Maidstone’s Green councillor, Stuart Jeffery, has reacted angrily to the announcement that businesses won’t have to comply with local planning rules under the Conservatives announcement of “Investment Zones”, of which Kent is one. He has called the announcement ecocide. Cllr Jeffery will be asking what the Conservatives on Maidstone Borough Council think of the new plans at the full Council Meeting on Wednesday.
Cllr Stuart Jeffery, Green Party, “I’m horrified by the Conservative government’s announcement that it will be scrapping planning laws to encourage building on green spaces here in Kent. What’s more, it is taking those decisions away from planning authorities and putting them in the hands of county councils.
“What part of ecological emergency doesn’t this government understand?
“Wildlife charities such as the RSPB have taken the unusual step of publicly speaking out against these horrific ecocidal plans. This comes just days after the fracking ban was lifted. We must all stand strong against these assaults on nature.”