At the start of the discussion on this item, the Head of Development Management provided context focusing on countryside policy changes and inconsistency in Planning Inspector assessment of harm which was likely to be compounded by updated Local Plan wording lowering the bar of harm to “significant”.  Reference was made to Planning Inspectors finding no harm or rarely finding significant harm and the increased use of Landscape and Visual Impact Assessments (LVIAs) to measure harm to the landscape.

It was suggested that the way forward was to commission a new Maidstone Landscape Character Assessment (LCA).  The current LCA was twelve years old and did not identify the intrinsic value of the countryside for openness or value the morphology of settlements.  Whilst it did identify key features of local landscape character areas, it did not specify whether these were positive or negative influences, which enabled negative characteristics to be identified and replicated by developers as being in-keeping with existing character.

During the discussion, reference was made to the need to engage with Members (Planning Committee), Parish Councils and local farmers in the development of the new document.  It was suggested that a complete re-assessment should be undertaken, resources should be allocated to it and a date should be set for the document to be reviewed.

The Committee agreed that the Cabinet Member for Planning, Infrastructure and Economic Development be requested to investigate in conjunction with the Planning Committee as practitioners the development of a Supplementary Planning Document to replace the 2012 Maidstone Landscape Character Assessmentas a result of the recent Local Plan Review.

RESOLVED:  That the Cabinet Member for Planning, Infrastructure and Economic Development be requested to investigate in conjunction with the Planning Committee as practitioners the development of a Supplementary Planning Document to replace the 2012 MaidstoneLandscape Character Assessment as a result of the recent Local Plan Review.

Voting:  8 – For  0 – Against  0 – Abstentions

Rolled over to the adjourned meeting on 25 March 2024.