Latest news with #Medway
BBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Consultation expected on Medway draft local development plan
The latest draft of a document outlining how Medway will develop in the coming years could soon be Council's cabinet is expected to approve the required six-week consultation period for the published plan - a major document designating what land will be used for and assessing infrastructure needs - on 3 plans typically last 15 years, but the last time the council approved one was 2003, according to the Local Democracy Reporting attempts to approve a local plan failed and the current council administration says it is a priority to put a new one in place before 2027. The latest version of the document follows feedback from Medway residents and businesses in a previous councillors vote to proceed with the process, the plan will be published on 26 June and six-week consultation will commence before it is submitted to the government for approved by the secretary of state on schedule, the local plan will be in place until a local plan, councillors have less power to reject planning voted down a motion in April about the future of Chatham Docks, which is covered by the plan, after suggestions it could collapse Medway Council's local plan over proposals for the docks have caused issued for previous attempts to get a local plan approved.
BBC News
4 days ago
- Lifestyle
- BBC News
Medway Council to consider plans for homes at sailing club site
A disused gas works could be transformed into hundreds of new homes and pave the way for the relocation of a popular sailing former Southern Gas Networks (SGN) depot, near The Strand in Gillingham, is the subject of an outline planning application for up to 500 flats by Blueberry plans, submitted to Medway Council, would redevelop the site and include a 140-room retirement living complex, new supermarket, commercial units and Malloy, a spokesperson for the affected Segas Sailing Club, said the developers "can only be seen as welcome shot in the arm that will better guarantee the continued life of this much-loved iconic club and charity". If approved by the council, Blueberry Developments would build a new facility housing both Segas Sailing Club and Medway Water Sports, according to the Local Democracy Reporting would involve moving the club next door to the current home of Medway Water Sports Trust, a local charity that provides access to all forms of water-based 11-acre plot neighbours the Gillingham Marina and designs submitted by Blueberry show a number of public realm improvements, including footpaths and cycle paths through from the marina to The Strand. Responses from residents Public feedback on the developer's draft plans showed concerns about the impact of new residents on the road network, and the risk of increased congestion and reduced safety.A Blueberry Developments Estates spokesperson said: "We are delighted to have submitted our plans to regenerate the old gas works site, creating new homes, jobs and a fantastic place for people to visit."Medway Council is considering the plans and responses from residents can be submitted to its planning portal.
BBC News
4 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Operation Brock to be lifted on M20 with overnight road closure
A traffic-holding system on the M20 installed for lorries queueing to cross the English Channel over the May Bank Holiday weekend and the school half-term is set to be removed week the Kent and Medway Resilience Forum rolled out Operation Brock on the M20 between junction eight (Maidstone) and nine (Ashford).This system sees lorries heading to Dover queue on one side of the M20 while the other carriageway acts as a contraflow, allowing traffic to travel in both M20 will be closed overnight in both directions from 20:00 until 06:00 BST, between junctions seven to 19 coast-bound and junctions nine to 18 London-bound. A signed diversion will be in place during the closure, with the motorway due to reopen as normal on Wednesday.
BBC News
6 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Kent and Medway councils get feedback on reorganisation plans
Local government reorganisation plans will recognise Kent's importance as the UK's "gateway to Europe", councils involved in the process Council and Kent County Council (KCC) said they had received government feedback on their plans which would see the county's councils replaced with unitary authorities said Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government officials had "acknowledged the positive partnership work… to shape high-quality and sustainable services that best respond the needs of residents and provide better value for money".Detailed plans for the major local government overhaul, the biggest of its kind for 50 years, must be submitted by 28 November. Under the plans, two-tier authorities such as KCC, and district and borough councils would be replaced by unitary authorities which would take on all local government plans aim to simplify local services and make efficiencies, but some have argued they distance power away from the local feedback on the plans provided to the councils is to be published later this January, Kent applied to be included in the fast-track scheme for the government plans, but was unsuccessful, according to the Local Democracy Reporting fast-track scheme would have seen the reorganisation as well as the creation of a Kent-wide mayor with powers, including transportation and policing.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Traveller family WIN right to stay at car park after it is ruled their human rights were breached when council turfed them out - but they say it's not enough
A family of travellers who have won a landmark case to stay at a car park have insisted they will 'never stop fighting' for permanent residency. The group, comprising of 15 adults and 14 children, first arrived at the former park-and-ride site in July 2023, setting up home at the Wigmore Coach Park, just off the M2. Medway Council, based in Kent, had initially granted them permission to stay at the site for three months if they paid a monthly fee and stuck to a number of rules. However, in October last year, the local authority handed the Romani Gypsy family an eviction notice, stating that they had planned to sell the land, previously a park and ride used for those commuting to London, in the near future. Now, a judge has made the milestone judgement that the authority wrongly interfered with the group's human rights by attempting to turf them out, having heard that no steps were taken to sell the site. Speaking to MailOnline about the milestone case, described by one involved solicitor as the first of its kind in a decade, Julie White, who lives at the site, said: 'We're over the moon with the initial decision, it's like winning the lottery. To have somebody on our side that is willing to help us has been absolutely amazing.' However, much to the family's fury, the significant decision means that while the travellers can remain on the site for now, they still do not hold the permanent rights to stay at the car park. While an initial planning application was submitted last May, it was refused just two months later. An appeal against the refusal set to take place next Wednesday, with the family anxiously awaiting the verdict. Oldy Herring, 67, the eldest member of the family, described the battle with Medway Council as the 'fight of our lives'. He added: 'There's nowhere else we can go. If this place is not fit for us, then where is fit enough? 'We've been all over Kent. We've been pushed from pillar to post all of our lives, this is the only thing we have been given in our lives. 'People don't understand our lives or our culture. We don't cause any harm to anybody, we just want a home. We are literally begging for help.' The family said that the rules placed on them by the council when they first arrived at the site included 'no anti-social behaviour', 'no work', 'no complaints' and that they had 'to keep the place tidy'. They insisted that all of these rules have been 'strictly' followed and that the council has 'no good reason' for kicking them out. Relying on generators for electricity and water, the travellers currently pay £33 a month to the council for the bins and animals on the land. Now, as they fight for permanent residence, the family have indicated that the council's refusal to grant the planning application is bound to have 'worrying' impacts on their children's mental health. And, with no fixed place to stay, members of the group have no postcode and therefore have limited access to essential services such as healthcare and education. Marie Conde, who lives on the site alongside her husband and children, said: 'I do worry about the kids, moving them out of school would be awful for them. They have finally been accepted and been able to make friends, they're getting an education which is so important. 'It's the first time they've felt truly settled and accepted, how can they take that from them? 'We are decent people and a close family that deserve to be together. We just want to make this our permanent home and a place for our children and grandchildren, the next generation.' Speaking about the landmark case, described by one solicitor as the first of its kind in a decade, Julie White (pictured), who lives at the site, said: 'We're over the moon with the decision, it's like winning the lottery' Meanwhile, Tina Herring, 17, who spent the majority of her young childhood on the road, described the car park as 'the closest it's got to feeling like home'. The teenager added: 'Being here has made me feel so much more settled and safe, rather than being on the road all of the time. 'Not knowing what's going to happen next is so stressful for all of us, but especially on the younger kids.' While the family celebrated the decision as a 'turning point' and anxiously await the results of next Wednesday, Medway Council, however, said that it was deciding 'how best to move forward' - describing the judge's verdict as 'disappointing'. Cllr Louwella Prenter, Medway Council's Portfolio Holder for Housing and Homelessness, said: 'We are disappointed with the county court judgement not to grant possession of the former Wigmore commuter car park in Maidstone Road, back to Medway Council. Previous investigations have shown that many local authorities in Kent are still failing to meet the accommodation needs of the travelling community, despite it being a legal requirement 'This is a lengthy and detailed decision, and we will give it due consideration before deciding how best to move forward. 'Granting use of the site was only ever intended as a temporary three-month measure, and the car park is not deemed to be suitable as a long-term site for permanent occupation.' Previous investigations have shown that many local authorities in Kent are still failing to meet the accommodation needs of the travelling community, despite it being a legal requirement. After legislation was introduced allowing local authorities to evict, fine or arrest travellers setting up unauthorised encampments, they are often left being moved from roadside to roadside. In 2021, there were 5,405 people across Kent who identified as a Gypsy or Irish Traveller, representing up to 0.3 per cent of the population, according to the ONS. Meanwhile, an additional 2,225 people identified as Roma, amounting to 0.1 per cent of the population, with many of these individuals housed on traveller sites.
