Planning in Kent is stacked against people

While it might appear good news that the plans for 421 houses on farm land to the SE of Maidstone were rejected, the comments by the head of planning are indicative of the appalling lack of democracy and local voice that we have in our system. Planning application that are approved can't be overturned by the planning committee but ones that are rejected can approved subsequently. Moreover the appeals process takes the decision out of local hands and gives it to national government who have no stake in Maidstone.

Elsewhere in Kent, the country's largest solar farm, one that will devastate 900 acres of farm and marsh land, one that doesn't have separated solar panels that animals can graze around, has been approved by central government. Local Greens fought with many others against the development yet the needs of Nature and local people have been ignored by developers national government. So much for democracy.