The Local Plan, once more
Plus latest on swimming instructor saga, a familiar face resigns from a job on the Isle of Man, news in brief, and more
It’s a bit hot, isn’t it? As we write this, the windows of Local Authority Towers are wide open and several fans are blasting us, yet we still feel like we’re melting. We know some people enjoy this heat, but it is our duty to inform you that they are very much wrong.
Anyway, today we’ve got one last roundup (for now) on the Local Plan, where we look at some of the finer points of it that may have been overlooked in all of the drama over housing targets. We also hear from each political group on Medway Council about why they voted for or against the plan. Further down, we return to the saga of Medway’s swimming instructors, who we were told last year weren’t being made redundant, and you’ll never guess what has happened to them now. We also have a wild story involving a former Medway councillor who has had to resign from a big role on the Isle of Man, of all places. Plus, of course, our news in brief roundup.
Some finer details of the Local Plan
We won’t keep writing about the Local Plan, but we wanted to return to it a little bit this week after asking you to read through the documents and point out anything that might be of interest. The Local Plan and all of the supplementary documents ran into thousands of pages, so we very much appreciate those of you that took the time find and flag some of the finer details:
One reader pointed out that the Medway Local Plan document raises concern about the pressure on the water network from the plan. It highlights that additional sewage discharges may result from the plan and that ‘Deterioration in water quality and ecosystem services has the potential to be a long-term but potentially temporary significant effect.’
An aspiration of the plan is to provide ‘access to affordable, integrated transport and new forms of shared mobility.’ The document specifically references both e-bikes and e-scooters, the former of which is fine, but the latter of which are very much illegal on UK streets.
One reader (some of you can probably even guess which one) was very excited about Medway Council’s proposals for new allotments. We’ve written before about the shortage of allotments in Medway, but Medway Council will now expect new developments to provide allotments for new residential developments at a rate higher than the best practice guidance that exists in this area.
Developers will be expected to provide a ‘sustainable mix of housing,’ which includes the very out of fashion humble bungalow.
There is an expectation for 30% of new housing in Hoo and suburban greenfield sites to be ‘affordable,’ with 25% in ‘lower value areas’ and 10% on brownfield developments.
Large scale developments should now include at least 4% plots for self and custom build housing.
You can read the Local Plan in full on Medway Council’s website, respond to the new consultation, or attend an information event about it.
The politics of it all
As you might expect following the Local Plan debate last week, political parties have been setting out their positions on the plan. We asked each of them for a comment on the agreed Local Plan, which we now present for your enjoyment:
First up, Cllr Simon Curry, Medway Council’s Portfolio Holder for Climate Change and Strategic Regeneration shared his happiness at getting the plan through:
“The Local Plan is a comprehensive document which takes many factors into consideration, including feedback received from residents and businesses during our previous public consultations. Thank you to everyone who took the time to submit formal feedback, which has helped to shape the plan that was approved by councillors last night.
Medway’s Local Plan sets out our vision for how Medway can grow sustainably, striking a balance between the need for development of homes and jobs, whilst also looking to protect Medway’s wonderful natural and historic environment.
New developments are required to meet the housing target set by Government. We have carefully considered all feedback and the options available to determine where’s best for the growth to go. However, that being said, we are not complacent and recognise that with new homes there is a need for new or improved infrastructure to be provided at appropriate times within the development. We will be working hard to not only allocate Section 106 funding from developments into communities, but to lobby Government and other relevant bodies for more support to provide new road networks, schools, health facilities and more to ensure Medway thrives as well as grows.”
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Cllr George Perfect, leader of the opposition Medway Conservative Group saw things rather differently:
“We recognise the need for a Local Plan, however, that plan must be the right plan. We cannot support a local plan that fails to critically on infrastructure and therefore we voted against that plan tonight.
We are committed to getting the necessary infrastructure improvements that the people of Medway have rightly called for, and as the Regulation 19 now moves forward we will continue to make representations to the Planning Inspectorate.
We must be under no illusions, this local plan is the Labour Party’s Local Plan, and tonight they have voted for 28,000 additional homes by 2041 without any support from Government to Medway’s critical infrastructure.”
Cllr Michael Pearce, Deputy Leader of the Independent Group, found some positives, but still raised serious concerns about the process:
“With the draft Local Plan, the additional houses planned for the Hoo Peninsula has reduced from around 12,000 to around 5,800. Deangate Ridge is completely protected and will become a parkland. There is also a parkland proposed to the south of Hoo called Cockham, as well as a wetland reserve proposed around Abbotts Court south east of Hoo. Cliffe, Cliffe Woods, Frindsbury and Wainscott are spared with additional significant development, along with Allhallows, Stoke, St. Mary Hoo and Grain. However, the Local Plan does include around 1,600 houses that will need to come forward on “windfall sites”, meaning the plan may enable additional development on the Hoo Peninsula on sites not allocated in the plan. The proposal for 500 houses at Chattenden Barracks has been removed, due to ecological concerns with the adjacent Lodge Hill SSSI (and Nightingales). However, as the Habitats Regulations Assessment has not been finalised, and without a 400m buffer (as seen elsewhere in the country), these sensitive sites could still come forward as “windfall”. We are still very concerned and oppose the significant development planned for the Hoo Peninsula. Especially as there is no serious funding in the plan to pay for the significant infrastructure that will be required on the Hoo Peninsula - particularly roads, education, health, water, electricity, community facilities etc. We are opposed to a top-grade (Grade 1) agricultural farmland being developed, when this high-quality land is rare nationally. The scale of development will cause significant harm to the Hoo Peninsula’s internationally and nationally protected habitat sites - although not directly developed, the harm caused by recreational disturbance, predation (pets), noise, pollution, fly-tipping and waste will be significant. The plan Medway Council signed off on Thursday 26th June was not ready and not fit for a Regulation 19 consultation. Many of the documents are incomplete or missing - the plan is simply not sound or ready for Examination.”
Cllr David Finch, leader of the Reform Group, set out why his party are opposed the plan:
“While we respect the democratic process, we remain deeply concerned about the direction and priorities of this Local Plan.
It places disproportionate emphasis on housing delivery without securing the necessary infrastructure, job creation, or protections for Medway’s heritage and economy. The decision to earmark vital employment sites such as Chatham Docks and Medway City Estate for redevelopment sends the wrong message to local businesses and workers at a time when stability and investment are most needed.
We believe Medway deserves a plan that balances housing with meaningful job growth, protects our greenbelt, and respects our unique industrial legacy.
As the consultation phase moves forward, Reform UK will continue to challenge the weaknesses in this plan and amplify the voices of residents, workers, and small businesses who feel unheard. We urge the public to participate in the Regulation 19 consultation that runs until 11th August and make their views known.”
Finally, independent councillor Chris Spalding, the only councillor outside of Labour to support the plan, told us:
“The local plan vote was the hardest decision I have had to make as a councillor. It was a plan nobody would like completely and more of a case of what was least bad.
I have no regrets about voting to publish the plan because, on balance and it was a very fine balance, it was in the best interests of those I represent.
There has been much talk lately of a united peninsula alliance. Before the 2019 elections, the late Councillor Pendergast and I suggested this, but were rebuffed.
After the elections we tried again several times, but again certain people said no. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that had this happened much of the development in Hoo and other areas on the Peninsula would have been stopped are at least significantly curtailed.”
Have a Medway story you think we might be interested in? Get in touch via hello(at)localauthority(dot)news - We’re always happy to talk off the record in the first instance…
Swimming instructors made redundant by Medway Council after all
Towards the end of last year, we broke the story that swimming instructors in Medway were being made redundant due to their roles being abolished and absorbed into a much more wide-ranging role.
At the time, Medway Council effectively dismissed our questions over staff being made redundant, telling us that it was effectively just a change in contract terms and that “All current Swimming Instructors will be offered the opportunity to amend their contract to continue working for us in the role of a Sports Officer or Senior Sports Officer and consultation will be undertaken with relevant staff and suitable options offered as part of the process.”
Fast forward to now, and a new report to Medway Council’s Employment Matters Commitee next week seems to paint the situation in a rather different light.
At the time, swimming instructors raised concerns that even if they were offered a Sports Officer role, it would include responsibilities well beyond the scope of their existing expertise. It would appear that as a result, four of the five swimming instructors in Medway did end up being made redundant.
The report also notes that fitness instructors working for Medway Council faced a similar situation, with four staff members being made redundant.
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Return of the Mack(ness)
It’s not often there’s much crossover between our work and that of the Isle of Man’s national radio station. But this week, a story this week from Manx Radio has brought up the past of a former Medway councillor and possibly shed new light about an ongoing fraud investigation by Kent Police into a Medway Council owned company.
Readers of previous incarnations of this outlet may well be familiar with Andrew Mackness, a Medway Conservative councillor for River ward between 2011 and 2019 and was widely loved by all who knew him.
During his tenure as a councillor, he was portfolio holder for education, and was investigated by the police over claims of inappropriate conduct. He was also a director of Medway Commercial Group (MCG) before resigning ahead of a fraud probe into the organisation, which is still ongoing six years later.
Within weeks of his resignation from MCG, Mackness stood down as a Medway councillor, choosing to spend more time with his other business ventures (44 appointments on Companies House), including the St. Andrew’s Lakes development near Halling. Since then, he has largely remained out of the public eye.
That is until this week, when Manx Radio reported that Mackness had resigned from his position as Chair of Visit Isle of Man, the tourist body for the island. Reports from when he took on the role suggest he moved to the Isle of Man in 2022 before being appointed to the organisation in 2024.
Manx Radio asserts that Mackness’ resignation is in part due to his former actions as a Medway councillor and the ongoing fraud investigation into MCG, claiming sight of whistleblower documents about his time at the firm.
Kent Police were called in to look at MCG after the company engaged in ‘highly speculative ventures’ and managed to lost £1.7m of public money in a single year. Three people have been arrested in relation to the ongoing investigation of MCG, and Kent Police told Manx Radio that two people in their 50s from Chatham were interviewed under caution regarding the matter, which appears to have been in February 2022. Mackness, 60, asserts that he has never been arrested over the MCG saga, but did tell Manx Radio that “Where voluntarily requested, I have – and would always – assist the police in any investigation.”
Mackness told Manx Radio that the “politically motivated claims” were “pure mischief-making.”
We very much recommend the full article on Manx Radio, even if we’re not sure what it means when some of the best journalism about the MCG investigation has come from the Isle of Man…
In brief
🏗️ Medway Council's planning team is investigating an unfinished block of flats of questionable quality on Jeffrey Street in Gillingham. The building includes wobbly brickwork and initially included a balcony wrapped around a lamppost.
🏫 Chancellor Rachel Reeves visited a Strood primary school last week to discuss expanding free school meals. While some local media were invited, ours was presumably lost in the post.
📄 Medway Council is considering naming a street in a new Twydall development after the late, long-time councillor for the area, Paul Harriott. Harriott represented the area for 52 years, so the council is considering breaking their policy that people must be dead for 20 years before streets can be named after them.
🌊 Southern Water is investing £8.2m in its Motney Hill water treatment works in Rainham. This will more than double the storm storage capacity at the site to reduce sewage releases when systems become overwhelmed.
🛍️ Chatham Dockside has been shifting from an outlet shopping centre to a more traditional provision with an increased leisure offer. Centre manager Anthony Sutton has been talking to Completely Retail News about the change.
🎮 The Game store within the Pentagon Centre in Chatham is set to close in September. The shop is the last dedicated video game shop in Medway, and reflects a move toward digital game purchases and the horrific business practices of the current owner, Frasers Group.
More Authority
For our weekend interview, Steven sat down with Cllr Eddie Peake, Group Whip for the Labour administration on Medway Council. They discuss how he lost everything in Portugal, what brought him to Medway, discipline within the Medway Labour administration, and lots more.
“I wanted to actually do something worthwhile”
As part of our ongoing series of interviews with Medway’s current councillors, Steven met Eddie Peake at Bridgewood Manor Hotel, where they discussed what brought him to Medway, why he lost everything in Portugal, whether Labour members who don’t support the Local Plan should lose the whip, and lots more.
Footnotes
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Music that soundtracked the creation of this edition: The Golden Spike by Sky Larkin, Even on the Worst Nights by Mixtapes, and Get Better by Lemuria.
Just to add one more comment about the local plan. When it comes to new developments the council have put in a minimum of 10% Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG). Sounds great (though it could have been higher tbh), however they have left the door open that this BNG doesn’t have to be met on site. So a developer could cut down a load of trees on site, but as long as they plant some more nearby it gets counted as BNG. They have also let in a clause that allows this offsite location not even to be Medway. They could end up planting the trees in Norfolk and I could still count.
I would ask everyone during the consultation to insist all BNG can only be counted onsite or at the minimum in Medway.