People Power Convinces Hythe Town Council to Say No to Nickolls Quarry

12.00.00am GMT Sat 10th Nov 2007

Neil Matthews and Darren Briddock at Nickolls Quarry: "All the evidence we have seen so far is that this development is too big and could cause a traffic nightmare."

People Power came to Hythe Town Hall on Thursday 9th November. Over 90 members of the public attended the meeting of Hythe Town Council to consider the Nickolls Quarry development and have their say.

The proposed development is for 1,050 dwellings, some business units, small shops and a community centre.

Local residents raised a series of concerns about the massive project, and, at the final vote, Hythe Town Council voted against the proposals.

Issues raised included:

• Traffic on the A259 through Hythe is expected to increase

• Building on the site may have an impact on local flooding, as much of the new site is to be raised above its current level

• Some houses will overlook the MOD ranges, with safety implications

Local Lib Dems Neil Matthews and Darren Briddock attended the meeting, and spoke on the development.

After the meeting, Neil commented:

"That was a great result. All the evidence we have seen so far is that this development is too big and could cause a traffic nightmare.

"I'm sure that the number of people who turned up on the night had a big impact on the final result. I'm delighted that the Town Council have voted against the proposal.

"The final say now goes to Shepway District Council. We must continue to work to make sure they respect the view of Hythe Town Council and local residents and also veto this development."