Chase Meadow - not enough consultation

Last week some 160 people, largely from the Chase Meadow estate, turned up at Aylesford School in the hope of getting more clarification on the idea of a permanent Gypsy and traveller site near the Severn Trent Sewage Works off Stratford Road.

The meeting was called by Bryan Houston, chairman of Chase Meadows Residents’ Association, after there had only been two short drop-in sessions organised by the district council. At at least one of them the questions people wanted to ask could not be answered.

Mr Houston says: “We all accept the district has to provide Gypsy and traveller sites but this land is not suitable for many reasons and tomorrow (Thurs) we will be submitting a 29-page mega response to the council.”

Local MP Chris White turned up to listen to the health and safety, access and local economy concerns of residents. He was disappointed that district council chief executive, Chris Elliott, and council leader Andrew Mobbs both declined invitations to attend and did not send deputies.

The Conservative MP said it was a “prime example of how not to do things.”

But Mr Elliott has said he believes public meetings were no longer the best way to do consultations as people’s views needed to be expressed in writing.

Some town councillors turned up to hear what was being said, including Linda Bromley who commented: “The people who attended one of the council’s two drop-in sessions queued for ages but did not get their questions answered.

“One of the officers was in housing, not a planner, so it is not suprising he did not have the right information.”

The deadline for submitting comments on the amended Local Plan is 4.45pm on Friday (12 December).

See the full story in Friday’s Courier.