In May 2018, the Duchy initiated an Enquiry by Design (EbD) process: an ambitious community planning process, designed to
explore the community’s appetite for development and its needs, wishes and preferences as to what any such development
might comprise. The Prince’s Foundation who pioneered the EbD process also led the workshops. The outputs of the EbD
are summarised below.
Heritage
• Local people are proud of Faversham’s history and like that it’s reflected in the good mixture of architectural styles and urban form from different eras.
• Participants would like any new development to reflect Faversham’s history and character, and were more in favour of nods to existing architectural style.
Movement & Connectivity
• Concerns over traffic, in particular the A2 and Brenley Corner, resonated with people across Faversham who felt that it negatively impacted their lives, causing delays, reducing air quality and representing a safety hazard.
• There was a concern that any new development could make this worse, but also an optimism that a new development could create measures for improvement.
Countryside
• The town’s relationship with the countryside was considered very important, both because of its agricultural roots and the beauty of AONB just to the south.
• Although there was some concern about the potential loss of farm land, there was also support for any improvements that a
potential new development could make to the ecology of the Site, and connections into wider countryside to encourage
people’s use and enjoyment of it.
Facilities and Services
• Ensuring development supports and enhances services, rather than drains them, was very important to the community.
• This means choosing and siting types of commercial use to complement rather than impact upon the town centre.
• It was felt that any new development should include supporting infrastructure – schools and doctors being particular examples.
Affordable Housing
• It was almost universally agreed by participants that housing in Faversham has become unaffordable for local people.
• The concept of including genuinely affordable private and social housing was welcomed with caution, as long as the housing was available to local people.
Jobs and Employment
• Participants felt that generally it is currently difficult to both live and work in Faversham. It was suggested new types of employment space would be welcomed to make Faversham more self-sustaining, environmentally friendly and less of a commuter town.
Community Spirit
• There is a strong sense of community spirit in Faversham, with an active community involved in multiple social and sports clubs and activities.
• Any additional support to nurture this, through new development, was warmly welcomed.
Framework Plan
• The key outcomes identified during the EbD event were consolidated into a draft masterplan that was later consulted on with the local community.