Oakleigh Fields, land off Town Road, Cliffe Woods
Being builtOutline permission for up to 225 dwellings. Refused by Medway in May 2017 under MC/16/3669. Gladman appealed. After a public inquiry the Inspector recommended the appeal be allowed — but the Secretary of State recovered the appeal, disagreed with his own Inspector and on 8 November 2018 dismissed it and refused permission (APP/A2280/W/17/3175461). These homes did not arrive by appeal: that objection succeeded. Gladman applied again under MC/19/0287 and it was Medway itself that granted outline permission, on 24 February 2021. Objections turned on school places, GP capacity, transport and the loss of agricultural land. The Inspector put the site at around 11 hectares, of which 2.6 hectares was best and most versatile and found that loss not significant enough to be determining. Detailed approval followed in February 2022 for 184 of the 225 homes (MC/21/1287) and a variation in October 2025 (MC/25/1559) brought that to 187. Now being built.
- Around 11 hectares of farmland, 2.6 of it best and most versatile
- School places and GP capacity across both villages