Plans to refurbish and extend an empty building in Chatham have faced fierce criticism from local residents, Medway councillors and the emergency services. mhs homes, the UK's largest independent social landlord, earmarked Russell House off Henry Street, Chatham to become a foyer for vulnerable young people after it permanently closed as a housing shelter for elderly people in 2019. It put forward a planning application to remodel the currently vacant premises and to build two additional one-bed living units beside it. Improvements including landscaping, new boundary fencing and the installation of a new stairwell up to Magpie Hall Road, as well as the creation of eight car parking spaces, were also part of the proposals submitted to Medway Council at the end of last year. However, a backlash from Medway Council's planning committee and sixty objections from local residents - as well as objections from the emergency services - has led to a decision on whether to approve or refuse the application delayed to an unknown date. The plans would have seen a number of properties in Newnham Street surrounding Russell House effectively 'cut off' due to the two new living units and the installation of fencing across the road. Kent Fire and Rescue Service objected to the planning application, saying that the extension of Russell House would have a 'detrimental impact' and 'render inadequate' access to neighbouring properties in the event of a fire. A public right of way that stretched across the site would have been relocated to the northern edge of the development in the form of an alleyway, with limited natural surveillance from surrounding properties and a lack of lighting during the night. Kent Police also put forward an objection over safety concerns, claiming the path would 'provide opportunities for crime, anti-social behaviour and to raise the fear of crime' in an area already suffering from notoriously high levels of crime. In the last three years alone, 650 incidents of anti-social behaviour were recorded in the Luton & Wayfield area of Chatham, according to data published by the national policing website Police.UK. Sixty objections from local residents were lodged in the meantime, echoing the criticisms raised by the emergency services among other issues such as design, noise pollution and parking. Speaking at Medway Council's planning committee meeting on Wednesday, 31 March, Luton & Wayfield councillor Simon Curry said: "I cannot stress how bizarre I find it... the idea that you would put 16 to 25-year-old, young people coming out of care in an area like this is quite shocking. "The footpath is creating additional, more dangerous situations for local residents than there are at the moment. "There have been sixty objections from the public and the residents should be listened to," he added. The plea for refusal from Cllr Simon Curry was supported by Strood Rural councillor Gary Etheridge and Strood South councillor Richard Thorne, before members of the planning committee instead unanimously agreed to defer the planning application for a later date. This will allow Medway Council's planning officers and councillors to discuss the concerns raised with mhs homes and to allow the housing association to make amendments where possible, ahead of a final say on whether to approve or refuse the proposals. Russell House opened in 1972 as a housing shelter consisting of 29 flats for people aged 55 or over - 24 of which were 'difficult to let' studio flats, according to mhs homes.
The closure of the housing shelter was announced in February 2019, after mhs homes said it failed to meet the standards required of modern sheltered accommodation in line with government guidance. The new foyer will provide supported accommodation for vulnerable young people aged 16 to 25 who cannot live at their home for a variety of reasons or are not ready to live independently. Foyers provide opportunities for personal development and other services that enable young people to reconnect with learning, increase their employability, improve their health and wellbeing, and develop leadership potential. The young residents will be mostly living independently although minor assistance and a 24-hour warden will be available on-site.
Mrs Diane Barwell
6/4/2021 21:29:26
I've lived here for the past 11 years, since then we've had more break ends, more burglaries, more drug dealers & more offensive language at us. We do not need anymore of the same. If MHS workers don't want to live in this run down area then, why should we. We need MHS to start putting other people who live here to feel safer, not afraid to go out without any re-percussionist. I say NO to this development happening.
Keith Morgan
7/4/2021 07:01:24
Mhs homes are corrupt, I live immediately next door to this monstrosity of a development and it is a disgrace. I am leading the charge to stop this and we will win. My home will be completely cut off by this, I am disabled with mobility issues and MHS do not care about me or my 7 neighbours with similar issues who will all have no proper access to our homes. All of whom have disability needs of some form. They do not own the road despite trying to convince the community and stating it was a private road owned by them, we proved they lied. This has to stop now, they have ruined enough lives and I wont see them destroy more or the community as a whole.
Andrew Lowther
7/4/2021 13:49:35
I note that yet again Medway Council have failed to listen to the emergency service and community and reject the 2nd application but instead prefer to defer the application in the hope the community will give up. MHS own the land the current building stands on but do not own Russell Court access road or the current parking provided to existing residents. The 7 disabled bungalows (council tax bill confirms its registered as disabled property) were only given planning permission in the 1980's due to the emergency service being able to access via Russell Court Road. Mhs have closed off all Alleyways on the estate with large metal gates, so why are they so instant on creating more? MHS own several blocks of flats that surround the new development none of which have nice landscaped communal areas, none have bycicle sheds / racks and majority of the blocks wouldn't look out of place in a derelict movie set. It's insulting to existing residents to explote them by increase the rental by 1.5%, cut them off from access road, and neglecte updating existing stock of for the greater glory of extending a building currently capable of housing 29 people to house 31. mhs don't appreciate their neighbourhoods or the communities they sit in as they only employ 30 repair / ground maintenance people for over 10k stock, which shows Mhs are more interested in building stock rather than the business model of build & maintenance. Comments are closed.
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