There were seven questions from members of the public.

Question to the Chairman of the Committee from Mr Steve Heeley

Mr Steve Heeley asked the following question of the Chairman of the Committee:

Your Council-led Garden Community report states that three principal landowners have pulled out of your negotiations and you will be continuing with just five principal landowners.  You do not currently have explicit agreement from any of these five landowners.  You said to Lenham’s residents in January that your plans would not proceed if landowners were not supportive.  How many supportive landowners do you consider a minimum before deeming the whole project uneconomical to proceed?

The Chairman responded to the question.

Mr Heeley did not wish to ask a supplementary question arising out of his original question or the reply.

Question to the Chairman of the Committee from Ms Kate Hammond

Ms Kate Hammond asked the following question of the Chairman of the Committee:

It is widely accepted that we will be entering recession in the coming weeks.  Your Council-led Garden Community report acknowledges that you have no interested developers for your scheme and it is unlikely that any will now come forward with the housing market about to collapse.  Is it appropriate for Maidstone Council to be investing half a million pounds of taxpayer’s money in a project that isn’t going to go anywhere when there are more pressing financial priorities for the Borough Council to focus on?

The Chairman responded to the question.

Ms Hammond did not wish to ask a supplementary question arising out of her original question or the reply.

Question to the Chairman of the Committee from Mr Rob Atkin MBE

Mr Rob Atkin MBE asked the following question of the Chairman of the Committee:

Your Council-led Garden Community report suggests a focus on sustainable transport instead of ‘big kit infrastructure’ investment like the motorway junction and High Speed rail station.

With 1,000 new homes already planned for Lenham in its Neighbourhood Plan plus those at Charing, Harrietsham and other surrounding villages, this report suggests that 5,000 homes in your new town could be unlocked by improvements to just one junction and provision of a local shuttle bus.

Existing traffic on the A20 plus the number of additional car trips generated from 5,000 new homes would require a dual carriageway.  Will this end up being in your plan?

The Chairman responded to the question.

Mr Atkin did not wish to ask a supplementary question arising out of his original question or the reply.

Question to the Chairman of the Committee from Ms Sarah King

Ms Sarah King had given notice of her intention to ask the following question of the Chairman of the Committee but was not present at the meeting:

The Council’s own guidance for making a submission to the Call for Sites last year explicitly states: “It is important that the submission includes confirmation from the landowner (or the person in legal control of the site) that the site will be available for the development being proposed.”  Your Council-led submission for site 289 Heathlands Garden Community has a red boundary line of some 900 acres with over 150 landowners included.  You did not seek their collective permission for including their land in this process.

Is your submission for site 289 going to be withdrawn given you failed to meet the basic requirements set out in the Council’s Call for Sites eligibility criteria?

In the absence of Ms King, the question was read out on her behalf by a Democratic Services Officer.  The Chairman responded to the question and indicated that a written reply would be provided for Ms King.

Question to the Chairman of the Committee from Ms Gail Duff

Ms Gail Duff had given notice of her intention to ask the following question of the Chairman of the Committee but was not present at the meeting:

In April 2019, the Council approved a motion declaring a climate emergency and committing the Borough to being carbon neutral by 2030.  How is the Council's intention to build a new town on 900 acres of predominantly greenfield land near Lenham compatible with your ambition to embed biodiversity and climate change action in everything the Council does?

In the absence of Ms Duff, the Chairman read out the question on her behalf.  The Chairman then responded to the question and indicated that a written reply would be provided for Ms Duff.

Question to the Chairman of the Committee from Ms Michelle Lowe on behalf of Helen Whately MP

Ms Michelle Lowe asked the following question of the Chairman of the Committee on behalf of Helen Whately MP:

In relation to agenda item 12 (Council-Led Garden Community Update), as the Council is aware 96% (of more than 1,000 respondents) to my survey were against the development - What has the Council done to address these concerns particularly regarding extra traffic on local roads?

The Chairman responded to the question.

Ms Lowe did not wish to ask a supplementary question arising out of the original question or the reply.

Question to the Chairman of the Committee from County Councillor Shellina Prendergast

County Councillor Shellina Prendergast had given notice of her intention to ask the following question of the Chairman of the Committee but was not present at the meeting:

In relation to agenda item 12 (Council-Led Garden Community Update), how does the proposed development fit with the Council’s environmental policy on climate change and those contained within the NPPF which oppose any pattern of development which unnecessarily increases the need to travel?

In the absence of County Councillor Prendergast, the Chairman read out the question on her behalf.  The Chairman then responded to the question and indicated that a written reply would be provided for County Councillor Prendergast.

To listen to the answers to these questions, please follow this link:

http://services.maidstone.gov.uk/docs/Audio/PolicyandResourcesCommittee290420.mp3