Alan Wells, Lib Dems candidate for this week's Strood North by-election said "The news that Medway Council's planning committee has deferred a proposal to deliver 181 houses in Frindsbury, alongside a new academy for 1,150 pupils and a wedding venue, highlights the Council's poor housing planning.
Alan Wells, Lib Dems candidate for this weeks Strood North by-election said "Whilst I recognise the need for new housing, it must be in the right places, where there is good provision of infrastructure. We would concentrate new housing developments in areas with good bus and rail links to reduce car usage, and in locations where there is scope to provide decent pedestrian, cycling and public transport connections.
Liberal Democrats would improve environmental standards in the Medway Towns by adopting sensible and consistently applied planning policies which are in line with the surrounding environment. The Conservative-led Council, by not having yet adopted a Local Plan, has had less control over developments in order to meet the Government's housing targets and this means developers often win their planning appeals, thereby causing great harm to our green spaces.
Medway's poor air quality can have a big impact on our health and well-being. John Castle, our candidate for the upcoming Princes Park by-election is are calling on the council to do more to promote cleaner air in the Medway towns. To do more to encourage people to use public transport, or to travel by bike or on foot and to investigate how it can make our bus services more affordable, especially for families travelling together, where a return ticket to Chatham could cost over £10. There should be an arrangement between Medway Council and bus providers in the Towns to promote green transport methods.
Lockdown, highlighted the importance of access to green spaces and nature for physical and mental health has been starkly highlighted. Those who live alone across our towns, or without access to gardens, balconies, or green space, exposure to nature is a key factor in maintaining positive mental health.
The government white paper on the future of planning policy in England states that changes are needed to stimulate housebuilding, without any evidence of how this would work in practice. Top down planning from the centre does not recognize that England is a very diverse country and what is right for one part of the country would be wrong for another.
