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An MP who fears GP services will be pushed 'to the point of no return' by a 900 new homes development has urged health bosses to object to the plans.
Tom Tugendhat, who represents Tonbridge and Malling has told service managers they have “a duty to object” to a long-expected planning application for the homes at Broadwater Farm.
The outline application has finally been submitted by Berkeley Homes for 118 hectares of farmland between East and West Malling after months of speculation.
And already there are 145 objections.
The MP said the additional homes would stretch “an already strained infrastructure in and around West Malling and Kings Hill.”
Mr Tugendhat reminded the Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group (KMCCG) that he had already raised concerns with them before about increasing appointment waiting times and the level of service with the current population levels.
But he said: “This planning application will push our local medical infrastructure beyond the point of no return.”
He pointed out that KMCCG’s “general estates strategy” produced only in August, planned for a population growth of 781 homes across both the West Malling Group and the Wateringbury Surgery areas, yet the Broadwater Farm application alone would add 900 homes.
He said the “strategy was already out of date, within two months.”
West Malling has already recently lost its town doctors surgery, with patients having to transfer to surgeries at Kings Hill or Leybourne.
Mr Tugendhat told the CCG’s director of primary care, Bill Millar, that as the organisation responsible for planning healthcare locally, the CCG had “no option but to object to the application.”
However, Berkeley Homes is sure to disagree, pointing out its application includes provision of a new medical centre, as well as a primary and secondary school.
Of the 900 planned houses, 270 (30%) would be affordable housing.
Controversially, the site also sits between two conservation areas with some buildings being Grade II listed.
Berkeley Homes said: “Our vision for Broadwater Farm is to achieve a high quality and sustainable development of new homes and supporting facilities, including a medical centre, primary school and secondary school.
“Notwithstanding the status of the Local Plan, we continue to engage positively with council planning officers, who remain supportive of the application.”
Berkeley is referring to the fact that Tonbridge and Malling borough recently had its draft Local Plan document rejected by planning inspectors and as a result is unable to demonstrate that it has a five-year housing land supply, a government requirement, without which there is always a presumption in favour of allowing any development.
Berkeley Homes said: “It is important to note that a five-year housing land supply is not an aspirational target, but the minimum requirement for an authority.
“Moreover, it should be noted that there is an upward trend in the overall housing needs and requirements in the both the government’s current and proposed standard methodologies.”
Objectors to the plan say that the provision of a doctors surgery on site is not necessarily a solution.
Another developer, Taylor Wimpey, built a medical centre at its development at Leybourne Chase, but it had been unable to find any doctors willing to take it on.
After it had laid idle for four years, Taylor Wimpey is now looking to obtain planning consent for its conversion to a restaurant or similar use.
