The initial recommendation of the Cellar Hill/Greenstreet review was to preserve its status as a Conservation Area with a few minor boundary changes. However, following discussions with Historic England and the Conservation Officer at Swale Council, it has been decided to look at extending the Conservation Area westwards from Station Road to just beyond the Lynsted Lane junction. This would encompass an area northwards to Frognal Gardens and south into Lynsted Lane - including a cluster of eight listed buildings and others which characterise the development of Greenstreet from a farming community to a commercial centre during the 18th and 19th centuries. This is important as the aim of conservation area designation is to protect historic places and to assist in positively managing change - so that their special character is safeguarded and sustained. A further site visit will be arranged later in January, following which there will be a second public consultation on the proposed extended area.
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Swale Borough Council has initiated a review of the Cellar Hill and Greenstreet Conservation Area. It is vital that we preserve Cellar Hill as a location of special architectural and historic interest. The public consultation can be found here:
The deadline to respond has been extended until Tuesday 2 January 2024.
The Parish Council's response can be read HERE
The Park Farm Community Cherry Orchard Group was set up to organise events to celebrate the local history of traditional cherry growing, as well as wildlife associated with the orchard habitat.
Regular events in the calendar include Blossom Day in April, Cherry Day in July and a Halloween party in October. The group also enjoys early morning dawn chorus walks, music events and wildlife teach-ins.
Congratulations to the Lynsted Community Kitchen Garden (LCKG) who've won Silver in the Wilder Kent Awards, organised by the Kent Wildlife Trust. This recognised the work done by LCKG towards climate-resilient approaches to growing/gardening and supporting nature.
LCKG was also given an Achievement Award in the 'Growing Together Award 2023 for Community Gardening' run by BBC's The One Show and the Royal Horticultural Society.
Extra funding is coming their way with a £2,500 grant from the BUPA Foundation to support the development of the Herb Garden Project. The involves building a dedicated herb area at the heart of their veg and fruit plot, to celebrate the culinary and wellbeing benefits of herbs.
LCKG is part of a group run from Bore Place (Kent), under the direction of Kent Food Partnership, looking into ideas and strategies to enable a shift towards healthier and more sustainable food in the county. The end goal is for Kent to become a sustainable food place. LCKG’s role is linked to encouraging community food growing and the joy of local, seasonal food. The Community Garden presented their ‘what-why-how’ story at the Kent Food Summit 2023 held at University of Kent in early October.
For further information on LCKG and forthcoming events, please visit: https://www.lynstedkitchengarden.com/about-us
Plans have been submitted to convert Berkeley House, the former care home in Lynsted Lane, into ten residential units on the site – including the erection of one new dwelling. The plans can be viewed on the Swale Planning Portal. Search under reference: 23/503880/FULL.
Click HERE for the proposed site layout plan.
The Parish Council reviewed this application at its monthly meeting on 30 October and has submitted the response below to Swale’s planning department.
“In principle, Lynsted with Kingsdown Parish Council does not object to this application and we fully support the development of brownfield sites such as this.
“However, an impediment to our support is the number of parking bays for residents and visitors.
“Firstly, there is a lack of clarity on the number of spaces to be provided. The application form claims 23 spaces, yet on the site layout plan there appear to be only 19.
“Lynsted Primary School is literally yards from this site. It is on a dangerous blind bend with no footpath for access to and from the school. Lynsted Lane and the adjacent layby are congested at school run times and there is already concern regarding the risk of accidents and injury to young schoolchildren.
“It is essential that sufficient parking is provided within the site boundary to prevent any overspill onto Lynsted Lane, in the interests of highway safety. Our view is that more parking spaces need to be allocated.
“Another concern is the proposal to erect Cottage 1. We are aware of the covenant that restricts the owner of Berkeley House from extending or building upon or above the garage block (now demolished) any dwelling or other building with windows in the rear or flank walls which overlook the neighbouring Holly House. Whilst we note that the right flank elevation of Cottage 1 is shown in the plans as having no windows, it is very close to the site boundary and as a new two-storey dwelling is likely to cause loss of light and overshadowing to the owners of Holly House.
“One simple solution to the above two issues would be to not build Cottage 1 and to utilise that area for additional parking.
“In summary, the Parish Council would support this application were the above amendment to be made”.
Thirty Lynsted residents attended a Heart Start training session on Saturday October 21, held in the Church. We learnt what the signs are of cardiac arrest and how to carry out CPR with chest compressions and rescue breaths if someone has stopped breathing. We were shown the use of a defibrillator like the one recently installed at the Black Lion. The session also covered how to deal with choking and bleeding. It was a highly instructive combination of theory with hands-on training using defib machines and dummies. The course was over-subscribed, so we now have a waiting list for another session - if interested, let the Parish Clerk know. The Parish Council's thanks go to Simon White, Heart Start Instructor, who gave up his time free of charge - but £300 was raised for the British Heart Foundation.
Kent Online reports on the decision by the planning inspector to overturn Swale Council's decision to refuse permission for homes to be built behind the FJ Williams joinery yard
The Planning Inspectorate has allowed an appeal by developers against a refusal to grant outline planning permission for houses to be built in Lynsted. They have granted permission for the erection of up to 10 residential dwellings at land east of Lynsted Lane, which had been turned down by Swale Council's planning committee.
The inspector considered the main issues to be whether the development would be suitably located in terms of its accessibility to services and facilities, and whether the proposal would comply with the Council's settlement strategy.
They acknowledged that the site comprises part of a field of open grassland which sits outside the settlement boundary of Teynham. However, because Teynham is close by and classified as a Rural Local Service Centre it is considered to provide an “array of facilities” - notwithstanding the lack of “some” health facilities and a secondary school.
The inspector noted the existence of bus stops located a short distance from the appeal site and considered that “reasonably frequent services towards larger nearby settlements” were provided. They also commented on the existence of Teynham train station which was found to be accessible via an “attractive route of footpaths through residential areas” and also an attractive route for cyclists (despite having to navigate the A2 before reaching Station Road).
Together, these public transport connections were considered to provide an “attractive alternative to private car use” thereby complying with the objectives of the NPPF relating to sustainable transport and availability of a choice of transport modes.
Regarding highways issues, the inspector noted that the evidence provided by third parties (which included Lynsted with Kingsdown Parish Council) show existing conditions on the northern part of Lynsted Lane to be “chaotic and harmful to highway and pedestrian safety”. Any increased vehicle movements here, arising from the proposal, would be likely to worsen these existing conditions and would entail the loss of existing on-street parking opportunities used by residents and users of London Road shops. However they were satisfied that “an appropriate solution exists for the works to the highway” and that the proposal “could” accommodate parking spaces to help compensate for those lost.
Whilst there would be additional traffic at the junction with London Road, the inspector considered that the impact would be “negligible”. They appreciated local concerns that the proposal may form part of an intended wider development including land to the South. However, regardless of intentions, their assessment had to relate to the appeal scheme under consideration.
The inspector acknowledged that the proposal conflicted with policies ST3 and ST1 of the Swale Local Plan and that it would conflict with the Council's settlement strategy – these being the reasons why Swale’s planning committee refused permission in the first place.
Policy ST3 states that in the open countryside, outside the built-up area boundaries, development will not be permitted unless supported by national planning policy and able to demonstrate that it would contribute to protection and, where appropriate, enhancing the intrinsic value, landscape setting, tranquilly and beauty of the countryside. Policy ST1 requires development proposals to accord to the Local Plan settlement strategy.
However, the inspector ruled that because Swale does not have a five-year land supply for housing, paragraph 11D of the NPPF prevails. This stipulates that planning permission should be granted unless any adverse impacts of doing so would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits when assessed against the policies in the NPPF as a whole.
Whilst noting significant local opposition to the scheme, the inspector did not consider that the quantum of objections in itself amounts to a material consideration of sufficient weight to dismiss the appeal.
So, although the inspector found that the proposal would conflict with the Swale development plan, they ruled that national policy overrides it.
Permission was granted subject to conditions (amended by the inspector) already suggested by planning officers. These conditions include the requirement for approved drawings in relation to access; details of surface water drainage and consumption; details of cycle parking and additional parking spaces for existing residents; plus the approval of highways works.
A construction method statement is also required which includes, amongst other things, “methods for dealing with complaints from local residents”.
The Planning Inspectorate's full Appeal Decision can be read HERE