ASHFORD RURAL TRUST
NEWSLETTER
Summer 2011
Patrons
The Countess Mountbatten of Burma CBE CD DL
Sir Keith Speed RD DL
Chairman:
Ian Wolverson
Treasurer
Ian Grant
Committee
Jessamy Blanford
Dr Hilary Moorby
Paul Smallwood
Charles Wilkinson
The Trust is finding a growing number of positive responses to its activities, as a result of its recently increased profile. We are working hard to maintain the momentum and to assist in this effort we would earnestly ask all members to encourage their friends to join us.
Increased membership will enable the Trust to enhance its influence still further.
The Trust is constantly updating its membership files and would like to add your e-mail address to the records.
If you have not already done so, please would you be kind enough to send your details to:
admin@ashfordruraltrust.org.uk
www.ashfordruraltrust.org.uk
e-mail iwolverson1@toucansurf.com
ASHFORD RURAL TRUST
RURAL MATTERS
APPLEDORE
In our last newsletter we reported on a small site in Appledore where a sixth application for
planning permission on a site had been placed. This wastes much of the planning department's
valuable time. There is legislation that prevents such abuse. The planning department turned down
the application yet again and the applicant has now appealed to the Secretary of State. The main
reason refusal has been the number of houses planned are at least one too many for the size of the
plot. The Trust is in contact with the government department again concerning this on-going
problem of repeated applications for the same requirement.
New vineyard buildings on the GUSBOURNE ESTATE, APPLEDORE
This vineyard, now in its sixth year, has grown to 21 hectares of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot
Meunier vines which enable the production of vintage and award winning* English sparkling wines
of the highest quality. It has been rated as one of the most impressive and exciting new vineyards in
the UK by the UK Vineyards Guide 2010. Until now grape processing has been subcontracted to a
processor in Sussex but Gusbourne is now ready to move to the next stage of the development and
to make a substantial investment in its own grape processing plant.Following a successful
presentation of preliminary ideas to Ashford Borough Council in October 2010, detailed plans have
been prepared of an attractive, sensitively sited and beautifully landscaped winery building.
Finishing touches are now being put on a detailed planning application, in close liaison with council
officials. Once planning permission is granted, Gusbourne plan to plant a further 10 hectares of
vines and expect this to result in the eventual employment of as many as forty people, a significant
number of jobs in a rural area.
ART, therefore, believe that every encouragement and support should be given to Gusbourne's
exciting plans and vision for the future and are taking the necessary steps to bring this to the
attention of Ashford Borough Council so that implementation can take place with the minimum
delay.
* E.G. Silver Decanter World wine Awards 2010,Gold Medal UKVA 2010 and South East Vineyard
Association Wine of the Year and Gold Medal winner,2010 and 2011.
Coldharbour Farm, Stone, TENTERDEN
At the end of 2010 an application was made for the erection 4 large agricultural buildings. These
structures would have dominated and utterly changed the traditional skyline along the ridge above
Romney Marsh. We sent a letter of objection and the case was considered by the planning
committee on June 1st. Permission was refused.
APPROACHES TO ASHFORD TOWN CENTRE
The Warren ASHFORD (between Simone Weil Avenue & Fougeres Way)
This site is in a prominent position approaching Ashford town centre from Junction 9 leading to the
new Drovers Roundabout. ART was approached by a local resident concerned over the
development proposed on this triangle of land. The design of the building (for commercial and
care-home use) would rise to six stories and had nothing in its design to suggest to visitors that they
might be approaching and exciting new town centre. It is an old fashioned plain box design and
both too bulky and lacking in innovation for this important landmark.. There will be further debate
on this project and ART will continue to be involved.
On the opposite side of the roundabout the new John Lewis at Home Store will be constructed, thus
making the area the clear main access to the town. The improvements around the Junction 9 and
the Drovers roundabout, the long delay imposed by central government on the building of junction
10A all add to this.
NEW REGULATIONS ON SEPTIC TANKS - Lack of publicised information by the Environment Agency
The chairman found the following small article in The Listed Heritage magazine - not a publication
with a large circulation :-
"All home owners with a septic tank and or sewage treatment plant that does not have an
Environment Agency Permit, must now follow new environmental regulations which require
them to register for a free Environment Agency discharge exemption for discharges of
sewage effluent. Home owners have to complete this registration by 1st January 2012 or
they could be risking a substantial fine".
The whole thing can be completed on line by going to www.environment-agency.gov.uk
Under 'Important Information' click on 'register a domestic sewage discharge' and follow the
instructions. Alternatively call 08708 506 506 (Mon. - Fri., 8 am - 6 pm)
UNCONTROLLED DEVELOPMENT IN RURAL AREAS
Very worrying announcements for the countryside are emerging from central government.
Proposals to put most new development on brown field sites have disappeared. The new approach
is that "The default answer to development is Yes". This means that if we are not really forceful the
development around Ashford as agreed and limited within the Core Strategy could be lost. The
limitation of greenfield site developments to Chilmington Green and, eventually, at Cheeseman's
Green will be cast aside and any land obtained by developers will will have "a new presumption in
favour of development".
The situation regarding regional strategies and planning appears to be muddled. The White Paper
"Local Growth" published in October 2009 indicates that the government's intentions were to
encourage growth, mostly through the private sector. The Localism Bill was developed from this
paper and has proved to be a very worrying document. At first its intention implied giving local
communities more say in planning. It clearly does not. Nor does the Planning for Growth paper
that followed, or promises on Neighbourhood Planning Schemes. All these schemes conflict each
with the other.
The situation is so complex that in May your chairman took the opportunity to attend a seminar at
UCL in London on the subject, where several academics and consultants gave their views on the
situation.
We make no apologies for the amount of material that follows. It is a synopsis of some four hours
of presentations and clearly indicates the current mess that all planning is currently facing. Where
possible I have shown a statement, followed by government responses or the consequences as seen
by the speakers in italics.
Village Design Statements
1. Started by the countryside commission in 1993
2. Only 650 VDS prepared in the UK to date (13 out of 39 Parishes in the borough have a VDS)
3. Focus on design and local distinctiveness
4 States how rather than if or where development should happen, but cannot stop development.
5. Concieved as a planning tool
This has been widely accepted by local authorities and has had some influence on policy.
The scheme is fragmentary and is dependent on motivated individuals rather than the community.
Community-led Plans
Benefits and problems created:
1. Detailed information and insights - patchy coverage countrywide
2. Detailed guidance for individual localities - raises unrealistic expectations
3. Local acceptance and ownership - there is general uncertainty concerning status
Neighbourhood Plans and Localism
The Inconvenient Truth
• The Localism Bill and Neighbourhood plans are about growth, not about stopping development.
The ministers speech announcing presumption in favour of development makes this quite clear
• Neighbourhood plans are only abut community preferences. The local authority may have to
say 'No'on behalf of central government .
• Agree to more housing and you will get the bonuses. Not unless you are within development
locations (in Ashford we are in such a location). New homes bonuses ( central government will
match fund the council tax for each new house for six years) may not be passed down the chain to
local councils.
• Who will pay for the work on the plan? Not the local authority. Funded agencies have little
funding to give. The cost of a plan could be up to £250K
• Its easy. No it is not. It is a long, formal and complex process. It may never be adopted.
• 7. "Adopting the plan goes through ten stages, the final two being a local referendum and the local
authority adopting it as part of their LDF. Neither of these two points may ever be agreed.
• We can bypass local councillors and tell the council how to make decisions. No. Local
councillors will have to be involved and the council cannot be mandated to do anything. It will
all be considered within far large budgets.
From Orthodoxy to Anarchy
Rural planning
Parish plans and the planning system - the problems
1.The information base is inconsistent - there is no formula for collecting comparative information.
2. There is no scope for dealing with land use allocation.
3. Different government departments are involved with different approaches and priorities.
4. There is little groundwork prepared to which parishes can refer.
5. All examples to date are progressing too slowly.
6. Community involvement usually means the same people who are on the parish council, with the
same priorities and interests.
The Localism Bill
Analysis of the bill and notes on the muddled public understanding
1. Seen as a dilution of strategic planning
2. Seen as introducing neighbourhood plans as first building blocks of a planning system
3. Restricted to land use and development.
4. Its relationship to local plans is very unclear
5. Mainly just middle the class have any awareness
6. Promotes countrywide 'we don't want development' anger
7. Puts planners under greater pressure on land use and development
8. Not clear if it covers both urban areas and parish councils
9. Advances the possibility of many rigorous legal challenges
10. A widespread opposition to referenda from all groups
11. No clarity on how it links with community led plans, land use and development proposals and
established Core strategies
The proposed reforms are the cause of:
1. Increases in both NIMBYist and BANANA attitudes *
2. Wish lists are mostly lacking in good evidence or much local interest. The latter tends to emerge
after plans have progressed too far.
3. Incentives are working in some areas but most communities are just resistant to change.
4. The Localism bill tends to support a continuation of domination of planning agendas via
economic growth and commercial input, as local interest always emerges after the decisions
have been taken
5. The whole planning system is slow and cyclical and a 'politically correct' solution which works
has not yet been found.
6. The past year has led to a long period of confusuion. Mr Clark's statement to the house on
15th June makes it clear that 'presumption in favour of development' is the step change which
they insist will lead on housing and job creation.
*NIMBY - Not In My Back Yard - seems to have been replaced with BANANA - Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere
Near Anyone.
OUR CONCLUSION
The 'presumption in favour of development' for planning appears to be a mandate to build anywhere
and everywhere. There is a possibility that this announcement could cause developers to override
the Core Strategy and see a return to Ashford spreading in the manner we saw during the final
decades of the last century. ART will continue to rigorously monitor the situation. We will
continue to object to any further incursion into the countryside outside of the areas within the Core
Strategy.
ASHFORD RURAL TRUST
If there are any planning or listed building issues where you feel the Trust may be of help,
please do not hesitate to make contact. email: admin@ashfordruraltrust.org.uk
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