At the upcoming Medway Council Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, 4th August 2026, Medway Labour Administration led by Cllr Vince Maple will consider Agenda Item 8: Use of Wigmore Coach Park as a permanent Provision for Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation.
What is being presented to the administration as a routine planning paper is, in reality, the culmination of a three-year masterclass in administrative ineptitude—one that is set to cost Medway taxpayers millions of pounds, compromise local housing supply, and disenfranchise residents across Hempstead, Wigmore, and Bredhurst.
Wigmore Coach Park How We Got Here: A Broken Promise
The saga began in July 2023, when former Cabinet Members Cllrs Naushabah Khan and Tris Osborne—now the MPs for Gillingham & Rainham and Chatham & Aylesford respectively—granted an unconsulted “temporary 3-month” licence for the occupation of the former Wigmore Park & Ride site.
At the time, assurances were made to local residents and Ward Councillors that the Wigmore Coach Park site was completely unsuitable for permanent occupation. Yet, after the licence expired, a lack of clear strategy and flawed legal action led to a defeat at Canterbury County Court, followed by a planning appeal win for the occupants.
Fast-forward to today: because the current administration failed to address specialist accommodation in the draft Local Plan 2041, Medway now faces a severe planning deficit. To plug this self-inflicted gap, Cabinet is being asked to borrow £2.684 million (Interest will cost £2M over 25 years) to turn a “temporary” arrangement into a permanent, expanded 14-pitch facility that is £337K per pitch over 25 years.. There are no estimates for income that will be generated from letting the pitches.
Insult to Injury: No Public Consultation
Perhaps most astonishingly, Paragraph 8.1 of the Cabinet report claims that:
“It is not felt that a public consultation is required for the delivery of the Wigmore Coach Park site as the site is not near a residential area.”
To suggest that Maidstone Road in Wigmore is “not near a residential area” ignores hundreds of established families in Hempstead, Wigmore, and Bredhurst.
Furthermore, it completely ignores the site directly opposite at Blowers Wood—land previously earmarked for 88 new homes, including 22 desperately needed affordable homes for local young people. By rushing this reactive £2.68m capital project through without proper masterplanning or alternative land evaluation, the administration permanently kills off those homes and leaves Council Taxpayers picking up the bill.
My Question to Cabinet
Ahead of Tuesday’s meeting, I have submitted the following formal question to the Portfolio Holders, Cllr Louwella Prenter and Cllr Simon Curry:
Question to the Portfolio Holder for Housing & Homelessness and Portfolio Holder for Climate Change & Strategic Regeneration:
In July 2023, former Cabinet Members Cllrs Naushabah Khan and Tris Osborne—now MPs for Gillingham & Rainham and Chatham & Aylesford respectively—granted without consultation a ‘temporary 3-month’ licence to occupy the former Wigmore Park & Ride site, assuring the public and Ward Councillors that it was unsuitable for permanent occupation. Three years later, following a costly court defeat caused by a lack of clear Council strategy, Cabinet is now asking Medway taxpayers to borrow £2.684 million to turn this ‘temporary’ measure into a permanent, expanded 14-pitch site.
Given that Paragraph 8.1 of Agenda Item 8 astonishingly claims that ‘a public consultation is not required… as the site is not near a residential area’—completely ignoring established residents in Hempstead, Wigmore, and Bredhurst, as well as the once-planned 88 homes (including 22 affordable homes) directly opposite at Blowers Wood—how can the Portfolio Holder justify:
Bypassing public consultation with local residents and Ward Councillors on a £2.684 million capital scheme?
The total failure to explore or secure viable alternative uses for this valuable Council-owned asset over the past three years?
The loss of 88 desperately needed local homes (including 22 affordable units) at Blowers Wood caused by this reactive planning panic?
Expecting Medway taxpayers to pick up a multi-million-pound borrowing bill to fix what can only be described as a masterclass in administrative ineptitude?
Next Steps: Preparing for a Call-In
Democracy cannot be bypassed to cover up executive blunders. Residents deserve transparency, proper consultation, and a sound planning strategy—not a £2.68m borrowing debt forced through without scrutiny.
If Cabinet votes on Tuesday to push Option 3 forward while stripping local people of their right to be consulted, we fully intend to Call In this decision. We will haul this proposal before the relevant Overview and Scrutiny Committee to demand full accountability, financial transparency, and a proper consultation process for our community.
I will keep residents updated as the meeting progresses.
