Town centre extension plan approved at Westwood, Thanet, for 1,000 new homes

Controversial proposals for a housing-led town centre extension at Westwood, between Broadstairs and Margate, have been approved by Thanet District Council.

Plans to build 1,000 new homes at Westwood have been approved by the Council.

The plans went before the Planning Committee on Wednesday 4 April and were referred to Full Council, because the application was a departure from the Local Plan. As a result, they will now be forwarded to the Government Office for the South East for a final decision.

The Local Plan, which first went out to extensive public consultation in 2001 and was eventually adopted in 2006, allocated 1,000 homes for the site. However, the application marginally exceeds this number, which is why it is being treated as a departure from the Local Plan.

Since the Council first received the application in May 2006, the proposals have undergone a number of significant changes in response to public consultation, with officers negotiating a Section 106 agreement with the developers, after local residents raised concerns about the road network in the area. The agreement requires that, amongst other things, major highway links in the area should be constructed and completed before anyone moves into the housing development.

Head of Development Services, Brian White, said: ‘The concept of building 1,000 homes and creating a town centre extension, with a school, open spaces and play areas, at Westwood is one that was first proposed for the Local Plan in 2001, when it first hit the front pages of the local newspapers. That concept has now become our recognised planning policy, agreed by an independent inspector, with Westwood designated as a new town centre. This development of a new town centre, with its neighbouring shopping centre and leisure facilities, will help to make Thanet a more attractive place for people to invest in, which in turn will lead to further job creation.’

‘We’ve had the application for nearly 12 months, much longer than we take to process most major planning applications, the vast majority of which are dealt with in less than 16 weeks. The developers understand this, as this application is for one of the biggest developments in Thanet’s history. That’s why we’ve taken our time with this application.

'That’s allowed us to listen to and meet with people to discuss how we can improve this development and reduce its impact on their lives. We’ve then negotiated changes with the developers. As a result, the plans have been altered considerably to improve the road network and transport links to ease congestion, which will be completed before any houses are occupied and that’s exceptionally unusual for this type of development. We’ve also included in the approval, measures to protect the homes in Star Lane from traffic noise and fumes, while traffic calming measures will also be introduced in Manston Court Road and Gordon Road.’

The illustrative master plan from the developers, Carillion Richardson and Gleeson Homes, proposed the creation of a new neighbourhood focused around a cluster of community facilities including a primary school, community hall, medical centre, central park and town square. The urban form is planned to echo the area's heritage of Georgian squares in the coastal towns.

Brian White, head of the council's development services, said: ‘The concept of building 1,000 homes and creating a town centre extension with a school, open spaces and play areas, at Westwood is one that was first proposed for the local plan in 2001. That concept has now become our recognised planning policy, agreed by an independent inspector, with Westwood designated as a new town centre.’

The scheme has generated considerable local opposition including a 5,447 signature petition. Residents feared congestion and over-stretched local facilities.

White stressed that the scheme had undergone considerable revisions. ‘The plans have been altered considerably to improve the road network and transport links to ease congestion, which will be completed before any of the houses are occupied,’ he said.