Maidstone council’s planning committee came under fire this week for refusing to grant permission for a large business, warehouse and office development at Waterside Park, near Junction 8 of the M20.

Labour councillor Paul Harper used an extraordinary meeting of the full council on Monday to accuse the County Town of being “shut to business.”

Cllr Harper told his colleagues that Maidstone was under-performing compared with other parts of Kent and said that the decision to reject the scheme was a “shocking and damaging statement sent to the business community.”

Patrick Golding, the operations manager at Scarab Sweepers, one of two Marden firms that had hoped to transfer to Waterside Park, went further.

He used pubic questions to criticise the planning committee, saying: “Members appeared more concerned with politics and playing to the gallery with little or no attention given to the economic needs of the borough and of the people living here.

“Planning in Maidstone has quite clearly become a political battleground with certain politicians making decisions for self-indulgent local party reasons.”

His comments were fiercely contested by Liberal Democrat leader Cllr Fran Wilson who said: “There was no coercion or collusion at the planning meeting. Planning is a regulatory committee and there are no party whips.”

“Planning in Maidstone has quite clearly become a political battleground with certain politicians making decisions for self-indulgent local party reasons...” - Scarab Sweepers' Patrick Golding

She said members had faced a dreadful dilemma. They wanted to support economic development, but also had to “provide an environment in which people wish to live and bring up their families.”

She pointed out that Waterside Park was not allocated for development in any existing policies and was in an “iconic location”.

Cllr Harper had originally submitted a written motion that would have required the council to support any appeal of the Waterside application, but on the night he withdrew that paragraph.

The remnants of his motion, which sought to ensure that the Local Plan was “pro-jobs,” were simply referred to the cabinet for consideration without a vote.

The Fant Ward councillor’s support of development at Junction 8 angered local residents. Mary Richards of the Bearsted and Thurnham Society said: “We are dismayed.

“The land north and south of the A20 near junction 8 needs to remain as countryside. It is necessary for residents’ quality of life, to protect the setting of the North Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and that of Leeds Castle.”