Having read the Secretary of State's decision and the Inspector's Report, I know that residents across Gravesham will have mixed feelings about the outcome.

Like many residents, I want to see brownfield sites developed first. I want to see local businesses thrive, good jobs protected, our local football clubs succeed and, above all, I want people to be safe and healthy.

The Secretary of State has now made a decision through the planning process and it is important that decision is respected. The concerns raised about the impact this development could have had on the health and wellbeing of future residents were serious and cannot be ignored.

I know many residents living near the site, and those who use nearby open spaces and leisure facilities, have questions about what the Inspector's findings mean for them and their families. The planning inquiry considered whether a major new residential development could safely be delivered on this site. It did not make findings about the safety of existing residents or conclude that there is a current public health emergency affecting the wider community.

However, residents deserve clear answers. As the local MP, I have raised these concerns with Government Ministers, the Environment Agency and the relevant public health bodies. Residents need reassurance about their health and safety.

At the same time, this decision does not change the fact that Gravesham still needs homes. I regularly hear from young people who want to stay in the area they grew up in, families looking for an affordable place to call home and residents worried about whether their children will ever be able to get on the housing ladder locally. Those challenges remain.

This decision creates a significant challenge for our borough. Gravesham is already doing its fair share to support growth, housing and infrastructure. We are also facing the impact of major projects such as the Lower Thames Crossing, which will bring additional pressures to our area for many years to come. Local people rightly expect that, that Gravesham should be able to shape its own future and retain a meaningful say over where development takes place.

That is why I will be meeting with the Secretary of State and Government Ministers to ensure they fully understand the position Gravesham now faces. I want to discuss what support, flexibility and practical solutions can be put in place to help us continue delivering the homes our community needs, while ensuring local people remain at the heart of decisions about future development.

Gravesham is an attractive place to live and invest. With excellent transport connections, high-speed rail links putting London less than twenty minutes away and significant opportunities for regeneration, developers will always be interested in our borough. But local people want more than housing numbers. They want affordable homes, starter homes, family homes and developments supported by the infrastructure, public services and community facilities that make places work.

I will continue working closely with Gravesham Borough Council as it progresses its Local Plan. The Council has a difficult job balancing housing delivery, economic growth, public health, environmental protection and the needs of local communities. I support its efforts to make sure those community needs remain at the heart of future decisions.

For me, this should never be a choice between building homes and protecting public health. We have to do both. The Government is right to prioritise brownfield development, but brownfield development cannot mean development at any cost. 

The challenge now is making sure Gravesham can continue to deliver the homes it needs in a way that is safe, sustainable and shaped by the people who live here.

I will continue fighting tooth and nail to make sure Gravesham gets the right homes, in the right places, for the people who call our borough home.