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Agenda item

Questions and answer session for members of the public

Minutes:

There were five questions from members of the public.

 

Question from Mr Steve Heeley to the Chairman of the Policy and Resources Committee

 

‘The Planning Inspector issued his final report on the Kent Minerals Site Plan on 23rd April 2020. His recommendation for adoption of this plan sees Chapel Farm identified as the only proposed soft sand quarry in Kent for the next 20 to 30 years. For those that don’t know, Chapel Farm is an 88-acre site in the centre of the biggest landowner’s holding in your Heathlands development. Why is this recent development or constraint not mentioned in the agenda item 18 officer’s report?’

 

The Chairman responded to the Question.

 

Mr Steve Heeley asked the following supplementary question:

 

‘What wasn’t in the previous report was that the planning inspector said that the Chapel Farm site had to be sequential to the Burleigh Farm site in Charing, which pushes the timescales by between 10 and 15 years before extraction at Chapel Farm in Lenham can begin. This is another setback for a project that is already beset with enough problems, the site for the proposed quarry is the single biggest parcel of land in your scheme and the fact that this site is now potentially sterilised until 2050 before we can starting building houses, means that this is another question mark on how deliverable the scheme is. How much longer is this project going to continue for?’

 

The Chairman responded to the supplementary question.

 

Question from Ms Kate Hammond to the Chairman of the Policy and Resources Committee

‘At your last meeting on 29th April, you told this committee that you had spoken and had met with Ashford Borough Council about more ambitious housing proposals in relation to the Heathlands project and the M20 corridor. Ashford Council appear to be unaware of any conversations on this matter. Can you confirm who it was that was spoken to, when that conversation took place and where the notes are recorded?’

The Chairman responded to the question.

Ms Kate Hammond asked the following supplementary question:

‘Can I ask why no minutes were taken of the meeting?’.

The Chairman responded to the supplementary question.

 

Question from Ms Sally King to the Chairman of the Policy and Resources Committee

‘Can the Committee confirm what meetings officers and/or members have had with Highways England regarding a proposed new motorway junction at Lenham Heath since the 29th April?’

The Chairman responded to the question.

Question from Ms Gail Duff to the Chairman of the Policy and Resources Committee

‘How will the chairman ensure that members of this committee will be given all the facts on the Heathlands project, in order for them to make future informed decisions?’

 

The Chairman responded to the question.

 

Councillor McKay, Leader of the Labour Group, responded to the question.

 

Question from Mr Richard Proctor to the Chairman of the Policy and Resources Committee

 

‘The initial financial model for the Heathlands Garden Community barely came close to breaking even and certainly did not reflect all the necessary contingencies and detail to pass deliverability and viability tests. Is the revised masterplan being cut down with critical infrastructure removed at the expense of the Council's widely publicised vision and true Garden Community principles?’

 

The Chairman responded to the question.

 

Councillor McKay, Leader of the Labour Group, responded to the question.

 

The full responses were recorded on the webcast and were mad available to view on the Maidstone Borough Council Website.

 

To access the webcast recoding, please use the below link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUZ1mtwZZ7M