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MAIDSTONE BOROUGH COUNCIL
MINUTES OF THE Local Development Document Task and Finish Scrutiny Panel meeting held on Wednesday 3 August 2011 |
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PRESENT: |
Councillors Ash, Burton, English, FitzGerald, Harwood, Paine and Springett |
11. The Committee to consider whether all items on the agenda should be web-cast.
Resolved: That all items on the agenda be web-cast.
12. Apologies.
Councillor Mrs Fran Wilson sent her apologies.
13. Notification of Substitute Members
It was noted that Councillor Ian Chittenden was substituting for Councillor Mrs Fran Wilson.
14. Notification of Visiting Members
It was noted that Councillor Rodd Nelson-Gracie was a visiting Member interested in agenda item 8.
15. Disclosures by Members and Officers
There were none.
16. To consider whether any items should be taken in private because of the possible disclosure of exempt information.
Resolved: That all items be taken in public as proposed.
17. Minutes of the Meeting Held on 19 July 2011
Resolved: That subject to the amendment of minute eight, to read “Mr Macrdechian stated that the figures were up to date but will include revenue data as wished” and “In regard to encouraging electric vehicles, the Scrutiny Panel suggested to Mr Macrdechian that the strategy should not focus too much on making available electric charging points, since technology may quickly outdate their necessity, but it should create an incentive for the public by potentially offering free parking to electric vehicle users. The Chairman thanked Mr Macrdechian for the information” the minutes of the meeting held on 19 July 2011 be agreed as a correct record and duly signed by the Chairman.
18. URGENT ITEM: Core Strategy Regulation 25 Consultation
The Chairman agreed with the Scrutiny Panel that this Extraordinary meeting should be taken because a recommendation was needed to be sent to Cabinet at its meeting on 10 August 2011. This urgent item was received by the Scrutiny Panel because the draft strategy had been redrafted following legal advice prior to its publication.
The Chairman welcomed David Edwards, Director of Change, Planning and the Environment and Flo Churchill, Interim Head of Core Strategy to the meeting and invited them to present the Local Development Document. Mr Edwards informed the Scrutiny Panel that on 10 August 2011 the Cabinet would be asked to agree that the Local Development Framework (LDF) comprising of the Core Strategy and a number of supplementary planning documents (SPDs) could go to public consultation on 2 September 2011. However, there was still time for changes to be made on the document before that time by the Scrutiny Panel. Mrs Churchill stated that the amount of information that had to be taken onboard by the Panel within a short time scale was appreciated, and gave a presentation attached at Appendix A which explained the 14 policies within the document.
The Scrutiny Panel noted that the Core Strategy had been developed with experienced Members from across the parties, which not only made it good practice but also had helped to make it a good document.
In response to a question regarding the proposed changes to the national planning policy framework and the impact on the LDF, Mrs Churchill stated that legal advice will be sought and the Council was encouraged to make a response to during the public consultation stage. Mrs Churchill and Mr Rob Jarman, Development Manager would be devising a workshop for Members from both the Planning Committee and the Scrutiny Panel, and will ascertain the best method for the Council to make a formal response. The Scrutiny Panel requested that the consultation should be considered by all Members at full Council.
The Scrutiny Panel stated that whilst they fully supported the Sustainable Transport Safety Audit, the parameters still need to be set. Mrs Churchill confirmed that it was a point of detail that will be dealt with in the delivery document, and noted the Scrutiny Panel’s comments.
Mrs Churchill informed the Scrutiny Panel that the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment will not be looked at within the Core Strategy, but would be within future development plan documents. Therefore this is not something that the Scrutiny Panel should be concerned about.
In answer to a question, Mrs Churchill confirmed that the Core Strategy was going through a process that will gain weight as it evolves, and therefore was in a form of prematurity. Mr Fisher, Head of Legal Services clarified that there are different types of prematurity, as illustrated between the Planning Applications used in the Kent International Gateway and the new village proposed at Junction 7.
Consideration was given to the wording within policy CS7 –Sustainable Transport, as the Panel felt it did not support the rural areas. As the Integrated Transport Strategy does include the rural areas, the Panel requested that the phrase ‘across the borough’ rather than ‘urban areas’ should be used.
The Scrutiny Panel noted a number of grammatical errors that were within the draft Core Strategy, and requested that these be amended prior to being released for public consultation in September 2011.
In answer to a question, Mrs Churchill stated that a simplified leaflet would be created to inform the public of ways to view the Core Strategy and make comments accordingly. The Chairman enquired if they had plans to include the Parish Councils, and whether the Scrutiny Panel could be used as a gateway for receiving responses. Mrs Churchill confirmed that they wanted the Parish Councils to make direct contact in response to the Core Strategy consultation. The Chairman thanked them for the clarification, and requested that the leaflet be provided at the next Scrutiny Panel meeting.
The Scrutiny Panel enquired if there was a way of tracking the various versions of the Core Strategy as it goes through the required changes. Mrs Churchill confirmed that the versions have been tracked, and the current version was available on the web site. The Scrutiny Panel requested that as the document develops, changes should be made available to the public.
The Overview and Scrutiny Officer enquired if there was a need for the next Scrutiny Panel meeting on 16 August 2011, and if not, could this be postponed until the end of the month when the Cabinet’s response and the public leaflet could be presented to the Scrutiny Panel. Mr Edwards confirmed that this could be postponed until the end of August, and the Scrutiny Panel agreed.
The Scrutiny Panel agreed to endorse the document for public consultation; however they reserved their right to retain their individual views.
Resolved: That Mrs Churchill, Mr Edwards and Mr Fisher be thanked for the information and that:
a) The core strategy and its appendices are fit for public consultation;
b) the following grammatical errors are corrected;
i. Page 7 of the Core Strategy 1.3 ‘and the Council resolved to reject the representation’;
ii. Page 22, 4.3 be re-phrased;
iii. Page 45, 6.21 ends the paragraph with the word ‘the’; and
iv. Page
45, 6.22 ‘if the rural economy is to continue to makes’.
c) the methodology of document changes be developed and made available to the public, keeping the current version on the website updated at all times;
d) the simplified leaflet for mass publication be presented to the Scrutiny Panel at the next meeting;
e) wording within policy CS7 –Sustainable Transport use the phrase ‘across the borough’ rather than ‘urban areas’; and
f) the full Council should be involved in the process for responding to the consultation on the National Planning Policy Framework.
19. Duration of Meeting
6.30pm to 8.22pm.