Supporting people to lead healthy lives and strengthening our communities

Comment

Representation ID: 319

Received: 18/09/2023

Respondent: Abi Aldridge

GP services are currently dreadful and inefficient. Hopefully there are intentions to improve this somehow.

Comment

Representation ID: 324

Received: 18/09/2023

Respondent: Mr Robert Drury

The plan highlights the need for thousands more homes, but doesn't highlight the need to accompany this with appropriate levels of local healthcare to support. For example, current housing developments do not come with the requirement to bring in GP surgeries.

Comment

Representation ID: 335

Received: 19/09/2023

Respondent: Catherine Waterman

It is important that the high streets continue to be supported. Chatham high street is not a good place to be, there are too many 'market' style shops and empty premises. We need to ensure the space remains vibrant to keep people coming.

Comment

Representation ID: 343

Received: 21/09/2023

Respondent: Mr Declan Kennedy

Medway needs modern, supportive housing for disabled and vulnerable individuals, located in public areas with a public realm. Addressing mental health issues, drug addiction, and gambling addictions is crucial. The gambling shops in Medway's High Streets contribute to the gambling addiction. We need better helplines, better services and better support, especially for mental health. The Sunlight Centre should be relocated to Medway Park, near the Gym, as it promotes wellbeing, health and fitness. The three will compliment each other. Social isolation is also a major problem, including myself. We need more activities to do in Medway for all ages.

Comment

Representation ID: 346

Received: 25/09/2023

Respondent: Miss Priscilla Roud

We can continue focusing on green/recycling but more on HEALTH AND SAFETY PLEASE.


I love Medway and all it has to offer but it is becoming increasingly frustrating and demoralising having to cope with the neverending surrounding squalor and filth. Please address this.

Refuse bins available for all residents please and also more awareness of how to dispose our food waste safely and wisely.

Comment

Representation ID: 356

Received: 26/09/2023

Respondent: Mrs Monira Ali

New homes to have solar panels installed.
Better financial schemes for existing homes to be green, not just means tested. As this excludes some people who are just above threshold of poverty.
Healthy foods needs to be cheaper than junk and fast foods.
More community centres that are of good quality, similar to st Mary’s island community centre.

Comment

Representation ID: 374

Received: 02/10/2023

Respondent: Mr Nicholas Dowling

we support this aspiration

Comment

Representation ID: 394

Received: 03/10/2023

Respondent: Mr Stephen Dyke

Zero carbon or carbon neutral building should be the aim, not 'low' carbon. 'Green' infrastructure should be central to any development, not an afterthought/tick box exercise.

Comment

Representation ID: 414

Received: 06/10/2023

Respondent: Mrs Jill Norton

Again the reality of the Hoo Peninsula is totally contradictory to this aim. The developments that have taken place and are now being proposed are just putting extra strain on the existing resources and infrastructure with no additional facilities made available. You are concreting over the countryside with houses and no supporting facilities. We already have a very limited GP presence, the Hoo leisure centre is significantly worse and under resources than any other Medway leisure centres and the roads are seriously inadequate.

Comment

Representation ID: 437

Received: 06/10/2023

Respondent: Mrs Jan Sellings

Antisocial behaviour shouldn't be acceptable. People should be able to continue living a safe, stress free life when trying to relax at home. More housing so that people live on top of each other creates more problems.

Comment

Representation ID: 445

Received: 08/10/2023

Respondent: Mrs Sally Carman

Medical services are already stretched beyond capacity. If only 5000 homes are built on the peninsula, with an estimate of 3 persons per household , this would require an additional 6-8 fully qualified GP full time equivalents. Medway cannot attract GPS now!
Our pharmacies are also stretched beyond capacity.
Energy efficient new homes require heat pumps. Our energy supply is dire. Since 1st Jan we have experienced 28 power cuts. Whilst most are mere seconds they require resetting of sensitive equipment.
Food shops ..Hoo and village shops offer basics otherwise leave peninsula to shop.

Comment

Representation ID: 469

Received: 17/10/2023

Respondent: Sports England

Embedding Sport England's Active Design in the new Local Plan with it’s 10 principles to our built and natural environments, we can create active environments that encourage people to be active through their everyday lives.
https://www.sportengland.org/guidance-and-support/facilities-and-planning/design-and-cost-guidance/active-design

Comment

Representation ID: 479

Received: 17/10/2023

Respondent: NHS Property Services

There is a well-established connection between planning and health. Planning policies can not only facilitate improvements to health infrastructure, but also provide a mechanism to improve people’s health. We request that the Local Plan includes policies for health and wellbeing which reflect the wider determinants of health and enable healthy and green lifestyles through well designed places.

Comment

Representation ID: 486

Received: 18/10/2023

Respondent: Mr Glen Cook

There is no mention here of local sports clubs that already provide community enhancement and are largely run by volunteers meaning they must be an economically advantageous option for the local authority. All we ask is to be supported for the work we do on behalf of the local community.

Comment

Representation ID: 495

Received: 18/10/2023

Respondent: Mr Steve Morris

People should be encouraged to look after themselves it is not the councils job to do it form them. The council can encourage and more access to leisure facilities will assist.

Where are all these high quality homes going to be built? There is little space already, will need associated infrastructure and service, already in short supply. This seems to contradict the above green spaces policy

Comment

Representation ID: 504

Received: 19/10/2023

Respondent: Mr Keith Swaden

It's laudable to improve the public realm to encourage people out of their cars to walk or cycle whenever possible. I am a great example of someone who will not cycle on the roads but would jump at the chance to cycle to cut out the need for short car trips. However, creating '15 minute neighbourhoods' only addresses the very local need. To encourage many more cycle trips, neighbourhoods, villages and towns have to be connected with walk/cycle paths. This should be done as part of the Medway infrastructure development and should be done ahead of any significant house building.

Comment

Representation ID: 505

Received: 19/10/2023

Respondent: Mr Keith Swaden

The plan should somehow show how each proposed housing development will contribute to the current housing shortage in Medway. As stated in the plan, house building is at its fastest ever but this has not fixed the housing shortage. There is no point building thousands of new homes over a 20 year period if there is still a housing shortage every year in the meantime.

Comment

Representation ID: 506

Received: 19/10/2023

Respondent: Mr Keith Swaden

Downsizing is a real issue if you want to remain in Medway. Many older people looking to downsize would choose a bungalow if available. However, how many of the proposed new homes would be bungalows? My guess this would be fairly close to zero as they do not make good profits for the developers who just want to pack as many houses on a development to increase profitability. Apartments/ flats are not an equivalent for many people, especially if you have always lived in a house.

Comment

Representation ID: 527

Received: 20/10/2023

Respondent: Francesca Baylis

I greatly appreciate Medway's support of independent shops and consider Rochester an exemplar for all highstreets. I do think there could be more facilities put in place for more rural areas of Medway to support the elderly populations of these areas.

Medway should consider setting up a statement of flexible eligibility for the new ECO4 funding to ensure they are making as many residents eligible for help with energy efficiency as possible and further enable retrofit.

Comment

Representation ID: 546

Received: 21/10/2023

Respondent: Mrs Christine Flood

Community centers and hubs need to be part of the planning process
Medical centers with access to GP’s, health visitors, dietitians and dentists need to be established within communities
Substantive recreational areas are needed

Comment

Representation ID: 552

Received: 22/10/2023

Respondent: Miss Ruby Heera

Would be good to include here ‘and access to medical facilities’. My partner and I have really struggled to sign up to the doctors here, and to get out pet registered to the vets as everywhere seems to be full!

It would also be really great to include mention here about ‘encouraging a rich, diverse and inclusive culture’ as that’s one thing that make cities like London so brilliant, and we can see is starting to take shape in Rochester too which we love!

Comment

Representation ID: 555

Received: 23/10/2023

Respondent: Terance Butler Holdings

Housing sites need to be identified to deliver a range of accommodation (types, sizes and affordability) to address the needs of occupiers from first time buyers to the elderly and specialist groups. The focus should be on urban and brownfield sites ahead of green field locations.

Comment

Representation ID: 577

Received: 24/10/2023

Respondent: Mr Stephen Francis

People live in Kent to escape a London City lifestyle and its political control over their lives and freedom. Adding more population to areas that are already mature and challenged in regard to the number of GP services, road congestion and essential infrastucture must stop. Large developments should take place at new sites. You need to provide reasonably priced housing for young people and help create well paid jobs so that mortgages are affordable. I am sure that lots of families still have adult children living with them even when the parents have retired because of the current situation.

Comment

Representation ID: 592

Received: 24/10/2023

Respondent: Mr Michael Eason

Medway Council - Don’t build housing on Capstone Valley and its surrounding farmland if you want to: - Protect endangered wildlife, including owls and water voles. - Save Medway’s last rural green space. - Prevent Medway from being an overly oppressive and depressing concrete landscape to live in. - Protect an outdoor green space that people who have no choice but to live in poor urban settings can easily escape to and enjoy some peace and tranquility. - Avoid near total reliance on car journeys because any housing in Capstone Valley will be miles from any train station.

Comment

Representation ID: 598

Received: 25/10/2023

Respondent: Mr Philip Calderwood

You mention improvements to retail and business encouragement, what about improvements to the provision of doctor surgeries, dentist surgeries, schools, etc. etc. ?

Comment

Representation ID: 604

Received: 25/10/2023

Respondent: Mr Gary Outram

The 2016 consultation on improvements to Strood Town Centre included 20mph limits to enhance pedestrian safety, public realm improvements along Station Road between the town centre and the pedestrian subway to the station, public artwork in the subway, and proposals for a signed cycle route connecting into residential areas.

These elements were not progressed by Medway Council. Kent CRP were instrumental in creating murals for the subway, it is to be hoped that these other public realm improvements can be progressed in the future and similar opportunities developed to enhance walking, wheeling and cycling routes to all of Medway's stations.

Comment

Representation ID: 610

Received: 25/10/2023

Respondent: Mrs Daniela Baylis

Affordable homes should be priced at the average wage of Medway residents to ensure local people can actually afford them. This is not currently the case leading to local young people being unable to afford homes where they grew up.
Medway does not have enough land to implement increases in green infrastructure and this will be made worse if greenbelt land is built on and not protected.

Comment

Representation ID: 661

Received: 26/10/2023

Respondent: Mrs Nicola Griesemann

It appears as though medway Council is trying to kill off the High Street and local businesses. Charging for car parking, and raising prices so it's expensive discourages people from using the high street and local shopping centres. The lack of infrastructure and the sheer volume of traffic doesn't help either. Events are nice, but they're becoming very expensive, which makes it unaffordable for a large majority of residents (eg, £15 for 1 burger at the food festival). Travellers don't respect the local community and cost taxpayers far too much already without spending money building more sites for them.

Comment

Representation ID: 670

Received: 26/10/2023

Respondent: Medway Culture Club

A diversity hub/ shared safe space would allow for community groups, like Medway Culture Club, to not only support the individual needs of specific demographic communities with in Medway but also to collaborate and encourage positive cultural exchange and racial harmony that may not exist or be prioritised in local schools/workplaces.

If Medway is to be seen as a City of Culture, that supports and celebrates diversity, then it needs to invest in the community and create a safe space for education and cultural exchange (which comes in many forms, CPD professional training, events, workshops, food, music, faith& therapies, etc.).

Comment

Representation ID: 672

Received: 26/10/2023

Respondent: Ms Catriona Jamieson

All new housing should be carbon negative. There is no excuse for building new housing that doesn't meet this standard. Would like to see more social housing and retrofitting provided (and priroitised) for those on lower incomes to help tackle in equality.