It could take another two years to complete blueprint work for Congress’ controversial plans for thousands of homes as officials are told to get back to the drawing board.
Council leader Alan Jarrett (Kong) says the Medway Council will push back the long-delayed planning process because of the political deadlock.
Authorities were moving their plans to set up 27,000 new residential and employment spaces by 2037 into the next phase, called Regulation 19.
At this stage, residents had to be consulted on a number of far-reaching plans, but they were unable to proceed after the plans were dropped ahead of a key vote in October.
The reason for the delay was that more documentation had to be completed.
The plan was hoped to be adopted next year if an independent inspector found it sound.
However, many councilors disagreed with the draft plans, including how much of the proposed development could take place on the Phu Peninsula.
Some also oppose plans to build 3,265 residential and commercial spaces at Chatham Docks, which is scheduled to close in 2025.
The Council will have to resume the phase called Regulation 18, which was already in place between 2016 and 2018. This part also includes consultations with residents and businesses.
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Cllr Jarrett said:
“The Regulation 19 process is deadlocked. There is no political consensus. [that phase] I will go out for consultation.
“The members have decided that they don’t want to consult the public, they don’t want to listen to what the public has to say.
“If there is no political consensus, we must cancel [the previous] With Regulation 18, we’re going to go back and start over, but this will take up to two years. “
Representatives of Rosewood and Capstone, who plan to step down as leaders and councilors next year, said the process would include reconsidering potential locations for development. added. The growing supply of residential land and not having up-to-date local plans means that you are largely vulnerable to speculative planning applications.
“Whoever is responsible for prolonging the situation will have to answer the public about it,” added Cllr Jarrett.
On Thursday, after Tories questioned the affordability of many of the proposals, city council members decided to send a key document, called the Medway Infrastructure Delivery Plan, to the entire council for consideration.
This effectively reversed a Cabinet decision to begin seven weeks of consultations on the Council’s £170m housing infrastructure fund for the Phu Peninsula, which was due to begin on Monday.
Medway Council leadership is also at odds with the Maidstone County Council over a review of the local plan, a public hearing scheduled to begin next month.
Cllr Jarrett has spoken out many times about neighborhood authorities’ plans to develop 2,000 homes in the community of Lidsing.
Cllr Jane Chitty (Con), who has overseen the local planning process in her role as portfolio holder for planning, economic growth and regulation, said:
“As an authority, we comply and we comply.
“The government will insist on other things as you go along, so it becomes part of the local plan.
“But if there is no agreement, it cannot be brought up for consultation.”
‘Those responsible for holding things must answer the public about it‘
Cllr Simon Curry (Lab), the Medway Labor Group’s Regeneration, Culture and Environment spokesman, said he didn’t expect anything to do with local planning before the next local elections in May.
He explained: use. “
He added that the lack of implementation of local plans could prove costly for councils trying to defend plan applications in areas they don’t want to develop.
He said: “I have to put up with the plan application for the Hu Peninsula house without a local plan.
“The position of the workers is that we are very dishonest because we believe that the Council leaders, especially Alan Jarrett, have completely failed Medway in terms of providing the Local Plan and providing HIF. and they want change.”
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