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Pressure has been put on Medway Council by a neighbouring authority to amend a £170m housing and railway scheme for a rural area in the Towns.
The unitary authority's vision to regenerate housing and infrastructure on the Hoo Peninsula presses on after securing millions of pounds of government cash to build 12,000 homes and a £63m railway station by March 2024.
But, Kent County Council (KCC), has raised concerns over “adverse" impacts on Medway roads and stressed that “sensitive” historical assets should be protected. This was put to Medway Council in an 11-page dossier on May 11.
Hoo councillor Ron Sands (Ind), a long-standing critic of the peninsula scheme, has described KCC as a new "ally" for residents living in the area who continue to oppose the development.
He said: "KCC are saying what we have been saying from day one, particularly on the heritage, traffic and environmental impacts. They are backing us."
However, Medway Council leader Alan Jarrett (Con), who supports the £170m Housing Infrastructure Bid project, said: "I welcome KCC’s response and contribution to the discussion as a neighbouring authority."
The comments come after Maidstone County Hall chiefs expressed several concerns about the scheme, which were set out in a brochure publicised during a Medway Council consultation in recent weeks.
On May 11, KCC voiced anxieties around the housing development’s potential impact on local roads. This included the M2, specifically at junction one near Shorne, and the £6.6bn Lower Thames Crossing, a planned new link road from Gravesend to Essex's Tilbury.
A KCC report published to County Hall's planning committee stated: “The impact of development of this scale on the wider road network will need to be carefully considered.
“As work progresses, it is requested that Medway Council works closely with Highways England and KCC on mitigating any potential adverse impacts.”
Pressure has also been put on Medway Council to protect several “sensitive” heritage assets in the Hoo area, including the fortifications at Grain.
The Grain fort was constructed in the 1860s to defend the River Medway and Thames during a heightened period of tension with the French Empire.
'The brochure refers to the natural landscape of the Hoo Peninsula, but these are not just natural landscapes, they are also historic landscapes’
Other historical assets on the Hoo Peninsula include remnants of a Second World War General Headquarters (GHQ) stop line; military remains at Chattenden and river-based attractions at Fort Hoo and Fort Darnet.
KCC has told Medway Council that historic conservation plans have not been fully explored and called for a "heritage specialist" to investigate.
A KCC planning committee paper states: “For such a sensitive area, and for such an extensive proposal, the county council recommends that a formal, detailed baseline assessment is prepared by a heritage specialist."
It adds: “The brochure refers to the ‘natural landscape’ of the Hoo Peninsula, but these are not just natural landscapes, they are also ‘historic landscapes’.
“The low-lying areas of the peninsula have been shaped by the reclamation of the estuary, from at least the time of the Norman conquest, to provide imposed salt-marsh grazing for livestock."
In response, Medway Council’s leader, Cllr Jarrett, said: “As an authority we are committed to striking the delicate balance between making sure everyone has the opportunity to have a home to call their own, and protecting our wonderful surroundings.
“Last year we were delighted to secure an incredible £170m of HIF funding to help us deliver much needed transport and environmental schemes on the Hoo Peninsula.
“These schemes will help facilitate potential growth to meet Medway’s needs for the next 20 years.”
In addition, KCC has told Medway Council that it “strongly supports” the administration's green infrastructure proposals and the authority's encouragement of walking and cycling travel rather than car journeys.
On Hoo's mineral infrastructure, KCC has called for the Kingsnorth Quarry to be safeguarded due to vital economic materials based at the Stoke Road site, such as sand and gravel.
Tonbridge and Malling county councillor Harry Rayner (Con) said: “I would hate to feel that we had not done our duty in protecting that site."
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