Consider this description: "The Woodcut Farm site forms part of the setting of the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and represents a continuation of the landform of the North Downs. It is also visible, at a distance, from points in the AONB. Views from the AONB of the site to the south of A20 are limited. In views from the south it is seen as part of the foreground to the AONB."
Sounds idyllic? It is. Woodcut Farm is part of the site where residents fought to prevent KIG from being built. This was a campaign that the Greens supported along with the Tories (who have all three councillors in Bearsted where the land is).
The description is from the 'Core Strategy Strategic Site Allocations'- a report that goes to Maidstone Borough Council's Cabinet on Wednesday (25th July). The fancy sounding title translates as the large plots of land for house building and industry development and given the description of the site and its history, it would be reasonable to think that the report will put it in the 'not here' category.
However...
Despite the Tories involvement in the StopKIG campaign that saw Hugh Robertson MP Speaking at the inquiry (as did I) and leading a march across the land, the Tories are going to recommend that a 25 hectare industrial park can be built there.
Words fail me. One thing that I think I can say is that the Greens will be in the front line of the fight to stop the development.
Stuart Jeffery is Chair of Kent Green Party, coordinates the Green Party in Maidstone, is the Party's health spokesperson and is Policy Coordinator on the Green Party Executive Committee. BUT... views expressed here are his views and not those the Green Party.
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