There were no apologies for absence.

There were no Substitute Members.

The Chairman stated that, in his opinion, the update report of the Head of Planning should be taken as an urgent item as it contained proposed changes to the amended Maidstone Borough Local Plan policies set out in Appendix B to the report of the Director of Change, Planning and the Environment relating to the Maidstone Borough Local Plan 2011-2031.

Councillor Paine indicated his possible wish to speak on all items on the agenda.

Councillor Paterson indicated her wish to speak on the report of the Director of Change, Planning and the Environment relating to the Maidstone Borough Local Plan 2011-2031.

Councillor Newton was in attendance.

There were no disclosures by Members or Officers.

All Members stated that they had been lobbied.

RESOLVED:  That the items on the agenda be taken in public as proposed.

RESOLVED:  That the Minutes of the meeting held on 22 January 2013 be approved as a correct record and signed subject to the addition of the following paragraph to Minute 33 relating to the Landscape Character Assessment 2012 to emphasise Members’ concerns about the document:-

Members were concerned that despite understanding how the Landscape Character Assessment was meant to be used, there was room for misinterpretation by other people.  The National Planning Policy Framework, for example, puts great emphasis on landscape scale policies, whereas the Landscape Character Assessment deals on a site by site basis, which negates that aspect of landscape planning.

The Group considered the report of the Director of Change, Planning and the Environment concerning the revision of the Local Development Scheme 2013-2015 to take account of the Cabinet’s decision to delay the Core Strategy programme to enable the Officers to undertake further work on the evidence base.  It was noted that the revision afforded the opportunity to merge the Core Strategy and Development Delivery documents into one document, bringing forward the adoption date of Development Delivery without causing further delay to the Core Strategy timetable.

The Group supported the recommendations set out in the report, accepting that there were no advantages to continuing with the production of two local plans for the Core Strategy and Development Delivery rather than a single Maidstone Borough Local Plan, and that the retention of the current plan period to 2026 would most likely lead to the need for an early review of the Maidstone Borough Local Plan following examination.

RESOLVED to RECOMMEND to the CABINET:

1.  That the amalgamation of the Core Strategy Local Plan and the Development Delivery Local Plan, to be called the Maidstone Borough Local Plan, be approved.

2.  That the plan period for the Maidstone Borough Local Plan 2011 to 2031 be approved.

3.  That the Local Development Scheme 2013-2015, attached at Appendix A to the report of the Director of Change, Planning and the Environment, be adopted to come into effect from the date of adoption.

The Group considered the report of the Director of Change, Planning and the Environment concerning the Maidstone Borough Local Plan 2011-2031.  Specific consideration was given to:-

·  The initial draft results of updated consultants’ reports that identified the Borough’s housing and employment needs, and the setting of a working housing target.

·  The key issues arising from the public consultations in relation to the policies covered by the report, the Officers’ responses to these issues and amended Local Plan policies; the adoption of strategic site allocation policies for development management decisions; and the retention of junction 8 of the M20 motorway as a strategic development location until the work on employment demand and supply is completed.

·  Proposed changes to the affordable housing requirement for new development as a result of viability work and updated targets for Gypsy and Traveller and Travelling Showpeople accommodation as a result of the rolling forward of the Local Plan period.

·  The infrastructure priorities for development, secured through planning conditions and legal agreements.

The Officers circulated an update report setting out proposed changes to the amended Maidstone Borough Local Plan policies set out in Appendix B to the report (copy attached as Appendix A to these Minutes).

The Group gave detailed consideration to the recommendations set out in the report.

With regard to recommendation (ii), and in response to comments by Members, the Head of Planning undertook to make available to the Cabinet the five year housing land supply position for a target of 11,080 dwellings should strategic sites be adopted.

With regard to recommendation (iii), and in response to comments by Members, the Head of Planning circulated a breakdown (by policy) of the number of people who had responded to the public consultations in relation to the policies which were the subject of the report, and undertook to make this information available to the Cabinet together with further details of the representations made.  However, in so doing, the Head of Planning sounded a note of caution as to the weight to be attached to representations where no reasons had been given.  In relation to policy SS1, issue 1 of the consultation statement, and in response to comments by Members, the Head of Planning undertook to amend the statement to make reference to quality of life issues and the impact on the wider community.

With regard to recommendations (iv) and (v), and in response to concerns expressed by Members, the Head of Planning undertook to make available to the Cabinet a more accurate plan showing clearly the areas allocated to medical facilities, retail redevelopment and structural landscaping at Newnham Park (policy SS4).

With regard to policy CS10 (Affordable Housing), the Head of Planning advised the Group that due to viability concerns and administrative issues, he wished to amend his recommendation (vii) to increase the threshold at which affordable housing is required from one unit to ten units.

During the discussion, and in response to questions by Members, the Officers explained the process for identifying the improvements to local  ...  view the full minutes text for item 44.

Prior to 10.30 p.m., before consideration of the report of the Director of Change, Planning and the Environment regarding the pro formas to be used for the assessment of potential development sites for housing, economic development and Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople accommodation, the Committee considered whether to adjourn at 10.30 p.m. or to continue until 11.00 p.m. if necessary.

RESOLVED:  That the meeting should continue until 11.00 p.m. if necessary.

The Group considered the report of the Director of Change, Planning and the Environment on the pro formas to be used for the assessment of potential development sites for housing, economic development and Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople accommodation.  It was noted that a separate pro forma would be used to assess sites for housing, economic development and Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople accommodation, but all pro formas would have the same criteria to ensure sites were assessed in a transparent and consistent manner.  The pro formas closely followed the protocol prepared by the Kent Planning Policy Forum for undertaking SHLAAs in Kent, but were tailored, where appropriate, to local circumstances.

The Chairman advised the Group that at a meeting he had attended the previous day with Officers and Parish Councillors representing rural service centres, it had been suggested that the impact on schools and transport should be included on the pro formas.  In this regard, the Officers explained that schools formed part of infrastructure assessments and the final conclusions for sites.  However, it was agreed that the pro formas could be strengthened in how they assessed transport by the inclusion of the following in a further bullet point in the Access (Highways) section:-

Impact of development on the wider highway network

The Group supported the adoption of the proposed criteria for the assessment of potential development sites for housing, economic development and Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople accommodation subject to a review of the pro formas to ensure consistency across the documents and the inclusion of the following bullet point in the Access (Highways) section on all three pro formas:-

Impact of development on the wider highway network

RESOLVED to RECOMMEND to the CABINET MEMBER FOR PLANNING, TRANSPORT AND DEVELOPMENT:  That the proposed criteria for the assessment of potential development sites for housing, economic development and Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople accommodation, as set out in the pro formas attached at Appendix A to the report of the Director of Change, Planning and the Environment, be approved subject to a review of the pro formas to ensure consistency across the documents and the inclusion of the following bullet point in the Access (Highways) section on all three pro formas:-

Impact of development on the wider highway network

6.00 p.m. to 10.35 p.m.