Maidstone Borough Council has granted Countryside planning permission, subject to the completion of a legal agreement, for the development of up to 800 new homes in Maidstone, Kent. The plans for the mixed use scheme, located to the south of Sutton Road, include up to 240 affordable homes, 60 extra care units, a new primary school, neighbourhood centre and almost 50 acres of public open space.
In addition to meeting the need for high quality new homes, allowing a new community to flourish in this popular Kent town, construction of the site is expected to boost the local economy and generate a significant number of new jobs in the area.
Andrew Carrington, Managing Director of Strategic Land at Countryside says: “We are delighted that our plans for this exciting new community have been approved. Considerable care and attention has been given to ensuring that the proposals will facilitate the creation of a thriving new community within a beautiful setting. The fact that Historic England has welcomed our plans for redevelopment means a great deal, and is testament to Countryside’s ethos on enhancing the local landscape and communities we work with to create places people love to live.
“The delivery of up to 800 new homes and the associated community facilities provides the opportunity to both stimulate the local economy and assist Maidstone Borough Council’s aim to improve the supply of high quality new homes in the Borough. Overall, there’s a lot of excitement about this particular development and we look forward to delivering this fantastic scheme over the coming years.”
Countryside, known for its holistic approach to developing whole communities, has taken care to ensure that the new development will sit naturally within the surrounding countryside. The transformation of the site south of Sutton Road, includes substantial public open space – over 40% of the entire development – including parkland, children’s play areas, orchard planting and community allotments.
There will also be an extensive network of new footpaths and cycle routes to ensure the development is accessible to all. The proposals have been specifically designed to open up key views along the valley and towards St Mary’s Church, preserving and improving its heritage setting.
Careful consideration has also been given to the impact on the local road network of this and other proposed housing developments in South East Maidstone. Countryside has agreed a significant contribution to the Council’s Integrated Transport Strategy for Maidstone, which will go towards junction improvements and significant enhancements to local bus services.
Work on the development is expected to start next year.
