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Offical website

Welcome to the STOPKIG Website

This is the official website of STOPKIG.org, the umbrella organization formed by the community for the community to fight K.I.G.

KIG is a proposal to obliterate a massive area of green space in mid Kent with a four million square feet industrial estate.

To see all the  official Public Inquiry evidence, rebuttals and daily progress also check out https://cashoutgadgets.com

You can read all the Proofs of Evidence from the developer and all the Rule 6 parties , which include STOPKIG on the link above.

 
 STOPKIG have now been advised that the Inspector’s Report and associated documents have been received at the Department of Communities and Local Government. The procedure now is that officials will consider the Inspector’s report and recommendation, together with the Inquiry evidence, and then advise Ministers. Once Ministers have reached a decision, a ‘decision letter’ will be issued.We have been advised that as new planning Ministers (of whatever party) will eventually be appointed, they will need a period to ‘bed down’ after the election and get to grips with their brief before they consider any individual cases such as this. The Decision Officer at the Planning and Central Casework Division ( part of the Department of Communities and Local Government) is hoping to be able to issue the decision on this case during June, but cannot be any more precise at this stage.

STOPKIG will update you as soon as we have any more information.

When the Inquiry was formally closed by the Inspector, Mr Phillipson, he went on to say: ’Ladies and Gentleman, you have given us a lot to think about, and a difficult decision to make.’ He then repeated what he had said on the first day of the Inquiry, that he had not seen so many people attend an Inquiry before, and said that the attendance had continued to amaze him throughout the 11 weeks, especially today, just two days before Christmas. He thanked Brenda Taplin of Persona Associates for her hard work, praised the professionalism shown by the lay advocates speaking, which included Richard Ashness and Brian Clifford of STOPKIG, and also praised the members of the public who had attended, commenting that they had behaved themselves 99% of the time!

STOPKIG would like to thank all those who supported us by attending the Public Inquiry – your attendance was definitely noticed and the support it gave us was very much appreciated! It was also instrumental in showing the level of opposition to the KIG proposal. Those who attended found it quite fascinating on occasions and returned several times to watch the next ‘instalment’!

What we are doing
Posted : 05/08/2022
CELEBRATING!We are still enjoying that fabulous feeling of success! However, we are well aware that this land will remain vulnerable as we understand that the options held on the land by AXA have been renewed. Maidstone Borough Council have still to finalise their LDF (Local Development Framework), and it is understood that this area will not be earmarked for employment development when the LDF is finally completed and approved. This should afford this land more protection from future applications, but we will remain vigilant for any threat that may occur. We intend to maintain our database of supporters for several years in order that supporters may be contacted again if a major threat of development should appear.
Inquiry Result – KIG Defeated!
05/08/2010
STOPKIG are absolutely delighted to hear that the Secretary of State has refused the Appeal by AXA to build KIG. The Planning Inspector’s report recommended refusal on various grounds, and the refusal letter is printed below, along with the refusal to close or divert the affected footpaths.

It is a very clear refusal based on the enormous harm this development would do the local area, including the AONB and the Bearsted Conservation Areas. The refusal was also based on the fact that there was insufficient evidence that the site would work as a SRFI and its location was far from ideal.

STOPKIG – Affected Areas
Please find below a selection of images depicting the scale of the devastation that would be caused if KIG was to progress.  Click the images to enlarge.

 

We have super-imposed the area covered by this proposed development over a map of Maidstone to show the enormous scale of this in comparison to the size of Maidstone

 

The outline of the site to be developed shown on an ordnance survey map.

 

One of the beautiful Kent views to be destroyed by this development.

We have super-imposed the area covered by this proposed development over a map of Maidstone to show the enormous scale of this in comparison to the size of Maidstone

The outline of the site to be developed shown on an ordnance survey map.

One of the beautiful Kent views to be destroyed by this development.

 

The immense KIG footprint – Click Here to view full size at Wikimapia. Thanks to David Cane for setting this up

 

The immense KIG footprint
The immense KIG footprint – Click Here to view full size at Wikimapia. Thanks to David Cane for setting this up Another map detailing the immense KIG footprint

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