The Heritage, Landscape and Design Team Leader introduced the report and informed the Committee of the Council’s duty to act jointly in the preparation, review and adoption of the management plan. It was noted that the consultation deadline had been extended to enable the Council to submit a full response and that all Local Authority’s had to adopt the same plan.

The Committee were informed that the final management plan would be produced by November 2020 and adopted by March 2021. The draft management plan had been considered acceptable in principle, with minor amendments shown in Appendix 1 to the report. This included the possible relegation in the plan, importance of communities that live and work within Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), the balance needed between the enhancement of an AONB and the economic and social wellbeing of communities.

During the debate, the Committee discussed the amendments to the consultation response as shown in Appendix 1 to the report. In response to questions, the Heritage, Landscape and Design Team Leader confirmed that there was still an opportunity to extend the Kent Downs AONB, through the addition of the Greensand Ridge as an AONB. A comment would be included within the Council’s consultation response to reflect the continued commitment to the action.

RESOLVED: That

1.  The Kent Downs AONB Management Plan 2020-2025, be generally supported, subject to the resolution of the matters raised in the Council’s consultation response attached at Appendix 1; and

2.  The Council’s consultation response on the draft Kent Downs AONB Management Plan, subject to the further amendment based upon the Committee’s comments and specifically the removal of Clauses 13a and 58a, attached at Appendix 1, be agreed.