries and schools.
“We need councillors and national government to work together to deliver the homes people need and can afford to rent and buy, where people need them.
“What we need is local councils supported to build quality, affordable housing in the right places where people live and work, with the right supporting infrastructure and local facilities.
“Our Right Homes, Right Place, Right Price Charter will simultaneously protect valuable green space for communities, reduce climate emissions, tackle fuel poverty and provide genuinely affordable housing.
To learn more about the Right Homes, Right Place, Right Price Charter click HERE.