I am furious that the Government has seized the Highsted Park development decision from Swale Borough Council. Worst still, this was at the behest of my Labour neighbour who wants to build more homes at any cost.
We all understand the need for housing, but the concern I hear from residents about the scale of Highsted Park is overwhelming. It will be huge – concreting over hundreds of acres of agricultural land and urbanising a beautiful rural area.
With the Deputy Prime Minister determined to build over the South East and the Government’s huge majority, it’s going to be hard to stop this.
However, we do have some tools, not least the Government’s own planning regulations. For instance, we included protections for ‘The Best and Most Versatile’ agricultural land in planning law, and that has been kept by the new Government. The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is clear that where significant development of agricultural land is demonstrated to be necessary, areas of poorer-quality land should be preferred to those of a higher quality. The Government won’t be able to ignore that.
That’s why I have been asking the Government a series of questions about this, but I have been continually fobbed off with non-answers. You can see the number of questions I asked and how I was fobbed off in the document linked at the bottom of this page.
Until finally on 19th December 2024 I asked: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how the commitment to safeguard the Best and Most Versatile agricultural land will be applied to planning decisions called in by the Secretary of State
And Matthew Pennycook MP, Minister for Housing & Planning answered on 10th January 2025: The government places great importance upon our agricultural land and food production.
The National Planning Policy Framework sets out how the best and most versatile agricultural land should be reflected in planning policies and decisions. We are maintaining the existing strong protection for the best and most versatile agricultural land. The Framework is clear that where significant development of agricultural land is demonstrated to be necessary, areas of poorer quality land should be preferred to those of a higher quality.
This will, where relevant, be a material consideration in planning decisions, including those made by the Secretary of State.
So now I will write (again) to the Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Angela Rayner MP) for assurances that the protection of agricultural land will indeed be a material consideration in the the Highsted Park decision.
You may also be interested in my Private Members Bill to change the law to protect Grade 1 agricultural land for farming. You can read about this here.
