BRING SOME SANITY TO HAWKINGE PLANNERS

Dear Ed,

I cannot believe the Hawkinge Parish and Shepway District Council councillors have passed plans for the construction of a public house and a Lidl's Supermarket on the new estate at Terlingham but have not allowed for any land to be free for a Doctors’ Surgery! 

Where do their priorities lie?

They are quite happy to pass plans for roughly 2000 new houses, but with no thought for these newcomers welfare. Many of them will have to cross two main roads and walk or drive on congested roads to the 'SURGERY IN THE WOODS' which brings me to another point.

Why do the only woods in Hawkinge have to be bulldozed to place a Doctors’ Surgery when there is land that has not yet been built on i.e. the Employment Land and the area by the Community Centre? 

Surely an essential service should come before a Pub and Lidls! Perhaps the powers that be will re-think their plans and priorities and save the woods at the same time. 

I have recorded 22 species of birds in my garden which is very close to the woods, including a Barn owl, foxes and a badger. Some thought should be given to wildlife, especially as there is land on the new estate which has not yet been built on.

If it has been already designated the plans should be altered to adjust this oversight. Furthermore, Mill Lane is congested at school time and dangerous with the sharp ‘dog leg’ bend and The Street is impossible to have a ‘flow of traffic’ with the parked cars and bus service, plus the speed at which some drivers use on these two roads. 

The site of the Community Centre would be ideal for a Surgery as it is the centre point of the village and community with plenty of parking space.

Why are The Street and Mill Lane so congested when there is a perfectly easy answer to the flow of traffic by removing the bollards in Webster Way and leading directly to the traffic lights thereby easing traffic through the village centre. 

This is common sense to me, or is the reason for the bollards being in place because we have a class distinction between the more expensive houses! 

Please, someone, bring some sanity to the planners of Hawkinge, get a sensible infrastructure put in place and get rid of some of the lunatic ideas that are in hand at the moment, including pulling down the Leisuredrome when the youngsters of the village are crying out for somewhere to use for sports and leisure time instead of hanging about outside Tescos!!

Yours very, very sincerely

Sonia V. Clark

Editors comment:

The employment land off Haven Drive has outline planning permission for a Health Centre, but as I  understand the position, neither the Primary Health Care Trust nor the Hawkinge Health Centre wish to build in that area.

Just because there happens to be outline planning permission does not make it compulsory for them to build there. 

They are free to choose where they wish the Health Centre to be sited, bearing in mind that the necessary planning permission will need to be obtained.