This is good news. A full and realistic traffic assessment is one of the fundamentals required to make a fair and reasoned decision on the application. AXA’s application did not include such an assessment.

It is an accepted strategy by applicants for schemes such as this to try to avoid local planning authorities hearing applications. They stand a better chance of success if the people involved in the actual hearing have no affinity for the area.

A ground for appeal (thus removing the local planning authority from the process) is the authority has failed to make a decision within the statutory time limit. In this case, Maidstone has been in a Catch-22 situation. The statutory time limit expired in February, but, until today’s news, Maidstone has been prevented by law from determining the application before next Tuesday. No doubt AXA’s PR people advised it was not a good idea to appeal whilst Maidstone was prohibited from hearing the application, but, any time after Monday, AXA could have been complaining and Maidstone could not then reply ‘The law won’t let us’.

AXA has been playing games with Maidstone. It is understood it has condescended not to do anything before the end of July, the implication was it would appeal if Maidstone hadn’t settled a hearing date by then. However, sorting out the arrangements for a hearing such as this takes more than a couple of weeks.

So, had it not been for today’ s news, AXA might have taken Maidstone out of the equation and might even have succeeded in getting an appeal heard without adequate traffic information being presented.

Stopkig.org has been raising this concern, including writing to Jonathan Shaw, MP for Chatham and Aylesford, in his capacity as Minister for the South East. But ours is just part of the effort which many people are making to defeat this application.

Today is a small success, but KIG has not gone away. We could be in the same situation in December. Our MP, Hugh Robertson, our County Councillor, Lord Sandy Bruce-Lockhart and Paul Carter, Leader of the County Council, have all very publicly voiced their opposition. Let them know they have your continuing support. The Parishes are working together and have formed a Joint Parishes Group. Let all your Councillors know their mandate is to stop this application.