Stone Parish Council QUID PRO QUO... the art of making unacceptable development acceptable?

Stone Parish Council QUID PRO QUO 

...the art of making unacceptable development acceptable?

Ordinarily it could be argued that 16 4-bedroom houses at this location could be considered inappropriate, but we think what makes this development palatable is the inclusion of the multi-use community building. 

As is so often the case with developments, especially those in Greenhithe, is they are delivered without providing the community infrastructure which can be as  simple as a hall 'somewhere to meet', which we see as the essential building blocks  required to bring about community cohesion which is so often missing or left lagging way behind the growing communities needs. 

Many residents may not like the idea of 16 more homes but it can be seen from the application documents that much care and thought has gone into meeting the communities needs and more importantly how the development of these homes will provide the necessary funding for the delivery of a new community centre at no direct cost to residents.   

This is not a new or unique approach, developers often revert to this approach in order to justify higher densities or paying less S-106 contributions. However in this case it seems that Stone council have seized the initiative and the parish council are to be commended for their proactive approach and vision. Something we feel all local parish and town councils would benefit greatly from following Stone Councils example is a masterclass in how to get the most out of development in your area. 

Planning application Ref: 14/00028/FUL is for the Erection of 16 No. 4 bedroom houses in two terraces and erection of a multi-use community building with access road and ancillary works at  Land Adjacent The Lodges Cotton Lane Stone Kent.  

The full application and the link to lodge a formal comment regarding the application can be found Here...