Summer 2023

DEVELOPMENT NEWS
Berkeley – Turnden
Michael Gove turned down
the Turnden phase 2
development, as he
considered the housing as
‘A generic suburban nature
which does not reproduce the constituent
elements of local settlements.’ He also
considers that the layout of the scheme
‘does not respond to its AONB setting’.
These are two of the key criteria used by the
planning committee and seems the first time
they have been used to refuse a planning
application.
As expected, Berkeley will not give up and
are taking Mr Gove’s decision to court on the
basis it is ‘irrational’.
A letter in The Times from Roger Mortlock
hits the nail on the head: ‘Crucially the
proposal was for unnecessarily big, expensive
homes. What is needed is truly affordable
and sustainable housing, including homes
for social rent.’
Following the refusal of Berkeley Homes’
permission many letters were sent to
National newspapers, including this from
the parish chairman:
Sir, Your article on Gove vs Berkeley
misses the point about ‘levelling up’
and the value of AONBs. Berkeley
homes, that start at £633k, (18.5
times the median UK wage), are
simply unaffordable. Our Community
Land Trust tried to buy the land for
affordable housing for local people, but
Berkeley had more cash.
As a rural market town, Cranbrook
needs affordable houses for local
working people, with infrastructure
of schools, medical centre and paths
to walk and cycle into town. Our
In Brief
• Cranbrook
Engineering
At last, equipment
has moved onto
the site. The listed
building, which
has been clothed
in scaffolding
for over 10 years
and had stopped
development,
is proving very
tricky to deal with,
as none of its
ceiling heights or
proportions meet
modern building regulations.
secondary school was closed in 2021
so 800 pupils across the Weald are now
bussed, for up to an hour each way, out
of the area.
‘Affordable Homes’ means they are
let at 80 per cent of the local market
price, but in an area of high property
prices they are still not affordable
to working people. The discussion
needs to refocus on affordability not
aesthetics.
Planning guidance states that a
development in an AONB must provide
exceptional benefits to the community.
This does not.
Kim Fletcher, chairman, Cranbrook
and Sissinghurst Parish Council (Letter
to The Times, 3 May 2023, unpublished)
• Hill Development – Brick Kiln
We have all suffered from the disruption while the new entrance
is being constructed. Hopefully this will end soon. Cranbrook
in Bloom have offered to help with the planting scheme for the
new traffic island.
• Fernham Homes – St George’s Institute, Sissinghurst
The trees have been cut down prior to the bird nesting season,
with a view to starting construction in the late summer.
8 The Cake • Summer 2023