Part 2: More Homes for Sellindge?
In our last post about more homes for Sellindge, we made it clear that Quinn Homes are proposing to build 105 homes at Elm Tree Farm in Sellindge. The land is currently owned by Alan Downs, whose family sold land in the village previously to allow Downs Way to be built out.
We make it clear Quinn Homes have not submitted a planning application yet.
Below is a proposed masterplan for the site; which will form part of any submitted planning application in the future.
On Tuesday 18 July, between 3pm & 7pm a consultation was held a Sellindge Village Hall, this was to allow residents to comment on the proposals, and for Quinn Homes to take heed of any matters arising from the consultation.
Now for those of you who are not aware, the site is NOT in the local plan. Nor does it fall within Policy ND5; which is the General Sellindge Policy.
So how then can such a proposal come forward? Well that is quite simple to answer.
As you may know, the development at Princes Parade has been stopped and the gordian knot, is slowly being unraveled. This means 150 homes have been eliminated from the local plan, and a Quinn Homes spokesperson has said.
“Our proposal will help meet the village’s housing need… without exceeding the numbers envisaged in the Council’s Local Plan.”
The spokesperson at the Consultation went onto say:
“This scheme has been conceived over the last 5 years to meet Local Plan aspirations for Sellindge with high quality family homes of exceptional EPC-A rating , as well as self build plots enabling people to build their own Grand Design.
The proposed scheme is the first major development in Kent that is offering an EPC – A rating for all proposed houses on the site, including the 22% “affordable homes”, the GP Surgery and the new village shop. Taylor Wimpey who’ve built 250 homes in Sellindge are EPC – B rating,
The proposed development will use a Fabric First approach which makes them cheaper to keep warm, as well as protecting the building fabric and reducing the need for maintenance. All 105 homes, including the 22% affordable, will come with Solar panels fitted, and will be heated by air source heat pumps. This results in lower energy bills and carbon emissions. Such a move by Quinn Homes means the proposed development will accord with the Council’s desire for developers and businesses to lower their emissions.
“By working with the local GP, we will deliver a new state-of-the art medical facility significantly larger than the current one to increase the range, quality and quantity of primary care services available to the village and surrounding area.
We know the lease on the current surgery is due to lapse in three years time, and given the Village has grown, a larger, more modern surgery, will be a necessity.
“Other community benefits include a new, larger and more accessible convenience store to provide for villagers’ day-to-day needs, as well as a new dental practice run by an experienced operator already providing dental services in the district. It will also provide the local primary school with further expansion land.
We suspect the dental practice will be Pennypot dental practice as they have worked with Quinn Homes previously
Finally, half of the entire site will be dedicated as parkland and amenity land and will provide better connectivity to the village as a whole, according to the masterplan design above.
Of course there is no guarantee that this scheme will pass planning, but given it is unique – ie it being the first major development anywhere in Kent that is offering an EPC – A, including the 22% “affordable homes”, the GP Surgery and the new village shop, Quinn Homes are trying to align themselves with a changing climate and offering a product nobody else is.
Perhaps the innovation on the proposed new homes by Quinn Homes is what makes them so successful. That aside all we’d say to the ultimate owner of Quinn Homes, Mark Quinn (pictured), is stop donating money to the Labour Party and the Tories, and donate more to British Skiing.
Finally the productive fields that are already there means they’ll be no harvest brought home, if planning permission is granted for this proposed development.
The Shepway Vox Team
Dissent is NOT a Crime
If this is built let’s at least cancel Otterpool to save some countryside.
@Colin
They have cancelled Princes Parade so the Martins and other Hythe Greens are content, they have no interest beyond Hythe.
Of course it will pass planning Quinn will ensure the correct wheels are oiled and is this the same Quinn who was supposed to be building a new hospital in Canterbury? Don’t then expect a new surgery to appear …. Ever
I live in moorstock lane, we had no notification of the meeting
@Richard
No notification was needed as there is no planning application yet. I suspect that most of the notifying that did take place was to interested parties registered with Quinn Estates via their website.
What is the criteria for “affordable”? If you are relocating from London having sold a property then the houses may well be affordable, if you are a local on minimum wage then they are not.
There is no all-encompassing statutory definition of affordable housing in England. Indeed, there is a good deal of ambiguity in the way the term ‘affordable’ is used in relation to housing. Aside from covering housing provided with public subsidy, it is used in a general way to describe housing of any tenure that is judged to be affordable to a particular household or group by analysis of housing costs, income levels and other factors.
Such is the lack of consensus over what affordability means in housing terms, it’s been suggested that the concept should be abandoned on the basis that it’s unhelpful when considering the difficulties faced by households in meeting their housing needs.
The most commonly referred to definition of affordable housing is set out in Annex 2 to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). This is the definition used by local planning authorities when making provision within
their areas to meet local demand/need for affordable housing. The NPPF definition incorporates social rent, as well as a range of intermediate rent and for-sale products. The Affordable Housing Commission (2020) concluded “many” of these products “are clearly unaffordable to those on mid to lower incomes.”
We hope that helps.