The Petition of residents of Gillingham and Rainham,
Declares that the Petitioners believe that the importance of Capstone Valley and the green lungs east of Rainham around Otterham Quay Lane should be protected from development.
The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to protect these much valued important green areas.
And the Petitioners remain, etc.––[Presented by Rehman Chishti, Official Report, 9 June 2015; Vol. 596, c. 1014]
[P001527]
Observations from the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government:
Given my quasi-judicial role in the planning system I cannot comment on specific areas of land that are, or may be, subject to development proposals.
The Government’s objectives for the planning system are set out in the National Planning Policy framework. Relevant policies in the framework will be a material consideration whenever a local planning authority is preparing its local plan or determining a planning application.
Where people are concerned to protect important green areas, the framework empowers communities to identify for special protection green areas that are demonstrably special to them and hold a particular local significance. This should be undertaken during the preparation of local and neighbourhood plans. Designation of land as local green space rules out new development there other than in very special circumstances.
One of the core principles of the framework is that planning decisions should take into account the different roles and character of different areas, and recognise the intrinsic character and beauty of the countryside. While, for example, national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty quite rightly enjoy the highest degree of protection, outside of these designated areas the impact of development on the landscape can be an important material consideration. The achievement of sustainable development is at the heart of the framework and this requires that full account is taken of the environmental, as well as the economic and social dimensions of development.