Hello readers,
Medway’s planning portal is seeing several larger developments coming through at the moment and I have just spotted another proposal. This outline planning application is for 450 homes on farmland in Main Road, Hoo.
The developer, Taylor Wimpey, has outlined that plans include a local community hall, allotments and play areas however the scheme has been met with quite some criticism, most notably from Independent Counsellor Michael Pearce, who has labelled the plan “predatory”.
Quoting from an article on the BBC, this site has been subject to a failed application by Taylor Wimpey in the past as was for:
“… 475 homes in 2014, but those plans were refused by Medway Council in 2015, with officers saying the scheme would harm the landscape.”
This scheme is a variation on the 2014 scheme and there are four main areas highlighted. These are outlined with the four points below and on the subsequent illustration:
- Main Spine design to access future Site to the east, allowing wider connectivity to Hoo.
- Up to 500sqm of retail and up to 500sqm of community uses.
- Development set back from Ratcliffe Highway
- Large areas of sustainable drainage basins along the southern boundary
The proposed plan includes a mix of terraced, semi-detached, and detached houses, along with apartments. The new buildings will be capped at three storeys, while those in the central area and south of the primary street will be limited to two storeys. As it’s only an outlined application at present, there are no visuals of what the properties may look like to show you.
Access to the scheme would be from the Main Road roundabout and Ratcliffe Highway, where new entry points would be created. There are, however, significant concerns that this could add significant congestion to the area.
Looking closer into the local area, this development is right next to a proposed development of 240 homes by Gladman Developments Ltd and both schemes come with controversy due to the location including environmental and various other factors.
Personally, I think it’s a positive sign when we see these proposals being submitted and that’s because it shows developers see potential in the area, which is a positive thing for existing properties in terms of house prices, demand and rental rates.
If you’d like to read more about the Taylor Wimpey scheme, you can find the full application here. A decision is expected by 2nd January 2025 and if given the go ahead, building could start in 2026 to be completed by 2033. I will keep you updated as the scheme moves forward!
Hasan,
