Rusthall Elms & Middlefield
Sources:
The Courier April 21st, May 12th, 26th
Bryant Homes site handout
Personal experience
The public exhibition for the development of the above took place on the 19th & 20th May. Reports are that the event was well supported by residents and people were taking this opportunity to discuss any issues they had with representatives from the developers.
Since its closure in 1992-93, the site has become a hot spot for vandalism, dumping and in more recent months, travellers. The latter was an issue that took three weeks to resolve with the last vehicle being removed by the council. The occupants left a significant amount of rubbish in their wake. Blocks were to be put up over the entrance to prevent a reoccurrence. This has not been done.
So, It’s agreed that the site needs developing. But are the proposals right for the village?
The proposal consists of 57 houses and flats, of which 17 will be ‘Affordable Housing’. It is unclear at the moment what type of properties will be available, but it has been suggested that there will be a mixture; including one bedroom flats, two, three and four bedroom houses. There will be a small respite centre, which is to accommodate four residents. The site previously had a centre of the same size that closed in 2004. There will also be a multiuse games area and a playing field; both of which are for the wider community and for the use of St Paul's School. The Affordable Housing will be mainly controlled by the council and will, it is reported, have an emphasis on key-workers; teachers, emergency service workers etc. These properties will be at the more intense part of the development to the north, where access will be via Edward Street.
The main entrance and possibly the main contention, is found at the Boundary; the southern part of the site. Having spoken to residents on this subject, there seems to be a lot of friction with this choice of layout. The area in question is not only used by motorists for access, it is also a way to avoid the large traffic queues that form at the Major York's roundabout, by motorists coming from the Langton Road. Residents feel that the extra traffic flow, without other developments such as traffic calming, will spell disaster. A representative of the development ensured that adequate research into the impact on the village as a whole had been undertaken and trends in such are based on previous developments. Rusthall is a busy village. The high street during a week day gets very congested, what with parking, deliveries and the passing of large vehicles such as buses and coaches. Could the village handle the extra traffic? It is suggested that the typical increase will be in the order of thirty vehicles an hour, for the rush hour period.
Parking may pose a problem too; each property is to be supplied with allocated spaces, averaging out to be 1.5 per home. Will extra parking be allowed along the roads that join the development up? If not, the village will be put under even more strain than it is now, possibly with Common View, Edward Street and roads around the boundary most affected.
The development could be under way by the end of the year and will take in the order of 18 months to complete.
Views from the community are welcomed from the developers, but the deadline for which is June 9th. Details of contacting the public relations company can be found overleaf.
