Resolved: That all items on the agenda be web-cast.

Councillors Newton and Ross sent their apologies.

There were no Substitute Members.

It was noted that Councillors Greer and Vizzard were Visiting Members interested in agenda item 9, Traffic Congestion Review.

There were none.

Resolved:  That all items be taken in public as proposed.

Resolved:  That subject to the amendment of minute 27, that Councillor Nelson-Gracie was a Visiting Member, that the minutes of the meeting held on 26 July 2011 be agreed as a correct record and duly signed by the Chairman.

Interview with:

Simon Lace, Museums & Heritage Manager; and

Mandy Hare, Theatre & Events Manager.

The Chairman welcomed Simon Lace, Museums & Heritage Manager and Mandy Hare, Theatre & Events Manager to the meeting and invited them to provide the update.

Mr Lace informed the Committee that there had been significant progress since they last met in November 2010, however there was still £1.1m of funding to be sourced regardless of having obtained funds from various foundations. Mr Lace went through the Scrutiny Recommendation Action Implementation Plan (SCRAIP) that had previously held recommendations for the Museum, and provided an update shown in Appendix A.

The opening due in September 2011 had been delayed due to duct, lift and power supply not being finalised, and the new opening date was scheduled for 7 October 2011. In answer to a question, Mr Lace informed the Committee that there was a penalty clause of £3,500 per week.

The Committee heard that the reason for the power supply being delayed was due to a dispute between the engineer and the contractors. The Committee requested that an update on this delay be provided for the next Committee meeting on 27 September 2011. A new Project Manager, Lewis Small, had been drafted in from Building Control and meets with the Museum and Contractors every Wednesday.  Mr Lace confirmed that they were focussed on completing the extension before solving areas of disputes.  As there were only seven months left until the Museum was fully open, there were concerns for securing funds. The Committee requested that the financial position of the Museum be provided at the next meeting.

Mrs Hare informed the Committee that the Theatre now had three hundred friends on facebook, which provided information about comedy shows and events appealing to that audience, and that they were twittering on a regular basis. The front of house camera was enabling photos of the show to be published onto their website.

Although the Theatre was closed for essential boiler works, they were on schedule for re-opening on 19 September, and had daily meetings with the contractors to ensure this remained the case.

Mrs Hare stated that Mr Morgan, Assistant Director of Regeneration & Cultural Services had appointed a consultant to look at the Theatre and ways in which it could be more efficient, including the possibility of government funds. A findings report was due at the end of October 2011, which the Committee requested to see at that time.

In answer to a question, Mrs Hare stated that there needed to be an acknowledgement by the council that advertising for the Theatre was different to other council departments, as it was money well spent due to the income it could bring with the correct publicity.

The Committee enquired if the leaflet that was produced could be sent via email. Mrs Hare confirmed that this was being investigated, as they held 2,500 people on their database and email could be used for those who preferred it.  The Committee suggested that the email be tailor made for the client’s taste, using surveys or ‘people who saw this, also  ...  view the full minutes text for item 43.

Interview with:

John Taylor, Director of the Invicta Chamber of Commerce;

Rob Jarman, Head of Development Management;

John Newington, Senior Pollution Officer; and

Christopher Finch, MRICS, Member of the public.

The Chairman welcomed John Taylor, Director of the Invicta Chamber of Commerce, Rob Jarman, Head of Development Management, John Newington, Senior Pollution Officer and Christopher Finch,Member of the public to the Committee.

Mr Finch introduced himself and stated that he was a chartered surveyor by profession, and had studied pedestrianisation at university as part of his dissertation. He explained his views that were outlined in Appendix A of the report in the agenda, highlighting that Maidstone was populated with traffic lights especially around the town centre’s gyratory system which did not allow vehicles to proceed in a smooth manner. Mr Finch circulated a map of the Town Centre, attached at Appendix A and suggested to the Committee that the bus stop on Tonbridge Road near Maidstone West train station should enter Station Approach, and stop outside the train station so to allow the Tonbridge Road traffic to utilise the two lanes more freely. He also suggested that due to the Whitehouse car showroom no longer trading and was up for sale, a roundabout could be placed there to allow access in and out of Barker Road and onto the Tonbridge Road/London Road, rather than use the gyratory unnecessarily, possibly as part of a wider regeneration scheme. This would make easier access for the new residences, Lockmeadow and the station, especially with the new high speed rail service being introduced. Mr Finch highlighted that London Boroughs were able to fine cars that were idle in yellow box junctions, however the Committee had learnt in its day visit to Chelmsford Borough Council that this was not possible for any Local Authority outside London.  He also considered reducing the number of traffic lights/junctions at various points through the town ‘ring road’, and possible re-alignment or other roads as part of possible future regeneration schemes.

Mr Taylor informed the Committee that from the Chamber of Commerce’s point of view, an infrastructure was needed before growth could take place. He also stressed that ‘the rule of unintended consequences’ happens and Maidstone had examples of that. Mr Taylor highlighted that other towns within the county were scheduled for schemes from Kent County Council (KCC) however, Maidstone was not one of them and therefore felt that the County Town was losing out on offers of funds.

Mr Jarman stated that on planning applications, KCC Highways department were consulted giving advice on highway safety, not comments regarding volumes of traffic. If an application was refused, and potentially appealed against, the Council had to objectively find harm in the plans. Consultation with the Air Pollution team was also sought for major applications.

The Committee were informed that the Planning Policy Guidance 3: Housing, was introduced in 2003 which used the ‘stick and carrot’ methodology for predicting traffic growth in residential areas, and that the draft Integrated Transport Strategy was due out for public consultation in September which had been written in partnership with the Highways Agency and KCC Highways. The Chairman highlighted that these agencies had declined to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 44.

The Committee thanked the Overview and Scrutiny Officer for organising the field trip to Godstone Traffic Control Centre and Chelmsford Borough Council. The Overview and Scrutiny Officer informed the Committee that informal notes of the day would be circulated in due course.

Resolved: That the future work programme be noted.

6.30pm to 8.22pm.