Statement from the Green Party Group at Swale Borough Council .
We have taken the difficult decision to leave the coalition, over our fundamental differences to the Labour Party’s approach to planning, housing, and environmental priorities.
Our departure stems from Labour’s revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which fail to address the urgent need to protect nature and deliver social housing that meets genuine local needs. Instead, these revisions perpetuate the ‘developer’s charter’ introduced by their Conservative predecessors, putting profit above people and the planet.
We are particularly disappointed by the failure of our Labour councillor colleagues to distance themselves from their party’s position on housing, or from the Labour MP for Sittingbourne and Sheppey, Kevin McKenna. His last-minute intervention to call in the Highsted Park application was not only full of inaccuracies, but also left the council powerless to make the decision that should have been their democratic right. This undermines both local decision-making and the trust of our residents, and the cost to defend the position arrived at by the council’s planning officers1 in the forthcoming enquiry will put a significant strain on the council’s finances.
Furthermore, we cannot support the coalition partners’ decision to put their support behind a local plan option which would funnel the borough’s housing allocation disproportionately towards the eastern end of Swale. This approach ignores the need for fair and equitable distribution of housing across the area, creating imbalances that would harm communities and further strain already stretched local resources.
In Swale we have 7,047 houses which developers have been granted permission to build, but have not yet been built out, as well as hundreds of empty homes. We have a borough which is exceptionally constrained 2 with very large proportions either being in the Kent Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, (National Landscapes), or on flood plains. The majority of the remainder is grade one farming land, which we believe should be considered essential to the future food security of the UK.
The NPPF does not appear to adequately account for any of these factors, and makes no discernible attempt to address the real cause of the housing crisis, which is that the majority of young people living and working in Swale cannot afford to buy the vast majority of houses which are currently being built here3.
Cllr Alastair Gould, who will be stepping down from his role on the Planning and Transportation Policy Working Group, which is responsible for the Local Plan, said “Labour have made clear their willingness to prioritise housing and growth over preservation of the environment, and this short- sighted treatment of our planetary home is completely against Green Party principles, and is not something I am willing to be involved in leading.”
Cllr Rich Lehmann said “The Green Party in Swale will remain committed to putting people and the planet first. We will continue to fight for truly sustainable housing solutions, fair policies that respect local communities, and the urgent protection of our natural environment. Although we are no longer part of the coalition, we will remain a vocal and active presence on Swale Borough Council, holding those in power to account and advocating for a better future for all.”
Green Group councillors Alastair Gould, Rich Lehmann and Terry Thompson
1 This decision was recommended for refusal by the council’s planning officers for numerous valid reasons, not least the unresolved issues relating to the application hinging on a new motorway junction on the M2 which would be in direct violation of current National Highways policy.
2 Following work undertaken by members of Swale Green Party, we estimate that almost 74% of Swale’s area is very highly constrained and 16% is Best and Most Versatile farmland (it is no coincidence that the National Fruit Collection was established on the edge of Faversham). Almost all of the remaining land is either already built upon, or is ancient woodland and its surroundings, a vital biodiversity habitat.
3 The median salary for people working in Swale is £33.5k. Two incomes at this salary would give purchasing power of around £300,000. The median house price for new builds currently on the market in Swale is £430,000.