Fears plans for 12,500 extra homes in Dartford won't solve the housing crisis

KentOnline / KMTV

Dartford council has approved its local plan setting out its blueprint for mass housebuilding targets for the next 13 years - but not everyone is convinced it goes far enough.

Transcript

00:00 This is the second fastest growing district in the whole of England.

00:07 Dartford Borough Council has just signed off on thousands of new homes, receiving mutual

00:12 consent from across the political spectrum.

00:15 Many dwellings coming to this new garden city.

00:18 But currently there are no medical facilities for some 4,000 homes already built.

00:24 It's a really positive thing that people want to come and make their home here.

00:28 But in order to meet that level of housing growth, we need the infrastructure to support

00:32 it.

00:33 The record so far hasn't been good enough and that's why we'll be holding the council

00:36 to account to make sure that they can deliver the infrastructure that is needed to go with

00:40 housing.

00:41 But a council's leader's pledged he won't allow for development without the infrastructure.

00:46 Well it's important to remember that the local plan isn't just about homes.

00:49 I mean in the debate tonight you heard lots of people talking about we need more homes,

00:53 we need more homes, we need more homes.

00:54 I don't actually agree.

00:55 I think what we need is more community and we need to make sure the infrastructure is

00:58 there to meet those homes when we build them.

01:00 So I have a very, very straightforward view.

01:03 This isn't about housing number.

01:04 I know the government might have wanted it to be that way and others might want it to

01:07 be that way.

01:08 For me this job isn't about building more homes, it's about building communities.

01:12 The new Epsleet Valley town has been growing into this former quarry since 2015.

01:17 Planning isn't controlled by the local council, but by a development corporation set up by

01:21 the government.

01:22 There's high demand in this area with a commute time of less than 20 minutes to London.

01:28 But only a third of the promised homes have been built so far.

01:31 So what we need to see is all types of homes really.

01:37 There's obviously demand for flats and for people, young professionals, but there's demand

01:41 as well for homes for families and slightly larger places as well.

01:45 So we need to see a strong mix but the key thing is to get those homes built and built

01:50 quickly.

01:51 London is a desirable area and having a local plan will allow the council to manage the

01:55 sustainability of plans coming through.

01:59 But some will have to be built on the green belt.

02:02 So this is something I do have reservations about.

02:06 As I said we need to make sure the infrastructure is in place.

02:08 People do need homes, but my key focus actually is affordable housing.

02:12 So I do think over the last 10 years developers have effectively got away with not providing

02:18 housing.

02:19 People can afford around here.

02:20 We're being locked out of living in our own borough.

02:24 With a growing demand for homes on the London border, this plan hopes to make the area more

02:28 affordable.

02:29 But how desirable will it be if the infrastructure isn't there?

02:32 Gabriel Morris in Dartford.

02:34 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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