The Hoo Peninsula’s Nightingales at Lodge Hill are under threat from these planning applications – Natural England and the RSPB agree. We need to support them and potentially Call-In the application to the Secretary of State if Medway Council’s Planning Committee disagree.
Please see the template response below. If you would like to send it as your own response, fill in your details and click submit. You can also add your own comments to the submission if you wish or leave a comment here.
Your response will go directly to Medway Council’s Planning Department and you will also receive an email showing the response you have sent. Please see the template submission in full below.
Dear Planning Authority,
This is a representation objecting to planning applications MC/20/2979 and MC/20/2980:
MC/20/2979: Demolition of existing structures and erection of 9No. residential dwellings. Formalisation of the existing access from Lodge Hill Lane and provision of associated car parking, hardstanding, landscaping and infrastructure including drainage and earthworks.
MC/20/2980: Outline application with some matters reserved (appearance, landscaping, layout and scale) for the construction of 8 to 12 self build dwellings, provision of open spaces, landscape buffers, drainage features and earthworks. Enhancement and widening of existing access track from Lodge Hill Lane and formation of two new cross-over accesses from Lodge Hill Lane to serve two dwellings.
I agree with the representations made by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and Natural England, particularly with regards to the harmful impact of the proposals on the nationally important Lodge Hill National Nightingale Bird Sanctuary SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest). The proposals are contrary to National Planning Policy (the National Planning Policy Framework) and will set a harmful precedent impacting the national network of SSSIs.
The Hoo Peninsula is the most environmentally sensitive location in the Planning Authority’s jurisdiction – with a wide range of nationally and internationally protected wildlife sites. The provision of up to 21 new dwellings can be clearly accommodated elsewhere in the district on less harmful sites – not next to a protected bird sanctuary – complying with the Avoid, Mitigate and Compensate Hierarchy.
I strongly recommend the Planning Authority and Planning Committee refuses these harmful planning applications that are contrary to National Planning Policy.
Kind regards,