Kent Science Park suffers huge job losses

Another blow for the Kent Science Park as second employer announces huge job losses with the closure of Go Response premises in Sittingbourne. This comes just over a month since Dovetail Services announced 200 jobs would be lost which brings the current total to around 350 or one in five of the total number of people employed at the park.

At a time when the new owners are pressing for mass expansion of the current site and the economy is doing well is it surprising to learn of this unfortunate and sad news.

At the recent public enquiry the Highways Agency severely criticise Kent Science Park plans stating that costings for proposed M2 Jct 5A were woefully short of the mark.

They stated that the expansion plans would make local traffic worse, and that there would be a negative economic impact on the rest of the network. They made it clear that they would not support a new motorway junction and Southern Relief Road.

Finally Swale Borough Council admited at the Public Enquiry that Kent Science Park is not required to be developed further for Swale to meet its (housing and job/employment) targets!

This means that the Kent Science Park is no longer considered to be a key driver of employment for Swale.

LaSalle’s dirty tricks backfire

Jones Lang LaSalle has refused to acknowledge that statements accusing FPOG of campaigning to the close the park are untruthful. The comments which coincidently appeared during the 2011 public consultation on the parks future did not influence public opinion with 93% opposing the large scale expansion of the park. Although the expansion is not a likely prospect in the next 20 years, the Borough Council remains undeterred by the weight of public opinion against the expansion and is seeking to include the possibility as a future ambition.

Results of March 2011 Consultation on expansion of the Kent Science Park