Public Consultation

National Grid believes that the only way in which it can deliver the best possible scheme on the Northfleet West Sub-Station site is by listening to and acting on the views of the local community before a planning application is submitted.

That is why we have worked with local people from the outset as we drew up our plans for the future of the site.

National Grid undertook a programme of pre-application public consultation from October 2004 to January 2005 to explain our plans and gather the views of local people and stakeholders on our scheme.

National Grid would like to thank all those who gave up their time to comment on the proposals during the consultation; your contribution is greatly appreciated.

What did we do?

The consultation programme was designed to give as many people as possible the opportunity to give their views on the proposals.

Newsletters were distributed to over 5,000 homes around the site providing details of our plans and inviting residents to come along to our exhibitions. You can view a copy of this newsletter by clicking below. Alternatively, contact us and we will send you a copy.

 Newsletter (pdf: 157k)

We held a series of public exhibitions over three days. The first session was held at Greenhithe Community Centre on a Thursday evening. The remaining two sessions were held at Swanscombe Leisure Centre on a Friday evening and during the day on a Saturday.

We advertised the exhibitions in the local press and with posters and leaflets distributed in the local area.

A series of boards were on display at the exhibitions giving details of our proposals. You can view a copy of the boards by clicking below.

 Exhibition Boards (pdf: 675k)

Over 100 local people turned out to view the proposals and give their comments. The key issues raised were traffic management, the need for better community facilities and the impact of development generally on local infrastructure.

We held a focus group to further explore local views towards development in the area and what the most important local issues are for residents. An independent market research company was employed to recruit a group of local residents for a two hour roundtable discussion on National Grid's proposals and the impact of development on the local community. The key issue to come out of the focus group was the need for the proposals to include a good level of community facilities and, in particular, facilities for young people.

We are also held a series of meetings with local representatives and stakeholder groups to discuss our proposals for the Sub-Station Site. These included Swanscombe and Greenhithe Town Council, Dr Howard Stoate MP, North Kent Chamber of Commerce, Kent Thameside Delivery Board and Groundwork Kent Thames-side.

What did you tell us?

A planning brief has already been put together by Dartford Borough Council for Eastern Quarry which allocates the site for mixed-use residential led development. National Grid's plans must comply with this brief and the focus of the consultation was therefore on finding out what people would like to see in a mixed-use development on the sub-station site, rather than the principle of development on the site in itself.

We found that people had few comments on the design of our scheme and appeared broadly satisfied with the content of the proposals at this outline planning stage. The key issue for local people and stakeholders was the cumulative impact of development in the area on infrastructure, including National Grid's proposals. The impact of development on local roads, and community facilities was important with facilities for young people, medical facilities and leisure facilities frequently singled out by local people as being under pressure. Another common theme was the need to integrate new developments with existing communities.

Our planning application is accompanied by a Public Consultation Assessment which gives further details of the activities described above and the comments we received during the consultation. You can view this report by clicking below. Alternatively, contact us and we will send you a copy.

 Public Consultation Assessment (pdf: 3,269k)

However, consultation does not end with the submission of a planning application. Dartford Borough Council carried out statutory consultations following the submission of the planning application and again upon submission of the revised masterplan. National Grid remain keen to hear what local people think of our plans for the Sub-Station site. If you have any comments, questions or suggestions please contact our community information line on 0207 491 0991 or email comments@northfleetwest.info.