The Committee considered the report and the urgent update report of the Head of Development Management.

Councillor Munford of Boughton Monchelsea Parish Council (against) and Mr Woods, for the applicant, addressed the meeting.

Councillor Munford left the meeting after he had spoken.

RESOLVED:  That permission be granted subject to the conditions and informative set out in the report, the additional condition set out in the urgent update report and the following additional conditions and informative:-

Additional Conditions

Within 3 months of the date of this decision details of a scheme of landscaping, using indigenous species, which shall include indications of all existing trees and hedgerows on the land, and details of any to be retained, together with measures for their protection in the course of development and a programme for the approved scheme's implementation and long term management plan shall be submitted for approval in writing by the Local Planning Authority.  The scheme shall be designed using the principles established in the Council's adopted Landscape Character Assessment and Landscape Guidelines and shall pay particular attention to landscaping around the entrance to the site, retaining all hedging and the filling of any gaps within existing hedging.

Reason:  No such details have been submitted and to ensure an appropriate setting to the site in the interests of visual amenity in accordance with policies ENV6 and ENV28 of the Maidstone Borough-Wide Local Plan 2000, policies CC1 and C4 of the South East Plan 2009 and PPS7.

All planting, seeding or turfing comprised in the approved details of landscaping shall be carried out in the next planting and seeding season (October 2011 – March 2012); and any trees or plants which within a period of five years from the completion of the development die, are removed or become seriously damaged or diseased shall be replaced in the next planting season with others of similar size and species, unless the Local Planning Authority gives written consent to any variation.

Reason:  To ensure an appropriate setting to the site in the interests of visual amenity in accordance with policies ENV6 and ENV28 of the Maidstone Borough-Wide Local Plan 2000, policies CC1 and C4 of the South East Plan 2009 and PPS7.

Additional Informative

The applicant should contact Maidstone Borough Council Landscape Officers in advance of submitting and implementing any landscaping scheme and work closely with them to ensure an effective delivery of the scheme.

Voting:  9 – For  1 – Against  3 – Abstentions