A former mayor fears Faversham could be forced to accommodate thousands of new homes.

Ex-councillor Nigel Kay raised concerns after other towns in Swale refused major planning applications for houses.

But Cllr Mike Baldock - cabinet member for planning at Swale Borough Council - has blasted the claims as ‘wild scaremongering’.

Mr Kay believes Faversham will be “spoiled forever” as he says the coalition at SBC is failing to follow the Local Plan set by the previous administration, which is the authority’s housing blueprint.

With several housing projects already under construction in Faversham and another application filed for 180 more homes at Abbey Fields, Mr Kay has accused the council of “incompetence” after applications for two sites designated in the Local Plan - one for 700 houses in Minster-on-Sea, Sheppey, and the other for 595 homes in Borden, near Sittingbourne - were rejected.

“The previous Swale council had a valid Local Plan with approved sites meeting central government targets, with enough sites available to meet the requirements to have a five-year land supply of deliverable sites for housing,” he said.

“This five-year land supply is vital because if the strategic planning authority does not have enough identified sites to satisfy the five-year rule, developers can use that to justify making planning applications on sites not in the Local Plan, even if these are greenfield sites and grade one agricultural land.

“So, as a result of the incompetence of the new SBC coalition, Faversham will be spoilt forever..." - Nigel Kay

“If SBC does not give planning permission for the site the developer can appeal to the government inspector and is likely to get permission on appeal.”

Mr Kay, who lives in Preston Park and was mayor from 2014 to 2015, has expressed concerns that removing Faversham’s protection from excess housing is now “full speed ahead”, as he says homes built in the town are more profitable than those constructed in Sheppey or Sittingbourne.

He added: “Swale does not have a five-year ‘land supply’ of sites which, under the National Planning Policy Framework, is grounds for developers to make applications to build on greenfield sites, which will all be in Faversham as demand for houses is strongest here.

“The intention of the Swale planning committee appears to be to refuse all housing developments in Sittingbourne and Sheppey, even if they are on sites in the Local Plan. Up to 8,000 additional houses could come to Faversham, by developers making speculative applications using the lack of a five year land supply rule and Swale having no choice to approve or lose the case on appeal.

“This will include 180 homes at Abbey Fields, plus 2,500 at Brenley Corner, and 5,000 on the A251 at North Lane between Faversham and Sheldwich.

“So, as a result of the incompetence of the new SBC coalition, Faversham will be spoilt forever.”

But Cllr Baldock has described Mr Kay’s claims as “unsourced fantasy”.

“The wild scaremongering tactics from a former councillor are only to be expected,” he said.

“No one has even said ‘all of the new housing must go in Faversham’ - I think this is a case of a certain politician starting to believe the rubbish he has perhaps written far too often himself.

“That they will expect others to behave as they may have behaved in the past is of course only natural, and I can fully understand their fears about backroom deals being stitched up far away from prying eyes of voters or residents.

“However, while of much of the ex-councillor’s claims are simply unsourced fantasy posing as knowledge, they demonstrate a total failure to understand the democratic process.

“The planning committee decide planning applications - not the new administration.”

“Perhaps this is where things used to go wrong.”

“The wild scaremongering tactics from a former councillor are only to be expected..." - Cllr Mike Baldock

Cllr Baldock (Ind) says the borough lacks the infrastructure for the developments the council is expected to deliver.

He added: “The old Conservative administration at Swale was looking at a housing total significantly in excess of the government’s likely new target of more than 1,050 houses a year, however, the new administration is taking a firm stand against those punitive and unrealistic housing levels.

“We are, however, under unrealistic pressure from the government that does not consider the restraints we have in terms of land supply and the nature of the market in our local area.

“The targets that we are expected to meet will hang us out to dry as the housing supply market is not available to meet the expected housing numbers imposed by the government.

“This enables volume housebuilders to cherry pick the sites they want rather than those sites which would support the needs of the local area.

“The vast majority of housing permitted around Faversham, and the lack of a five-year housing supply, transpired during the Conservative administration who failed to provide for the direct needs of the local communities with the infrastructure needed to support the development.

“We have been fighting two major planning application appeals, both of which contravened the Local Plan - it is important to note that these applications were rejected not by ‘the new administration’ but in the correct process of a cross-party planning committee on which a majority of Conservative councillors also opposed those applications.”

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