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Daniel Esson, Local Democracy Reporter

Daniel Esson joined the KM Group in September 2022 as a Local Democracy Reporter, covering second-tier local authorities.

Daniel Esson, Local Democracy Reporter

1,500-home estate and new primary school get green light

17 April 2025
1,500-home estate and new primary school get green light

Almost 1,500 homes have been approved on the edge of a town despite fears it will not be properly served by public transport.

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Plans for ‘oppressive eyesore’ five-storey historic hotel extension set to be rejected

15 April 2025
Plans for ‘oppressive eyesore’ five-storey historic hotel extension set to be rejected

A hotel’s expansion plans are set to be dashed after the bid attracted almost 80 objections – with some calling it an “eyesore” and “monstrosity”.

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‘Derelict’ GP surgery set for £400k conversion into five-bed council home

15 April 2025
‘Derelict’ GP surgery set for £400k conversion into five-bed council home

An abandoned GP surgery is set to be turned into a five-bed council home in a much-delayed £400,000 project.

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Former Premier Inn ‘won’t be slum landlord project’ vows developers as HMO plans revealed

14 April 2025
Former Premier Inn ‘won’t be slum landlord project’ vows developers as HMO plans revealed

Plans have been officially submitted to extend and transform a disused hotel into a 46-bedroom house of multiple occupation.

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‘Drinkers at new bar won’t be urinating in street - we already have that at Wetherspoons’

12 April 2025
‘Drinkers at new bar won’t be urinating in street - we already have that at Wetherspoons’

A new town-centre bar has won permission to open until the early hours – despite fears late-night drinkers will cause a nuisance as they leave.

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‘Unwelcoming’ grot spot in Kent high street set for £200k revamp

12 April 2025
‘Unwelcoming’ grot spot in Kent high street set for £200k revamp

An “unwelcoming” high street grot spot is set for a £200,000 refurbishment.

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‘Moan about DFLs, but there are plenty of places which need them’

11 April 2025
‘Moan about DFLs, but there are plenty of places which need them’

Our columnist sticks up for the long-derided ‘down from London’ crowd, saying the gentrification they bring helps more than it hurts.

Council delays plans for homes at former offices which could cost ‘a million or more’

09 April 2025
Council delays plans for homes at former offices which could cost ‘a million or more’

Plans to knock down and replace desolate town centre offices have been sent back to the drawing board by a local council.

Ailing sports ground set for refurb ahead of summer

08 April 2025
Ailing sports ground set for refurb ahead of summer

An ailing recreation ground is set to be given a revamp to improve a sports court for teenagers and bring back football facilities.

‘Non-emergency’ social housing repairs paused as ‘underperforming’ council contractor enters administration

07 April 2025
‘Non-emergency’ social housing repairs paused as ‘underperforming’ council contractor enters administration

A maintenance contractor responsible for repairing social homes in one part of Kent has entered into administration.

Plans for hundreds of batteries in shipping containers on farmland submitted

05 April 2025
Plans for hundreds of batteries in shipping containers on farmland submitted

Plans for a sprawling battery storage plant housing 100 shipping containers near a small Kent hamlet have officially been launched.

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‘Blacklisted’ beach with no-swim warning ‘needs far more testing’

04 April 2025
‘Blacklisted’ beach with no-swim warning ‘needs far more testing’

The “blacklisting” of a whole beach for months on end due to its no-swim warning has been blasted by an MP.

Council can’t refuse 1,000-home estate because it took six years to decide it

04 April 2025
Council can’t refuse 1,000-home estate because it took six years to decide it

The fate of plans for 1,000 homes on the edge of a town has been taken out of a council’s hands because it took six years to make a decision.

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‘We’re living in a nightmare home with fleas and mice - it’s driving me mad!’

04 April 2025
‘We’re living in a nightmare home with fleas and mice - it’s driving me mad!’

A frustrated mum says she is being driven “mad” by fleas and mice in her council home just weeks after moving in.

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‘You see double-decker buses with only two people and a dog’

03 April 2025
‘You see double-decker buses with only two people and a dog’

Double-decker buses are to be axed at Park and Ride sites as passenger numbers struggle to recover to pre-Covid levels.

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‘It’s a sticking plaster’: Council’s bid for 20 homes to house homeless and Afghan refugees snubbed

02 April 2025
‘It’s a sticking plaster’: Council’s bid for 20 homes to house homeless and Afghan refugees snubbed

A council is set to purchase four homes for use by the homeless and refugees - despite asking the government for help purchasing four times as many.

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Former GP surgery and language school to be converted into home

31 March 2025
Former GP surgery and language school to be converted into home

A former GP surgery is set to be turned into a six-bedroom home.

More flats planned as 'barking mad' development rehashed

30 March 2025
More flats planned as 'barking mad' development rehashed

Rehashed proposals for a seafront development once described as “barking mad” are set to include even more flats.

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'Solar panels on Sainsbury's next door will knock value off our homes'

30 March 2025
'Solar panels on Sainsbury's next door will knock value off our homes'

Furious homeowners living next to a supermarket have slammed plans to install solar panels on its roof claiming it will create an “intolerable” glare.

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Takeover bid for ‘underutilised’ Kent visitor centre in need of ‘TLC’

27 March 2025
Takeover bid for ‘underutilised’ Kent visitor centre in need of ‘TLC’

Plans have emerged to inject some “TLC” into part of an “underutilised” popular country park.

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