Western Heights Masterplan agreed

Dover District Council has agreed to adopt the Dover Western Heights Masterplan, a key planning document designed to help protect the historic value of the Western Heights and unlock its tourism and economic potential for the future.

The Masterplan will be used to help guide planning and land management decisions that affect the Western Heights. It has been produced in partnership with Historic England and Kent County Council, funded by the ATFORT Interreg programme.

The draft Masterplan was approved for consultation last year, and all feedback has been taken into account. DDC Cabinet agreed on Monday (5 October 2015) to adopt the Masterplan as a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD).

One issue raised through consultation on the draft was that there were no specific proposals for a Commonwealth War Memorial on the site of the former Grand Shaft Barracks. Unqualified support could not be given to proposals at this stage because they have yet to be worked up in sufficient detail, but the Masterplan has been amended to encourage the project to be taken forward. Another issue was the need for more information on the ecological and landscape effects of some initiatives. This has also been addressed.

A copy of the adopted SPD will be placed on the DDC website. For more details contact the Regeneration and Delivery Team on (01304) 872477 or see the report to Cabinet on 5 October at www.dover.gov.uk/meetings.