Kitewood divides young and old

Hmmm... separating the under-60s and over-60s... do I detect an attempt to 'divide and rule'?

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Developers pushing for a £240 million housing scheme on the outskirts of Herne Bay claim people over the age of 60 do not want it to happen. In a report compiled on public opinion, Kitewood Estates says there is opposition from “those more senior residents who would prefer to retain the existing status quo".

The firm adds “those who appeared to be aged over 60 were more likely to be opposed to the scheme”, but claims a “broad support” overall, particularly from people with young families.

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Concerns: transport - road and rail

There are three things about this housing project that personally concern me:

1. First is that we require a new train station at Hillborough now, let alone when there are another 1,300 families in the immediate area.
2. Closer to home is that Bishopstone Lane is already dangerous with the existing traffic and they have nothing in place to improve the situation. Bearing in mind with 1300 houses comes at least another couple of hundred dogs that will want to be walked/driven along Bishopstone Lane to Reculver Country Park.
3. The road between Hillborough and Sturry is a busy dangerous country road and nothing is planned to improve it, not even a roundabout at the other end.

RM, Bishopstone, 21st Nov 2011

Concerns: traffic, doctors...

Yes, we should like to save Hillborough, like many other people who moved to this district, the reason was to be away from housing estates and be near country and sea. When we moved to Bishopstone 20 years ago there was a caravan site at Hillborough and farmland and farm shop.

We now have a housing estate with more vehicles on the road, which has no speed limit as has Maypole and Broomfield, therefore, Hillborough and Beltinge are just race tracks for cars.

So what will happen if we have another 1,000 house built very near to this estate, people will want to use the road through Beltinge and thereabouts to reach the beach and local shops. We have to wait in some cases 2 weeks to see a particular Doctor we would like, meaning we do not need even more people using both medical centres. Schools are another issue where would children go for schools?

We have no buses after 7.00 p.m.and they are every hour through Beltinge and Hillborough, in spite of the existing houses, so who would want to move into these houses if there is no convenient way of travelling into Herne Bay, Margate etc.

DR, Bishopstone, 3rd Nov 2011

Concerns: scale, infrastructure, employment...

Our concerns are:

• Firstly the development is far too large as 1,000 homes possibly more we are lead to understand will be built.
• The infrastructure in place could not sustain the this amount of houses and indeed say at least another 4,000 persons in this area.
• Where are they going to work - there is no work down here to cater for this vast amount of new persons.
• It has been said by the developers that they will be employed at the new industrial site they have built but all we understand are hi tech industries and I cannot believe that all the above possibly 4000 persons are in hi-tech occupations. Many will have to commute to London or other main towns in the area to find work.
• There will be a vast input of motor vehicles in this immediate area making the back lanes very dangerous indeed and as has already been quoted it will take somebody to be knocked down and possibly killed before it is brought to the attention of the authorities.
• The developers have stated that they will make available the land for a new school but are not going to pay for it.

My wife and I only moved down to Bishopstone in March of this year and we are concerned that this development has suddenly come to light. Our searches from Canterbury City Council did not give any indication that a development of this size was in the pipeline. The developers must have had some outline planning in place. But as stated our Searches Were Clear of any Development in the immediate Area. How could this be?

To sum up my wife and I are totally against this development which will spoil the beautiful countryside and would wish you to put us on the supporters list with immediate effect.

DD, Bishopstone, 3rd Nov 2011

Concerns: bridges, flooding...

I am a resident in Coventry Gardens, Beltinge. My concerns are:

• The upgrading of the two bridges at Margate Road and Heart in Hand Road before any consideration is given for future development in the area concerned.
• Risks of flooding with over-development of green fields area.
• Where is the employment for these proposed people in the area?
• Extra amenities as existing amenities are already near capacity.
• Danger of creating an urban overspill environment.
• The peace and quiet of Beltinge will be gone for good.

DB 30th Oct 2011