Housing without harming the countryside

While we need to provide homes for the next generation, it’s vital that new houses go in the right place with the infrastructure to support them.

This mean protecting green spaces that matter to people, and building homes that meet the needs of modern life with good broadband and high energy efficiency.

I will always stand up for people in Faversham and Mid Kent - both locally and in Parliament - to make sure we get development that is right for our community.

You may also be interested in

Stop Lenham Heath Development

I'm shocked at the scale of the Lenham Heath 'garden village' being proposed by Maidstone Borough Council and concerned about how close it is to villages nearby. Plans for 5,000 - or more - new homes would destroy an area of farmland at the foot of the North Downs and put huge pressure on

News

We need a rethink on Lidsing Garden Village

I know local residents are hugely concerned about plans for 2,000 new homes around Lidsing. People are worried about traffic getting worse on local roads, pressure on services, and the loss of a much-loved open space & "green lung" for the local community.  I recently met local councillor

My response to Maidstone Local Plan

I’m bitterly disappointed that Maidstone Borough Council has decided to go ahead with the Heathlands and Lidsing Garden Villages. These rural locations are not the right places to support thousands of new homes – the road network can’t support them for a start.

We need answers on new Local Plan process

Swale Borough Council has announced major changes to how their new Local Plan will be developed. The Council published a draft Local Plan earlier this year, which included proposals to build 4,000 new houses in Faversham and the surrounding villages. Despite the scale of the proposed development,

It’s not too late to rethink Swale Local Plan

Thank you to everyone who took part in my survey on Swale Borough Council's Local Plan. The results are in, and it's clear there is a huge amount of frustration and sadness at what is being proposed.  The Plan, published earlier this year, would see even more homes built in the east of t

Tell me what you think about Swale's Local Plan

Faversham and the surrounding villages face the prospect of 4,000 more houses. Proposed changes to Swale Borough Council’s Local Plan will shape development in the borough until 2038.

New homes must not decimate green spaces

In my submission to Maidstone Borough Council’s Local Plan consultation, I stressed the need to strike a balance between protecting the countryside and providing the new homes people need. I’ve told the Council we also need a plan for infrastructure not just a plan for new housing in the borough.

"Don't concrete over Kent" My message to Housing Secretary

I met the Housing Secretary, Robert Jenrick, last week to raise concerns from constituents and local councillors about the number of new houses being built in Kent. People feel strongly about housing, and rightly so. Housing developments can change the look and feel of a community, and potentially

North Street ‘garden community’ needs to be rejected

I’ve called on Swale Borough Council to reject plans to build 5,000 new houses at North Street. The development is being considered for inclusion in Swale’s new Local Plan, which will set out where new homes should be built in the borough between 2022-2038. The North Street development is one of f

Maidstone Local Plan must reduce traffic

Reducing congestion on roads needs to be the focus for our new Local Plan in Maidstone. The new Local Plan will set out planning policy in Maidstone for the next 20 years and should focus on improving quality of life for local people. This must include tackling the horrendous traffic problems in M