Residents rage at planned development in Kilndown
KILNDOWN councillors have denied "bulldozing" through controversial plans for affordable housing.
Goudhurst and Kilndown Parish Council has set a deadline of today for comments, via a village newsletter form, on plans for five homes on National Trust land in Church Road.
Beresford Close resident Jo Stevens, who campaigned against developing a nearby plot in 2008, said the council lacked transparency in its consultation. She said: "Before we had a ballot box in the hall, people put their signature to a piece of paper, and we counted them.
"Everybody could see it. This isn't the way to go about it. They can't just bulldoze in."
Parish council chairman Tom Crookall said: "The NT says it will not release land unless it's the clear wish of the people of Kilndown.
"We've given a comprehensive run down of the facts and are prepared to make the responses available for inspection. We've been trying to 'bulldoze' this through for two years, so we've obviously got a very slow bulldozer."
Mrs Stevens said about 20 residents oppose the scheme on road-safety grounds.
2 Comments
by Gill, Kilndown
Tuesday, July 14 2009, 12:07PM
“Goudhurst Parish Council are about to present the results of the 'votes' received via the newsletter to the National Trust. It seems that their view is the view of the majority of villagers. The results would have been far more convincing if a proper ballot had been held to allow everyone over 18 years of age to have an individual vote.
In principle, I am strongly in favour of affordable housing for local people in rural locations. However, the people who find it most difficult to remain in their rural locations are usually young people leaving home for the first time and older people...The proposed dwellings don't have any accommodation for single people and as far as I am aware no single storey dwellings are to be built.
I'm 'an outsider' living in a 2 bedroomed cottage in Kilndown. The cottage had remained empty for 8 months prior to us moving in. If available housing in Kilndown remains empty for such a lengthy period of time I would seriously dispute that there is a significant need for a new development to be build on a green field site.”
by Gill Cain, Kilndown
Tuesday, June 30 2009, 9:44AM
“The main difficulty with the method chosen to canvass people's views (via the newsletter) is the restriction of one yes or no vote per household. I recognize that the number of adults over the age of 18 are recorded but this method holds no scope to register the votes of those over 18 within a household who have different opinions!!!
One of the main principles of the democracy is the premise that one person should have one vote and this process does not meet this requirement.”