Interview with:

John Taylor, Director of the Invicta Chamber of Commerce;

Rob Jarman, Head of Development Management;

John Newington, Senior Pollution Officer; and

Christopher Finch, MRICS, Member of the public.

The Chairman welcomed John Taylor, Director of the Invicta Chamber of Commerce, Rob Jarman, Head of Development Management, John Newington, Senior Pollution Officer and Christopher Finch,Member of the public to the Committee.

Mr Finch introduced himself and stated that he was a chartered surveyor by profession, and had studied pedestrianisation at university as part of his dissertation. He explained his views that were outlined in Appendix A of the report in the agenda, highlighting that Maidstone was populated with traffic lights especially around the town centre’s gyratory system which did not allow vehicles to proceed in a smooth manner. Mr Finch circulated a map of the Town Centre, attached at Appendix A and suggested to the Committee that the bus stop on Tonbridge Road near Maidstone West train station should enter Station Approach, and stop outside the train station so to allow the Tonbridge Road traffic to utilise the two lanes more freely. He also suggested that due to the Whitehouse car showroom no longer trading and was up for sale, a roundabout could be placed there to allow access in and out of Barker Road and onto the Tonbridge Road/London Road, rather than use the gyratory unnecessarily, possibly as part of a wider regeneration scheme. This would make easier access for the new residences, Lockmeadow and the station, especially with the new high speed rail service being introduced. Mr Finch highlighted that London Boroughs were able to fine cars that were idle in yellow box junctions, however the Committee had learnt in its day visit to Chelmsford Borough Council that this was not possible for any Local Authority outside London.  He also considered reducing the number of traffic lights/junctions at various points through the town ‘ring road’, and possible re-alignment or other roads as part of possible future regeneration schemes.

Mr Taylor informed the Committee that from the Chamber of Commerce’s point of view, an infrastructure was needed before growth could take place. He also stressed that ‘the rule of unintended consequences’ happens and Maidstone had examples of that. Mr Taylor highlighted that other towns within the county were scheduled for schemes from Kent County Council (KCC) however, Maidstone was not one of them and therefore felt that the County Town was losing out on offers of funds.

Mr Jarman stated that on planning applications, KCC Highways department were consulted giving advice on highway safety, not comments regarding volumes of traffic. If an application was refused, and potentially appealed against, the Council had to objectively find harm in the plans. Consultation with the Air Pollution team was also sought for major applications.

The Committee were informed that the Planning Policy Guidance 3: Housing, was introduced in 2003 which used the ‘stick and carrot’ methodology for predicting traffic growth in residential areas, and that the draft Integrated Transport Strategy was due out for public consultation in September which had been written in partnership with the Highways Agency and KCC Highways. The Chairman highlighted that these agencies had declined to assist the Committee with its review.

Mr Jarman informed the Committee that by utilising the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), developers could pay for infrastructure and reminded the Committee that a number of things were asked for with regards to planning funds, namely 40% affordable housing, schools, doctor surgeries, CCTV and Parks. Mr Jarman highlighted that it was key to get KCC highways buying into a development brief, and to get the scheme into their priority list from the start.

Mr Newington stated that there was a statutory duty to monitor air quality, and when pollution was found over EU levels the Council was required to declare an ‘Air Quality Management Area’ and produce an air quality action plan detailing ways in which it would reduce the pollution level, which was 70-90% traffic related. Maidstone had 6 areas that exceeded annual usage, and therefore a plan had been produced using internal and external partners to form a steering group. The relationship with those external bodies was very important, as the Council did not have the control over delivering some of the actions. The action plan was produced in 2010 and sought to reduce the number of vehicle trips generated, promote cycling, walking, public transport and a range of measures such as Park and Ride, bus lanes, variable speed limits, freight studies etc were being investigated, as well as a Travel Plan, which enabled the borough council to have a larger role by engaging with businesses, including the Federation of Small Businesses and the Chamber of Commerce to bring down the number of trips into the town centre, and identified savings for businesses.

The Committee discussed the idea of a strategic route to allow traffic to cross the town without going through it. It was suggested that businesses may be content to pay £1 for a quick easy access to the motorway. However, it was also suggested that the strategic route would need to be supported with regulations to ensure that it was the only way for freight to travel.

The Committee noted that where there were vacant premises, the Council could consider purchasing the land to be used for future road developments. Mr Finch suggested that Tax Increment Financing (TIF) which was currently focussed on the Business Rates of commercial properties but understood central Government may consider widening this to include Council Tax. However, he stressed that for transparency purposes, an audit trail would be needed to reassure the public that funds obtained through this method were spent for the correct purpose, in this case for road developments. Mr Taylor confirmed that the only way to allow the traffic to be directed away from the town centre would be by using a strategic route and it was therefore a key ingredient in building the infrastructure that Maidstone needed.

Resolved:  That the officers, Mr Finch and Mr Taylor be thanked for the information.