Sport England objects to housing to save inaccessible playing field
Plus Hoo and Chattenden say yes, Medway Council by-election watch, news in brief, and more
There are lots of ways that the planning process is bewildering and so slow moving that it stops things ever getting done. We’ve written about many of them in the past, but this week, a new one even for us: The redevelopment of an abandoned school in Chatham faces delays because Sport England has objected that an inaccessible playing field will be lost. We’ve got the full story below. Further down, the results of Hoo and Chattenden’s Neighbourhood Plan referendum, news on when we might expect three by-elections in Medway, news in brief, and more.
Sport England objects to housing to save inaccessible playing field
We often write here about how convoluted the planning system is and how heavily it is weighted toward blocking development rather than approving it.
Step forward another excellent example this week, where Sport England has objected to a planning application for 139 homes on an abandoned school site because it would result in the loss of a playing field. A playing field on the grounds of a school that is closed and not publicly accessible.
The proposals for the former St John Fisher school in Chatham would see the former buildings demolished and 139 homes built. It’s a solid application that makes use of previously developed land. The site has also been prone to fires and antisocial behaviour thanks to people who keep breaking into the buildings, so redeveloping it seems like a sensible solution.
Unless you're Sport England, of course. The organisation is a statutory planning consultee, meaning they have to be listened to. As a result, if Medway Council are minded to approve the application, which they are, they will have to refer the application to the Secretary of State to be decided.
All of which feels somewhat silly when dealing with an inaccessible playing field. Sport England is aware that it is closed to the public too, and yet they still insist new homes shouldn’t be built on the land anyway:
It is understood from the Open Space Assessment that the site is currently closed off with no ‘public’ access. Sport England understands that some sites may be disused and cut off from use, however it is considered that a lack of use of a playing field should not be taken as necessarily indicating an absence of need in an area. Such land can retain the potential to provide playing pitches to meet current or future needs in the local area.
It’s quite staggering how Sport England came to this conclusion. It's almost as if they haven’t considered the locality and just churned out a response by algorithm. There is a play area 50m from the inaccessible playing field they want to protect, and two further parks and one playing field within 500m.
As a result of Sport England’s stance, Medway Council will now have to refer the application to the Secretary of State, who will presumably see how silly this is and approve it anyway. In the meantime, new homes will be further delayed amid a housing crisis in our towns.
Still, at least an inaccessible playing field on the grounds of a crumbling school will be protected.
Hoo and Chattenden say yes
Residents took to the polls in Hoo and Chattenden last week to vote on the Hoo St Werburgh and Chattenden Neighbourhood Plan in an effort to exert more local control over the future of the area.
Neighbourhood Plans allow local communities to set out what future sustainable growth looks like in their areas. While the documents don’t stop development in an area, they do allow the local community to shape it.
In the case of the Hoo St Werburgh and Chattenden plan, the proposals included limited buildings to three storeys, requiring pedestrian connections, protection of heritage sites, maintaining shop frontages, and design elements for future development.
Unsurprisingly, voters in the area voted overwhelmingly in favour of the proposals, albeit with a 21% turnout. 93% of those participating voted to adopt the plan, with only 7% opposing.
As a result, the plan will be legally adopted, meaning Medway Council has to consider it when judging planning applications in the area.
This is the third Neighbourhood Plan to be approved in Medway, following one for Cliffe & Cliffe Woods last year and one for the Luton Arches area earlier this year.
You can read the Hoo St Werburgh and Chattenden Neighbourhood Plan in full here.
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By-election watch
We’re now four months out from the General Election, where Lauren Edwards, Naushabah Khan, and Tristan Osborne were elected MPs. Yet there has still been no word on when they might stand down as councillors, triggering three by-elections in our towns.
Technically, MPs don’t have to do this. It is acceptable for MPs to be councillors at the same time. Still, the reality is that it’s hard to fully dedicate yourself to the councillor role while swamped with parliamentary business. As a result, the Labour Party prefers that MPs don’t hold both roles.
While several MPs around the country have since resigned from their councillor position, nothing has happened in Medway, and everyone has been very coy about when it might happen.
Several sources have since confirmed to Local Authority that February looks like the most likely time for the by-elections in Gillingham South and Rochester East & Warren Wood, with all three MPs resigning simultaneously to trigger the by-elections on the same date.
As a plan, it makes sense, but there is one small hurdle as things stand. Councillors are automatically disqualified from their role if they do not attend any council meetings over a six-month period. While Naushabah Khan and Tristan Osborne have been frequently sighted during full council and committee meetings, Rochester and Strood MP Lauren Edwards last attended a meeting on May 30.
This would mean that Cllr Edwards would cease to hold the role if she doesn’t attend any meeting in the next couple of weeks or so. Given she no longer sits on any committees and there is no full council meeting in this period, it will mean attending a committee meeting as a substitute for another councillor. Even then, there are few opportunities to do so on the upcoming council schedule.
While it seems inevitable that the Labour Party will do everything it can to avoid a by-election a month earlier than they would like, whether they can get Edwards along to a meeting remains to be seen.
As for the by-elections themselves, word on the street is that candidates from both main parties are already jostling to get their names on the ballot. One or two names might even be very familiar to readers.
If you’ve heard any juicy rumours about who will likely end up on the ballot, our inbox is always open via hello AT localauthority DOT news.
In brief
👊 The Woodland Tavern pub in Gillingham is facing a licence review after a staff member allegedly punched a customer in the face. Kent Police have also claimed they were met with resistance when they tried to investigate crime at the establishment.
🚗 3,000 drivers have been fined since the six-month warning period on School Streets ended. Previously, drivers with an inability to read road signs received a warning for a first offence, but now, anyone driving in the zones during the hours of operation receives a fine.
🏗️ Medway Council are set to approve the Ironmonger Yard development in Rochester at next week’s planning committee. The plans would see 296 flats, community/retail space, and a remodelled Star Hill/Rochester High Street junction. You can read the full report here.
💡 A new block of flats in Gillingham has seen a balcony quite literally built around a lampost. The developers claim it’s because they are waiting for Medway Council to remove it, but there’s little evidence that the existing lampost was considered during the planning process.
🖼️ Don’t forget Second Chance Medway’s Charity Art Auction at Sun Pier House this weekend. Art will be displayed Saturday and Sunday ahead of the main auction at 1.30pm on Sunday. Some amazing new pieces of art have been added to the auction since we wrote about it on Friday. There’s also a Facebook event for the auction here.1
More Authority
Our weekend interview was with Cllr Andrew Lawrence, who has represented Hempstead and Wigmore since 2023. He is now the Conservative opposition’s Regeneration, Community, and Housing spokesperson. He talks about the Local Plan, the local elections, Brexit, covid, and whether elected representatives should be judged on historic social media…
“I will talk about things that people don't want to talk about”
Footnotes
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Music that soundtracked the creation of this edition: Mad Half Hour by Panic Pocket, More Break-Up Songs by New Starts, and No One’s Coming For Us by Trust Fund.
Usual declaration on anything Second Chance Medway related: Steven is the Chair of the charity, while I (Ed) am on the board of trustees.
Very helpful article, as I was just about to set off to the park for some sport
Disgraceful Sport England. I’d say that is the last thing they are: sports.