The Head of Planning and Development presented the report on the Town Centre Opportunity Sites planning guidance documents to the Committee.  The item had been deferred from September 2019 to allow further consideration of the documents and the concerns put forward had been responded to in the report. 

An urgent update had been provided that updated the Maidstone West document to reduce the height and mass of the indicative proposal and reduce the stated number of maximum homes from 281 to 230 homes.  Any reference to relocation of the war memorial was to be deleted.

Stephen Pullen addressed the committee as a public speaker.  Strong concerns were raised over the impact of a multi-storey block of flats in the area, including on the former Church of St Peter.  Wider objection was also raised to the amount of development and need for infrastructure across the Borough.  Questions over the transparency of Maidstone Borough Council acting as a master developer were also raised.  The full address to the committee can be viewed online on the Council’s webcast channel.

A number of Visiting Members addressed the Committee to raise their concerns regarding the Maidstone West document, particularly in relation to the Broadway Shopping Centre example guideline. As there were multiple guideline documents for different areas the Committee agreed to take each individually.

The Committee requested that the Len House document have references to an additional floor removed throughout the document, though it was noted this would not prevent an additional floor being acceptable.

For the Mote Road document the Committee requested a setback with Wren’s Cross and asked for the wording to be toughened up by stating that tree planting would take place and using the words ‘significant setback’.

In considering the Riverside planning guideline document the Committee debated the value in setting aspiration in the document, even though it was recognised that delivery was not within the Council’s gift for all infrastructure.  It was agreed that the document should be more robust in setting aspiration with the removal of contingent wording throughout.

The Committee considered the Maidstone West document and agreed that references to the Broadway Centre be removed throughout and that the petition that had been presented to the Committee be submitted as a representation on the local plan review as it related to the principle of housing on the site.  During discussion the Committee debated the need for policy protection on the site and to consider the traffic impacts of Rocky Hill, St Peter’s Street and the gyratory.  This would be raised with the Highways authority as and when opportunities arose to do so.

RESOLVED: That

1.  The following planning guidelines (dated July 2019) be approved, with the Head of Planning and Development being granted delegated authority to amend the “Role of the Planning Guidelines” section of each document, and to make the changes given below:

a)  Gala Bingo and Granada House;

b)  Len House, with all references to an additional floor to the building, including rooftop extensions, being removed  ...  view the full minutes text for item 79