Without any Green Belt release, the supply drops down to 19,500 which when combined with the pipeline and windfall sites, only achieves approximately 29,500 dwellings. This falls short of the combined Medway need (29,000 dwellings) plus the homes required to meet Gravesham’s unmet need (2,000 dwellings), which results in an overall need of 31,000 dwellings. It is therefore clear that the Council will need to release some land from the Green Belt to meet their housing needs.

In addition to the above, the assessment of sites put forward in the Reg. 18 Plan shows that there is a reliance on larger strategic sites requiring significant infrastructure provision/upgrades and/or complex urban regeneration schemes that take some time to deliver, which could push a significant amount of housing delivery towards the end of the Plan period. It is therefore recommended that the
Council look to allocate smaller to medium sites that can deliver homes early in the plan period, alongside larger strategic sites.

As previously demonstrated, the subject site at Land north of Rede Court, Strood, is a highly sustainable site in proximity to a number of services and facilities. Section 4 below outlines why the subject site makes a limited contribution to the purpose and aims of the Green Belt, and Section 5 demonstrates that there is no impediment to bringing this site forward in the first five years. It is therefore recommended that the Council consider Green Belt release as part of their spatial strategy and in particular, allocate Land to the north of Rede Court, Strood.