Councillors due to decide on 900 home, shops and hotel Westwood Village scheme

Westwood Village artist impression by Greenacre Capital

Councillors are due to make a decision tonight (February 26) on proposals for a Westwood Village scheme.

The project to build up to 900 homes, a school, shops, hotel, pubs and more at Westwood will be phased over 10 years.

Greenacre (Thanet) Ltd first revealed details of the Westwood Village at two public consultations in 2017. It has since made amendments, including an increase from 850 homes to 900.

The firm says it is proposing new homes, including affordable homes, 20 acres of public open space, retirement homes, a primary school and a mix of commercial and retail properties including doctors, dentists and vets.

There will also be a new route from Manston Road to Haine Road, according to the planning documents. Developers say the aim is to reduce traffic flows on Manston Court Road, in response to concerns associated with rat running on Manston Court Road.

Where

Artist impression Green Acre Capital

The 97.4 acre site runs from the Toby Carvery between Haine Road to the East, across to Manston Court Road to the West, taking open fields extending from the Orbit properties on the Star Lane Link Road, and South to Valley Road on the borders of Bradgate Caravan Park.

The plans will include a new inner rink road and a spine road, health facilities, a convenience store, two-form primary school, possibly a hotel, restaurant and pub, homes and open space.

Vision

Artist Impression Greenacre Capital

Greenacre says: “The vision for Westwood Village is to deliver a sustainable new residential-lead mixed use community that meets the needs of both existing and future residents.

 

“One of the proposed new links is a new route from Manston Road to Haine Road. This new route will reduce traffic flows on Manston Court Road, with the aim of reducing conflict and safety concerns associated with rat running on Manston Court Road, to the benefit of local residents and all road users.”

The housing will be split into five categories:

Country villas with large gardens

Modest homes for young families

Country courtyard homes

Urban edge terraced homes

High density townhouses

Open spaces will include playing fields and allotments.

Phases

Phases will be completed sequentially with an aim to finalise Westwood Village by 2028.

Objections

Ten representations objecting to the scheme were submitted to Thanet council. Amongst them is one from Margate Civic Society which says there are ‘extreme concerns’ over “the massive increase in vehicular movements.”

The society says major new roads would need constructing to ‘prevent chaos.’

The Campaign for Rural England also says the application is incomplete and should be rejected.

Recommendation

Councillors have been advised to defer and delegate the decision to planning officers subject to legal agreement which will include significant developer contributions towards education, youth facilities, libraries, £907,200 towards funding a new GP hub at Westwood, £96,354 towards Age UK Thanet expansion and a whopping £5.07million towards a new link road or other traffic improvements.

Councillors will meet tonight (February 26) to discuss the application.

Greenacre

Greenacre Thanet Ltd is part of Greenacre Capital Ltd a private investment company working across three divisions: property, independent living and clean energy.

Based in the UK, they work in partnership with governments, investors and charities around the world to identify investment opportunities that are both profitable and socially responsible.

They are working on the Westwood Village with ADAPT Real Estate, an owner-managed business specialising in the asset and development management of multi-sector real estate

15 Comments

  1. Come on when is enough enough, yesterday was a good example around Westwood one set of lights/roadworks and it creates chaos it was gridlocked everywhere, there has to be a limit on building in the area,QEQM is being downgraded, not enough Doctors around here roads inadequate for the traffic now, and no doubt all this will do is attract even more people from London moving into property that locals cannot afford

    • Agree this and it negates the need to build on the airport. That will leave us with not only pollution from an already densely populated area but from planes too! Please say no to this. Don’t fall for the easy money for roads.

  2. God preserve us from greedy developers .
    Another 900 homes on top of those already approved .
    Where are the jobs for all of these people, no doubt most of the homes will go to people from beyond Thanet , a few retail jobs is not going to improve the current situation…
    As already mentioned one set of temporary traffic lights and roadworks brings the whole island to a standstill, with frayed tempers and yet more problems with access to QEQM. …Plus the ambulances trying to race to Ashford. ,
    The lunatics are certainly running the asylum…
    When can we have a return to common sense?
    Devolved decisions to the Council Officers ,is no solution….We have been berating THEIR shortcomings for years …and still it goes on ..

    • Greedy developers such as RSP, who try to take other people’s land away?

      If people in Thanet are so worried about extra traffic what has prevented them from lobbying, during the past, for better- much better -public transport?

      • RSP are not building houses, or even trying to. They are investing in jobs and businesses and stopping the land being built on by a greedy developer SHP

        • RSP are greedy developers who say they want to build a cargo hub airport.

          What a shame that so much energy and time has been wasted on supporting them when pushing for improvements in public transport might have helped free Thanet’s roads from a good deal of its current congestion.

        • RSP is not building houses – yet.
          When they tried for a CPO (for an airport) with TDC a few years ago, a Councillor asked if they would agree to a clause being inserted into any agreement preventing residential development.
          RSP steadfastly refused to do so.
          Jobs? What jobs? Wetherspoons employs more people than the old airport ever did.

  3. Kent has always been known as the garden of England ????????????????????????????, if they keep building on land that is ideal for growing food, how will we support the nation after Brexit, stop building houses, it is only encouraging people, from the London overspill to come to Thanet, Nethercourt is a prime example, 16 properties in every road is owned by a London borough.????????????????????????

    • Wrong on all 3 counts, Firstly EVERY road on Nethercourt estate has 16 homes in EVERY road owned by London councils? It is in fact 3 roads, 2 of which have 16 properties & 1 road has 12,They are NOT owned by London boroughs but by a private housing association. Plese get your facts correct before posting rubbish!

  4. I do love the comment from the article that I have placed in inverted comma’s :-

    The plans will include a new inner rink road and a spine road, health facilities, a convenience store, two-form primary school,” possibly a hotel, restaurant and pub, homes and open space “.

    I suspect if they -the Hotel, Restaurant, and Pub are not built then all of this land will be used for housing. It will also be debatable if the Health Facilities and Convenience Store would be built. The two form Primary School will just be the shell with KCC paying for all the other requirements required for the school like Car Parking and fit out.

  5. I totally think we have enough homes. We need more doctors and schools this country is falling about with all these foreign coming over and taking are jobs and are homes

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