Medway Liberal Democrats Raise Concerns Over Lack of Consultation on Land West of Strood in Local Plan

Medway Liberal Democrats have expressed serious concerns about the way land west of Strood — including high‑quality Grade 1 agricultural land at Chapter Farm — was introduced into Medway Council’s Local Plan now undergoing Examination in Public.

The Planning Inspectorate questioned the adequacy of consultation for Chapter Farm Green Belt land. This reflects concerns we raised that the site was not included in the Council’s Regulation 18 consultation. Despite this, the same land was later added into the Regulation 19 draft Local Plan, meaning residents were denied the opportunity to comment on its inclusion at an earlier and more appropriate stage.

Medway Council’s own evidence base identifies the land west of Strood (including Chapter Farm) as Green Belt release and confirms that it contains high‑quality agricultural land. This makes the site difficult to justify for allocation and places it in contradiction with the council’s own policy.
In our submission, we argued Chapter Farm is unsuitable for development because:
•    It is designated Green Belt, meaning its inclusion should only occur in exceptional circumstances and a last resort.
•    It contains Grade 1 agricultural land which should not be lost when lower‑grade alternatives exist. We highlighted alternative sites in our submission.
•    It would cause significant landscape and visual impact as the area forms part of an open rural setting on the edge of Strood.

John Castle for Medway Liberal Democrats said 'This sequence of events has left local people without a fair chance to participate in decisions affecting some of the most valuable agricultural land in the area. Medway Liberal Democrats strongly criticised the decision to include the land west of Strood.

This area of Green Belt land was included not in the Regulation 18 or consulted separately. We raised our objections when the site was later added at the Regulation 19 stage which meant residents were denied the opportunity to comment on its inclusion at the appropriate stage.
This undermines public confidence in the Local Plan process and side lines the community on a matter of major importance.'

Medway Liberal Democrats believe that residents deserve a transparent process and full consultation on any proposal involving Green Belt land or the potential loss of best‑and‑most‑versatile agricultural land. We are calling on Medway Council to explain why the site was introduced only at Regulation 19, to publish the evidence behind the decision, and to ensure that local communities are properly consulted before any further steps are taken. 

The Planning Inspectorate has now raised similar concerns over Chapter Farm to those in our submission. In reviewing the council’s response, many of our suggestions have either been partially or fully accepted by the council. We will continue to defend the remaining items at examination in public.

ENDS