Council Advised To Follow High Growth Planning Strategy

The prospect of up to 4000 new jobs in the district, combined with strong economic growth, has led an advisory group to recommend that Dover District Council supports a planning strategy of high growth.

The group, which comprises Councillors, Council Officers and representatives from Dover Chamber of Commerce, Dover Harbour Board and Parish Councils, has advised the Council that future economic growth and the creation of new jobs must be supported by the right amount and type of new housing, combined with schemes to improve Dover town centre. The group advises that full advantage needs to be taken of increased interest that is being shown in the district by investors and developers, with the support of regeneration agencies and the opportunities offered by the new high speed train services to London.

Positive economic indicators for the district come from a number of different research projects currently being finalised. This has led the Group to recommend that, in the longer term, the Council plans for an extra 14,000 homes to make sure that the available workforce keeps pace with jobs growth. It recommends that over the period to 2026 the Council should provide for 10,000 of these new homes in its Local Development Framework (LDF). It also states that maximum use should be made of brownfield sites but accepts there will be a need for some greenfield development.

The advisory group's recommendations endorse the Council's initial view taken last year but with the benefit of much more research, which has been undertaken in recent months. The group's recommendations will be considered by the Council at a meeting scheduled for 12 December. After this, the Council's plans (the LDF documents) will go out to public consultation, which is anticipated to start at the end of March 2008.

The Group's advice coincides with the Council submitting a bid to the Government to become a Growth Point, which has been supported by a wide range of organisations. If this bid is successful it will give the Council access to special national funds to help with planning and implementing the new developments.

Cllr Nicholas Kenton, Cabinet Member for Environment and Planning who chairs the Group said: "This is a fantastic time for the District. We always knew that the district has great potential; this has been confirmed by our research and the increasing interest shown by investors and regeneration agencies. Our LDF plans will take this forward for the public to give their views."