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Hextable Parish Council Response to Plan 2040 Consultation
Hextable Parish Council response to the published draft Plan 2040, dated 2023.
Hextable village is a vibrant community in the northern end of the district, and our residents regularly connect with us on many local issues. Having reviewed the document, we would like to give our initial response on the following key areas:
Housing
We were surprised that the three sites, contained in the earlier Local Plan, that Hextable Parish Council supported, have not been included this time. We are aware of the housing survey that identifies the need for smaller 2/3 bedroomed and affordable dwellings which our village needs. Two of these sites, being on previously developed land provide an opportunity for the village to contribute to the overall district housing supply with minimal impact on the village. They are:
- The former Oasis Academy, Egerton Avenue
- Former horticultural college grounds, off College Road
- Land adjacent to Furness School Education
Education
We fully support the comments made in section 9.19 concerning the need for a new secondary school in the north end of the district, which we recognise as an important provision – given that so many children currently have to travel to secondary schools. We also welcome the reference in paragraph 9.20 to the additional Special Educational Needs provision that has been included in the plan.
Transport
We believe that as a key part of the local plan, reliable and frequent bus services, with real time service updates at key bus stops, will help to contribute to a more sustainable means to travel.
With a significant number of our residents relying on public transport in Hextable, we want to see an increase in the provision of local buses linking the village to the adjoining settlements.
A large proportion of our residents in Hextable already rely on buses that provide their only means to access services, such as medical, leisure and banking.
With the ever-increasing traffic congestion in and around the Hextable and Swanley area, there are routinely problems that are caused when there is congestion on the M25 heading to the Dartford Tunnel, which leads to drivers leaving the motorway at Swanley and diverting to use the local roads through Swanley and Hextable to get to Dartford. The local plan must consider how our district can become more sustainable with respect to travel. We want to see the local plan concentrating on promoting the necessary infrastructure and alternative transport solutions to reduce congestion and the effects this has on our communities. There is a need for this plan to address the lack of a safe cycling route between Dartford and Swanley, through Hextable.
Reporting Highways Faults
We work closely with Kent County Council on many matters in the village. Many of our residents spot problems and report them to us and our Clerk always passes on any reports that are sent to her to KCC.
To make this quicker and easier for residents, there is a public fault reporting system where anyone can report a problem, and the track this until it has been fixed.
This link, takes you to the KCC website which enables you to directly report a problem 24hrs a day, 7 days a week:
https://www.kent.gov.uk/roads-and-travel/report-a-problem
KCC Highways look after miles and miles of highways, footpaths, drains and street lighting and using this service helps them prioritise and plan works. Please help us to help KCC Highways deal with faults more quickly and efficiently.
