Having disclosed a prejudicial interest Councillor Ash left the meeting whilst the matter was discussed. 

All Members of the Committee stated that they had been lobbied.

The Committee considered the report and the urgent update report of the

Development Control Manager.

Mr Wadey, an objector, Mr Norton, for the applicant, and Councillor Beerling addressed the meeting.

RESOLVED:

1.  That subject to no objections being raised by Natural England to the Ecological Report and to the prior completion of a legal agreement in such terms as the Head of Legal Services may advise to secure the following:

1.  A contribution of £11,916 to the NHS West Kent Primary Care

Trust to be the subject of discussion between the Council and the Trust to identify and specify where the contribution would be spent;

2.  A contribution of £18,900 to Maidstone Borough Council

Parks and Open Space, which will be spent within a two mile radius of the site and be the subject of discussion with the Council’s Development Control Team to identify and specify where the contribution would be spent; and

3.  A contribution of £29,220 for Kent County Council

Communities Facilities within the locality of the application site 

the Development Control Manager be given delegated powers to grant permission subject to the conditions and informatives as set out in the report and in the urgent update report and with the amendment of conditions 7 and 11 as follows:-

Condition 7 (amended)

No development shall take place until there has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority a scheme of landscaping, using indigenous species which shall include indications of all existing trees, hedgerows and boundary planted areas on the land, and details of any to be retained, together with measures for their protection in the course of development in conjunction with the details required pursuant to condition 8, and a programme for the approved scheme's implementation to include the planting of the southern boundary landscaping in the first planting season following commencement of the development and the scheme's long term management for a period of 10 years. The landscaping scheme shall include:-

1.  Planting of hedgrows to the site boundaries,

2.  The provison of enhanced landscaping along the narrowed section of the site access road.

The scheme shall be designed using the principles established in the Council's adopted Landscape Character Assessment and Landscape Guidelines. The submitted details shall include inter-alia full consideration of the protection of potential slow worm habitats in and around the marginal boundary areas during construction. The approved protection measures shall be implemented before any equipment, machinery or materials are brought onto the site and shall be maintained until all equipment, machinery and surplus materials have been removed from the site. Nothing shall be stored or placed, nor fires lit, within any of the areas protected in accordance with this condition. The siting of barriers/ground protection shall not be altered, nor ground levels changed, nor excavations made within these areas without the written consent of the Local Planning Authority;

Reason: No such details have been submitted and in the interests of the visual amenities of the locality, the safeguarding of existing trees, hedgerows, boundary planted areas and potential slow worm habitats to be retained in accordance with policy ENV6 of the Maidstone Borough Wide Local Plan 2000 and PPS1 and PPS9, and the interests of the residential amenity in accordance with policies CC1 and CC6 of the South East Plan 2009 and PPS1.

Condition 11 (amended)

No development shall take place until details in the form of large scale drawings (at a scale of 1:20 or 1:50) of the following matters have been submitted to and approved by the Local Planning Authority:

i)  Details of the roof overhangs.

ii)  Details of windows and doors and recesses/reveals (which  shall be a minimum of 70mm).

iii)  Details of the soldier arches.

iv)  Façade elevational and sectional details of the building(s)

The development shall thereafter be undertaken in accordance with the subsequently approved details.

Reason: To ensure a satisfactory external appearance to the development in the interests of the visual amenity and character of the surrounding area in accordance with PPS1.

  2.  That the details to be submitted pursuant to Conditions 2 (Materials), 7 (Landscaping Scheme) and 11 (Large Scale Architectural Details) must be agreed in consultation with the local Ward Members.

Voting:  9 – For  0 – Against  0 – Abstentions

(2 Members had indicated they would not vote on this application and 1 Member had left the meeting)