Kent International Gateway is to bypass Maidstone council and go straight to an appeal inspector.

The shock news was revealed by Kent County Council leader Paul Carter (Con) to a meeting of 350 supporters of the StopKIG campaign at a public meeting on Monday night.

Cllr Carter said KIG had filed an appeal on the grounds that Maidstone council has taken too long to make a decision on its plan for a road/rail freight depot across 264 acres of Kent countryside.

But there was some doubt as to whether KIG would be successful because the delay to the decision is the result of an order from the Highways Authority prohibiting the council from debating the plan - even if it wanted to - before June.

Speaker after speaker at the meeting condemned KIG and its financial backers AXA for attempting to bypass the democratic process.

Richard Horton, chairman of StopKIG.org said: "They have effectively just told us they don’t care what the people of Maidstone think."

~ Read more at kentmessenger.co.uk >>>

• For more news from the Maidstone area visit kentmessenger.co uk >>>