Template complaint to MBC:

To: DavidBurton@maidstone.gov.uk, AlisonBroom@maidstone.gov.uk, David.Ing@wearefabrick.com, saveourheathlands@gmail.com

Cc: helen.whately.mp@parliament.uk, shellina.prendergast@kent.gov.uk, cliveenglish@maidstone.gov.uk, paulharper@maidstone.gov.uk, tomsams@maidstone.gov.uk, janettasams@maidstone.gov.uk

Dear Maidstone Borough Council

I want to put on record my complete objection to the Heathlands proposal for Lenham and the devastating impacts it would have on this community. It is not a sound planning proposal and MBC should reconsider it as a Local Plan option.

Secondly, I am writing to express my deep dissatisfaction in the way the Heathlands public engagement exercise has been planned and delivered.

MBC has failed for three years now to actively consult with the community in Lenham and the surrounding villages directly affected by your Heathlands proposal. The run-up to this long awaited series of engagement events has been completely inadequate and with many shortcomings.

The large majority of residents, including myself, in and around Lenham have received no notification of the upcoming events, instead having to rely upon local ward councillors and SOHL alerting us to what is going to be happening.

The majority of the engagement events should have been held in Lenham as directed by the democratic vote at Policy & Resources Committee in February.

The choice of Mercure Great Danes hotel requires many to rely upon their cars to reach the venue nearly 8 miles away from Lenham Square. The 10X bus is offered as the public transport alternative but holding the event on a Sunday means the bus runs every two hours leading to a round trip in excess of 3 hours due to the timetable.

There is real concern that council taxpayers’ money is not being spent prudently on this series of events with a choice to use expensive hotel conferencing suites over more reasonably priced community facilities.

Residents shouldn’t be expected to pre-register with personal data in order to be allowed access to the event. This is not inclusive.

This farce of a community engagement exercise must be postponed and rescheduled once the correct planning and communication work has been done.

The Leader of the Council and Chairman of the Policy & Resources Committee has an obligation to ensure this exercise is meaningful, open and accessible. Residents must have their say.

Regards

{Your Name]
[Your address if you would like to or just your town you live in]