The Local Plan for the Canterbury District, approved in draft by Councillors on 1st March 2024, outlines a large new development for land north of Canterbury:
- A new ‘rural settlement’ on a site of over 100 hectares – an area twice the size of the walled part of Canterbury
- 2,000 new dwellings
- A community hub with shops, offices, business space and a mobility hub
- Waste water treatment works
- Relocation of Blean Primary School and another new Primary School built
- Only two access points, both on Whitstable Road – one opposite Kent College and one through the current Blean Primary School site
You can read the full draft Local Plan here – see page 52 for Policy C12, land to the north of the University of Kent
A consultation on the Local Plan was launched on 11th March and ends on Monday 3rd June. The results of the consultation will be reported to the Canterbury Council in January 2025, before approval is sought to publish and then submit the draft Canterbury District Local Plan To 2040 to the Secretary of State. Following an examination, a Planning Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State makes the final decision on the soundness of the plan and legal compliance of the plan.
The more people who feed into the consultation that is now live, the more that local people from all over the district will be listened to by Canterbury City Council.
As well as local people feeding into the consultation individually, each Parish Council will respond, and Save The Blean local action group will give a response on behalf of local communities.
Our message is simple: this massive housing development should not go ahead on grounds of poor housing strategy, unresolved access issues, damage to wildlife, woodlands and heritage sites, and destruction of farmland.
