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Agenda item
Question and Answer Session for Members of the Public
- Meeting of Council, Wednesday 30th September, 2020 6.30 pm (Item 157.)
- View the background to item 157.
Minutes:
Question to the Chairman of the Policy and Resources Committee from Mr Stuart Jeffery
It is now almost 18 months since the Council declared a climate and ecological emergency and 15 months since the Council agreed to develop an action plan. The plan was due to be presented at April’s Policy and Resources Committee but was understandably deferred until June. There have been three Policy and Resources Committees since June and still no sign of a plan. Given that the climate and ecological emergencies dwarf the Covid pandemic why is the Council not giving it its full attention?
The Chairman of the Policy and Resources Committee responded to the question.
Mr Jeffery asked the following supplementary question of the Chairman of the Policy and Resources Committee:
What will you tell your grandchildren when they ask why you didn’t do everything enough quickly enough and why you didn’t do everything possible to stop the climate ecological catastrophe?
The Chairman of the Policy and Resources Committee responded to the question.
Question to the Chairman of the Democracy and General Purposes Committee from Ms Geraldine Brown
Will the Democracy and General Purposes Committee work with Group Leaders to ensure that next year’s election arrangements, particularly so-called “purdah”, and, as necessary, the Constitution are revised to ensure that the Local Development Scheme suffers minimal inconvenience and lost time arising from the election period?
The Chairman of the Democracy and General Purposes Committee responded to the question.
Ms Brown asked the following supplementary question of the Chairman of the Democracy and General Purposes Committee:
With Officers trying to pull out all the stops to achieve early Regulation 19 consultation, do you not think that Members, particularly Group Leaders, should try as hard as they can to find a solution and remove the possible impediment for the benefit of residents?
The Chairman of the Democracy and General Purposes Committee responded to the question.
Question to the Chairman of the Strategic Planning and Infrastructure Committee from Mr Peter Coulling
In your view, do you think this Council is assured that our Borough will not have to absorb 5,000 extra dwellings in the period up to 2037, if a new algorithm comes into force?
The Chairman of the Strategic Planning and Infrastructure Committee responded to the question.
Mr Coulling asked the following supplementary question of the Chairman of the Strategic Planning and Infrastructure Committee:
Does that mean when we get to agenda item 15 (Oral Report of the Strategic Planning and Infrastructure Committee held on 22 September 2020 – Local Development Scheme 2020-2022 (September 2020 Edition) and Maidstone Statement of Community Involvement September 2020), you will really express your concerns that the proposed Local Development Scheme leaves us very exposed as a Borough in January, February and probably a good part of March if the algorithm changes and that the Local Development Scheme is just not quick enough/agile enough and is not really covering our risk?
The Chairman of the Strategic Planning and Infrastructure Committee responded to the question.
Question to the Chairman of the Strategic Planning and Infrastructure Committee from Mr Peter Titchener
What role, and with what legal standing and weight, will existing Neighbourhood Plans and also those nearing completion play in the current Local Plan Review?
The Chairman of the Strategic Planning and Infrastructure Committee responded to the question.
Mr Titchener asked the following supplementary question of the Chairman of the Strategic Planning and Infrastructure Committee:
What concerns me about Neighbourhood Plans is that there are Parishes that have spent a lot of money in producing them and there are Parishes currently spending a lot of money producing draft Neighbourhood Plans. If they are to be set aside what does that say about the weight Maidstone Borough Council gives to local opinion because I was hoping to hear that if you are going to give the same weight to the current Neighbourhood Plans, then the green list will be amended to exclude any sites that conflict with those Neighbourhood Plans?
The Chairman of the Strategic Planning and Infrastructure Committee responded to the question.
Question to the Chairman of the Strategic Planning and Infrastructure Committee from Mr John Horne
Will you recommend to the Strategic Planning & Infrastructure Committee that it requires Officers to list, describe and give an estimated impact of every reasonable constraint that could be applied to the Housing Needs figure to derive a lower Housing Target for the Local Plan Review?
The Chairman of the Strategic Planning and Infrastructure Committee responded to the question.
Mr Horne asked the following supplementary question of the Chairman of the Strategic Planning and Infrastructure Committee:
The Government is stating that local circumstances should be applied to the algorithm for housing numbers. Does that mean that you will expect Officers not to repeat the equivalent of what the previous Leader said that during development of the current Local Plan the 23 constraints had been examined and none applied?
The Chairman of the Strategic Planning and Infrastructure Committee responded to the question.
Question to the Chairman of the Strategic Planning and Infrastructure Committee from Mr John Hughes
As transport is such a major problem in the Borough, can you give residents an assurance that the key outcomes of the review of the Integrated Transport Strategy will be available to inform the Local Plan Review Preferred Strategy consultation in December 2020 if this proposal is agreed by the Borough Council?
The Chairman of the Strategic Planning and Infrastructure Committee responded to the question.
Mr Hughes asked the following supplementary question of the Chairman of the Strategic Planning and Infrastructure Committee:
As the Integrated Transport Strategy is such a critical evidence base and strategic base for the Local Plan Review, isn’t it very difficult to come up with alternative strategies if you haven’t got some clear indications from that review of the Integrated Transport Strategy?
The Chairman of the Strategic Planning and Infrastructure Committee responded to the question.
Question to the Chairman of the Economic Regeneration and Leisure Committee from Mr Gary Thomas
On the assumption that the proposed new algorithm for Housing Numbers does not take effect for our Borough, what figure for employment needs are you pursuing as part of the Local Plan Review, recognising that a good proportion of new dwellings is likely to be purchased by those working outside our Borough?
The Chairman of the Economic Regeneration and Leisure Committee responded to the question.
Mr Thomas asked the following supplementary question of the Chairman of the Economic Regeneration and Leisure Committee:
Have you done any actual surveys to see where the purchasers of houses in the numerous new developments have moved from, including from London, whilst retaining London-based jobs?
The Chairman of the Economic Regeneration and Leisure Committee responded to the question.
Question to the Chairman of the Strategic Planning and Infrastructure Committee from Ms Donna Greenan
Please can you tell me what Maidstone Borough Council’s response will be to the Department for Transport’s current consultation ‘Pavement Parking: Options for Change’?
The Chairman of the Strategic Planning and Infrastructure Committee responded to the question.
Ms Greenan asked the following supplementary question of the Chairman of the Strategic Planning and Infrastructure Committee:
While the consultation is taking place, what steps are the Council currently taking to highlight the dangers of pavement parking to vulnerable residents through local newsletters and social media usage?
The Chairman of the Strategic Planning and Infrastructure Committee responded to the question.
To listen to the answers to these questions, please follow this link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuOxZmRnLcA&t=12918s