Land and home owners could be forced to sell property to a council as part of a £170 million regeneration project.

Medway Council is aiming to build major infrastructure improvements for road, rail and environmental protection schemes for the Hoo Peninsula.

Cabinet members have now agreed "in principle" to use compulsory purchase orders (CPO) "should it become necessary" to acquire the land required – including for a £63m high-speed railway station.

The work, the council says, will allow it to install the appropriate transport and other infrastructure needs for a 12,000 home development around Hoo.

At a virtual meeting last Tuesday, the Conservative-led executive agreed the council could invoke CPO powers "to compulsorily acquire land if required to bring the scheme forward".

Leader Cllr Alan Jarrett said the powers could be used as part of the council's £170m Housing Infrastructure Fund bid to the government to "support housing development in the Hoo area".

He added: "That is made up of substantial funds for road, rail and environmental improvements."

It was approved the council could use the powers if negotiations with landowners or property owners could not be agreed.

Cllr Rodney Chambers, cabinet member for inward investment, strategic regeneration and partnerships, said the council had used these powers effectively on regeneration projects the authority has worked on in previous years.

He added: "This project is of such strategic significance it cannot be delivered without having the possibility – and I say it no more than that – of exercising CPO powers.

"Particularly when you're look at the significant infrastructure work that needs to be undertaken."

Cllr Chambers highlighted Rochester Riverside development as a site where the authority imposed the possibility of using a CPO.

"We could not have assembled the site without the possibility of invoking CPO powers which we had to do for Strood waterfront.

"This will be a significant step in confirming the future of the housing infrastructure fund bid we have submitted."

Cllr Chambers said it was an important step so the funding agreement with the government could be signed by June 30.

Cllr Martin Potter, portfolio holder for education and schools, said: "We know we're facing a huge challenging housing target from central government.

"We can meet much of that through urban regeneration but we can't through all of that brownfield route.

"The only way to meet that target in a sustainable way is through this project.

"We're building the infrastructure so that development is one which is pleasant and desirable and an aspirational place to live.

"This project is of such strategic significance it cannot be delivered without having the possibility of CPO"

"By delivering something sustainable in that location it protects the rest of the peninsula and green land around places like Rainham and the greenbelt in Strood and the Capstone Valley."

A council report states further details of the specific CPO scheme for the Hoo redevelopment will be presented to the cabinet at a future meeting.

Councillors also agreed the cabinet must approve any individual CPO if one was needed.

Tom French, director at chartered surveyor consultancy firm BTF Partnership, said: “It is really important that farmers and property owners understand and engage early on in the process to understand how their property might be affected.

"Whilst their land might not be built upon, it may well be needed for plans to upgrade the rail and road infrastructure in the area.”

Opposition councillors say the powers should be used as a "last resort" and have raised long-standing concerns with making sure the project is completed.

Labour says it is "broadly in favour" of the bid to provide infrastructure Medway "desperately needs" for new homes in the area.

But Cllr Andy Stamp, the shadow spokesman for regeneration, has questioned whether the bid should continue, with "financial risks associated with the bid escalating by the day".

He said: "The strict conditions attached to the government funding are likely to cause cash flow issues for the council, which has been hit with an unprecedented double whammy, facing huge costs associated with dealing with the current coronavirus pandemic at a time when its cash reserves are at an all-time low.

"We also have growing concerns about whether the proposed rail passenger service for the Hoo Peninsula is achievable or financially viable within the timescales dictated by government.

“The use of compulsory purchase powers should only ever be a tool of last resort when considering projects of this nature.”

His comments were echoed by Labour colleague Naushabah Khan, the opposition spokesman for housing, who said the "growing risk of delivery is worrying" and should be raised with the government "as a matter of urgency".

Ward member Ron Sands (Ind), who represents the Peninsula ward covering Hoo, has been a long-term critic of the project.

He has accused the cabinet of "keeping people totally in the dark" about details of the scheme relating to environmental impact, effect of traffic emissions, location of new roads and roundabouts and whether the overall project has been considered to be carbon neutral by the 2050 target.

Responding to the decision, Cllr Sands said: "They have refused to answer questions about what they are doing and say they will not tell us until after the deal with Homes England is signed and sealed.

"This is entirely contrary to the principles of democratic decision making. The council’s plans, being cooked up without consultation, behind closed doors, in the town hall will cause immense damage to the rural character of the Hoo Peninsula.

"The cabinet is keeping it secret from those most likely to be most affected by this massive and damaging project. We demand to see a masterplan for the project and it should be shown to the people of Hoo before the council commits itself to this project."

Last week, Cllr Jarrett said "clear and continued engagement with the local community" is being discussed about the project with more rounds to follow.

A detailed environmental impact assessment will be developed by the council by next April and an ecological impact report has been commissioned by the authority.

It will consider the impact to nearby Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), woodlands and estuary areas and by March 2024, the council estimates £14m will have been invested in mitigation projects such as new open spaces, reserves, wetlands and access routes.

The council will also carry out surveys to inform how development and infrastructure sites will affect ecology.

It said an initial proposal for development on the Hoo Peninsula had already been consulted on with the public which will continue to guide potential development and taking account of comments received.

A masterplan would be published once this work and studies commissioned have been completed.

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