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A key player in the expansion of Whitfield claims Covid-19 is preventing it from delivering £6m of its obligations to the village on time.
Documents sent to Dover District Council by house builder Halsbury Homes blame the challenging economic conditions and difficulty in obtaining development finance as reasons it can't complete the first phase of the Richmond Park development to the planned timetable.
The Norwich based developer promises the overall infrastructure package agreed with Dover District Council in April 2015 - known as a 106 agreement - is not at risk.
It is now asking the council for flexibility in the timing of when it delivers its £3.5m contributions for education, £780,000 for sports and £1.8m towards the new £16.1m Fastrack bus route linking the village with the town and train station via Guston.
The local education authority Kent County Council says it will not delay the opening of the new build Whitfield and Aspen Primary School.
The developer also wants to scrap plans to provide a dentist surgery at a health and social care facility which will also contain a GP surgery.
According to the document, work has slowed due to social distancing and disruption to the supply chain for materials, bringing about the need to vary the Whitfield Urban Expansion legal contract.
Delivering the contributions later will "maintain construction activity, secure jobs on site, and preserve public confidence in the Whitfield scheme," it says.
There is no concern that the delays will impact creation of the Fastrack bus route, according to Cllr Nigel Collor, DDC’s cabinet member for transport and licensing.
Planning permission for Fastrack is expected to be granted in December and work should start mid 2021.
So far Halsbury Homes has built 90 dwellings out of 368 that have been granted permission. Work has started on 32 from another clump of the first phase (known as sub 1b). Its website says 90% of the homes have sold (94 completions correct as of this week).
Meanwhile building of the the Whitfield Aspen Primary School is under way and an plans for a Co-op on land south of Archers Court Road await approval.
The document, posted to the council's planning portal, says: "discussions have also been held with the Kent and Medway Commissioning Group (CCG) to understand their current needs for the Health and Social Care Centre at Whitfield.
In what the company describes as "unprecedented times" it promises the overall infrastructure package agreed with Dover District Council is not at risk.
But "consequential amends" for these contributions are needed to avoid a "contraction of housing delivery on site at Whitfield".
The document warns: "Once construction stops on site it will be very difficult to restart bearing in mind the real difficulties SME housebuilders, like Halsbury, are having in obtaining development finance."
Halsbury Homes is asking for permission to scrap the dental surgery from the health and social care facility which also includes a GP surgery and a consulting room to carry out assessment clinics.
It claims the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has said there is a lack of demand. The CCG has been asked to confirm this.
The sum of the following financial contributions is to stay the same but Halsbury wants to push payment back.
This includes:
Celia Buxton, Kent County Council’s Interim Area Education Officer for South Kent, said: “Construction is already well underway on the Richmond site, which will become home to Key Stage 2 (School Years Three to Six) pupils and staff at Whitfield Aspen School during the 2020-21 academic year. Funding for this development has already been secured and includes funds from developer contributions. Any issues with developers resulting in a delay in obtaining section 106 contributions will not impact upon the opening of the new buildings. The Richmond site, which is just a short walk from the school’s Mayfield site, will provide 13 classrooms, offices, a main hall/dining area, care suites, and an outdoor Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA) where children will be able to take part in sporting activities.”
Halsbury Homes has been approached for a comment.
Meanwhile Halsbury awaits a decision whether planning will be granted for a further 221 units.
