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Lenham Neighbourhood Plan Regulation 16

Meeting: 10/03/2020 - Strategic Planning and Infrastructure Committee (Item 130)

130 Lenham Neighbourhood Plan Regulation 16 pdf icon PDF 113 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Strategic Planning Manager introduced the report and highlighted the provisions for the Lenham Neighbourhood Plan within Maidstone’s Adopted Local Plan. These included site allocations and the associated infrastructure for 1000 homes.

 

Lenham Parish Council had undertaken a second public consultation from 14 February 2020 until 27 March 2020. This had been facilitated by Maidstone Borough Council, with opportunities to provide representations to the independent examiner given, which are shown in Appendix 1.

 

The representations made include concern regarding the robustness of the evidence base used and the lack of strategy to deliver the infrastructure needed for the homes proposed.

 

The Chair of the Lenham Neighbourhood Planning Group, Sandy Mackenzie, spoke on the item, with the main points summarised below:

 

·  Following recommendations from 2017, the LNPG had moved forward with the publication and consultation on the pre-regulation 14 draft, the regulation 14 draft and the regulation 16 draft neighbourhood plan;

 

·  During the process we had consulted with, and taken advice from, Maidstone Borough Council Officers and have continued to do so;

 

·  The Lenham Neighbour Plan Group was created to include the neighbourhood plan team and representatives of landowners and developers;

 

·  In response to the publication of the agenda for this Committee Meeting, we have been made aware of the Councils draft on the regulation 16 neighbourhood plan;

 

·  Despite the general support expressed for the Lenham Neighbourhood Plan, the work that would need to be undertaken to mitigate the Council’s concern over the robustness of the evidence based used, would likely take us beyond the end of the public consultation period; and

 

·  Given this, it was requested that the Committee instruct Officers to assist Lenham Parish Council to create the necessary documentation and to ensure that this would be shared with the examiner when possible, to be considered during the examination process.

 

The Strategic Planning Manager confirmed that Officers would continue to assist Lenham Parish Council.

 

The Committee expressed an understanding of the hard work undertaken by Lenham Parish Council in working towards the Lenham Neighbourhood Plan.

 

RESOLVED: That

 

1. The Lenham Neighbourhood Plan be generally supported, subject to the resolution of matters raised in the Council’s representation (Appendix 1); and

 

2. The Council’s representation on the Lenham Neighbourhood Plan, attached at Appendix 1, be approved.