Otterpool Park: Council propose another collaboration agreement with Homes England

Here we go again. 

At the full Council meeting this week (27 Nov), Cllr Jim Martin (Green) Leader and Cabinet Member for Otterpool Park and Planning Policy, will announce that the Council via it’s wholly owned company Otterpool Park LLP, has drawn up a draft Heads of Terms to form a collaboration agreement with Homes England, which, subject to final examination and legal advice will be signed shortly. The collaboration agreement will last up to nine months according to Cllr Jim Martin, meaning nothing will happen at Otterpool in the short term. 

It is understood that Homes England will also hand over £1.6m as this is what they owe the Council. Exactly what for, is not known.

Homes England own the old Lympne airfield; which forms part of the Otterpool Park site and has planning permission. Homes England purchased the site from Phides Estates based in Jersey a known offshore tax haven. Homes England paid £7,500,000 plus VAT of £1,500,000 on 21.03.2018, according to the land registry title deed.

However, this is not the first time a collaboration agreement with Homes England has been on the table. Report Number C/22/40; which went before the former administration’s Cabinet on 19 Oct 2022, sought approval in principle for entering into a collaboration agreement with Homes England, relating to the delivery of the Otterpool Park project.

And prior to this the Council signed a collaboration-agreement with Cozumel Estates on 8 Sept 2016. Cozumel previously owned the racecourse site and sold it to the Council for £25m on the 27.02.2020

Of course no work begun on the site in 2020.

The first Otterpool Park planning application was validated by Folkestone & Hythe District Council planning department, on the 19 March 2019.  The amended application was validated on the 29 March 2022, and outline planning permission was not granted until 4 April 2023, by seven votes to five.

Against

Cllr Jackie Meade (Lab), Cllr Nicola Keen (Lab), Cllr John Wing (Green), Cllr Jim Martin (Green), Cllr Gary Fuller (Lib Dem)

It is ironic that  Cllr Jim Martin (Green) who voted against the outline planning permission; and is now leader of the Council, is all for pushing the project ahead.

Now lest we forget, at the Overview & Scrutiny Committee on 8 Nov 2022, in the Council chamber, Andy Jarrett (pictured), then Managing Director of Otterpool Park LLP stated on the record, the date of the first house for sale at Otterpool Park development will be the 1 September, 2025, if all goes to plan. Well it is 100% certain, no house will have been built by that date, let alone sold.

Staying with Andy for a moment, on 16 Nov 2015, he as Head of Strategic Development Sites asked Savill’s the following question re Otterpool

The next morning Savill’s reply as follows:

Four days after this The Council placed a bid to purchase 144 hectares of land at Otterpool. At the Resources Scrutiny Committe meeting on Jan 6th 2016 Mr Lee Walker (Chief Accountant) mentioned the sum of £5.3 million being set aside for land acquisition, where he did not specify, but of course we knew; and we let the cat out of the bag. 

To date much has been spoken of about Otterpool, but nine years on and nothing has come to fruition, not a house built, not a sod turned; and more than £75m spent. All we can say, is Cllr Jim Martin who voted against the outline planning permission application, is now all to eager to cover this part of the district with housing.

Finally, the Otterpool Park outline planning permission is for 8,500 homes. The intention is to build up to 10,000 homes at Otterpool, but between 2001/02 to 2022/23 the number of dwellings completed in the Folkestone & Hythe District is 9,964. So it has taken 22 years to build less dwellings than in the proposed garden town, known as Otterpool Park

The Shepway Vox Team

Dissent is NOT a Crime