Agenda and minutes

RESOLVED:  That all time on the agenda be webcast.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Ross and Munford.

Apologies for lateness were received from Councillors Round and DeWiggondene who arrived at 18:40 and 18:44 respectively.

Councillor Gooch was in attendance as substitute for Councillor Munford.

Councillor Burton, Cabinet Member for Planning, Transport and Development was in attendance to support officers for items 8, 9 and 10.

Councillor Springett declared an Other Significant Interest, should site H17 in the draft Local Plan be discussed in detail during this meeting. She stated, should this site be discussed in detail, she would leave the meeting and the Vice Chair take the chair until the discussion was completed.

Under item 9 of the agenda Councillor Burton declared a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest should any land south of Sutton Road, Maidstone be discussed in any detail during this meeting.

The declarations were noted, but officers advised there was no intention to discuss any sites in the draft Local Plan in detail under any item on the agenda.

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

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held on 18 November 2014 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

An interview with Darren Bridgett, Principal Planning Officer, Spatial Planning regarding:

·  The responses to development management policies contained in the Maidstone Borough Local Plan Regulation 18 Consultation 2014 (MBLP 2014) in accordance with the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning)(England) Regulations 2012 and the proposed amendments to these policies following regulation 18 consultation;

·  The proposed amendments to the two infrastructure delivery policies for approval for the regulation 19 consultation;

·  A new development management policy, covering care homes.

Rob Jarman, Head of Planning and Development, Darren Bridgett, Principal Officer, Spatial Policy and Adam Reynolds, Planning Officer, Spatial Policy were in attendance for this item.

Darren Bridgett presented the report and explained there were three matters for the committee to consider:

1.  The responses and proposed changes to the development management policies as a result of regulation 18 consultation carried out between 21 March and 7 May 2014;

2.  The responses and proposed changes to the infrastructure delivery policies as a result of regulation 18 consultation carried out between 21 March and 7 May 2014;and,

3.  The proposed care home policy, due to go out for regulation 18 consultation in February 2015.

Mr Bridgett went on to explain the types of policies presented in the report included:

·  Place shaping policies;

·  Allocation policies;

·  Infrastructure delivery policies to support new development;

·  Development management policies to guide development and planning officers when making planning decisions.

Mr Bridgett informed the committee that due to the council’s collegial approach to refining the local plan, the development management policies were responded to by the council’s Housing and Economic Development Teams.  As a result policy DM24 Affordable Housing, had not been reported due to the large number of comments received.  The comments related to the cost of providing affordable housing, tenure split, the proposed geographical split and tenants who would live in the houses.  Various delivery mechanisms would be explored and a report would be brought to the committee prior to policy DM24 going out for consultation in July 2015.

Mr Jarman updated the committee on the situation with Kent County Council’s (KCC) transport modelling for the borough.  He explained, the Vizam modelling software was used to provide a strategic model of various transport options.  However, Mr Jarman stated there was no timetable available for when the modelling would be completed.

Mr Jarman expressed his concern as any suggested transport model needed to be tested, including public transport, which had not been started by KCC. Without a tested transport model the local plan would be found unsound at inspection.

Mr Jarman went on to explain the council had carried out its own detailed traffic modelling with Mott McDonald in three locations in the borough, Coxheath; Staplehurst cross roads and the Coldharbour at junction 5 of the M20.

Mr Jarman told the committee the absence of traffic modelling would have implications on planning applications as well as delay the local plan.

During discussions the committee raised the following points:

·  The volume and importance of policies warranted all councillors spending more time going through them thoroughly.  The intention was to agree the policies attached to the report to enable officers’ time to concentrate on the more contentious policies and follow the timetable of events leading to the local plan being adopted.

·  Concern was raised regarding policy DM20 – Leisure and community uses in the town centre.  It was felt care should be taken not to kill off the retail offer in the town by requiring the retention  ...  view the full minutes text for item 116.

RESOLVED: that the committee take a short break from 20:50 until 21:10.

A report prepared by Deanne Cunningham, Team Leader Heritage, Landscape & Design on the progress of the Landscape Capacity Study which was commissioned to determine the broad comparative sensitivity of landscape character areas within the borough to possible development and to assess individual sites identified through the Local Plan process as potential development sites to identify landscape constraints. 

Deanne Cunningham, Team Leader, Heritage, Landscape & Design presented her report and explained the full draft report would be presented to the committee at their meeting of 20 January 2015.

Ms Cunningham went on to explain work on the report was commissioned in July 2014.  It was interlinked with other areas of work providing robust evidence for the Local Plan and informed the sustainability appraisals of land allocation proposals. It also assisted Maidstone Borough Council with meeting the requirements of the National Planning Policy Framework.

Ms Cunningham informed the committee the document was not a tool to prevent development but one to inform how and where development could be sited and designed in relation to its landscape and visual impact.

Initial findings have revealed that the borough consisted largely of areas of landscape character which were considered sensitive to change.

The point was made that the Landscape Capacity Study was needed by councillors before they considered the next round of allocations for the draft Local Plan which were being presented to committee at their meeting on 20 January 2015.

RESOLVED: that:

1.  The Cabinet Member for Planning, Transport and Development be recommended to circulate the final draft of the Landscape Capacity Study to all councillors at the earliest possible date in January 2015 and provide copies for the members library to facilitate a full and informed discussion of the study at the committees meeting of 20 January 2015.

2.  The Planning, Transport and Development Overview and Scrutiny Committee noted the update on the Landscape Capacity Study and agreed the draft document be brought back to committee for approval at the 20 January 2015 meeting.

An Interview with Jillian Barr, Principal Planning Officer, Spatial Planning on the Agricultural Land Classification Survey of Potential Development Sites in Maidstone Borough. 

Jillian Barr, Principal Planning Officer, Spatial Planning and Rob Jarman, Head of Planning and Development were in attendance for this item.

Ms Barr presented her report and explained its purpose and importance to the work preparing the Local Plan.

Mr Jarman confirmed that use of the Best and Most Versatile (BMV) land classifications could be used when planning applications for solar power sites in sensitive locations were considered.

It was confirmed by Ms Barr that the report did not include sites previously classified in 1994 as these were considered to still be relevant.  The land included in the report was classified using the same criteria as that used in 1994.  The committee agreed information of other land classification studies would be useful.

Ms Barr explained to the committee that the Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) would be used as part of the consideration of the most sustainable sites for the Local Plan. 

The committee agreed it would be useful for them to have information on the number of sites classified as BMV as a percentage of all land in the borough.

RESOLVED: that

1.  The Head of Planning and Development consider applying the use of Agricultural Land Classification studies to any pending sensitive solar farm planning applications.

2.  The Head of Planning and Development make copies of the Agricultural Land Classification Survey and any previous studies in this area available to all members in the members library and provide any relevant email links to reports.

3.  The Head of Planning and Development provide details to the committee of the percentage of land classified as Best and Most Versatile (BMV) in the borough.

Mr Jarman gave the committee a brief update of the Infrastructure Delivery Plan which included the two major reports the committee had discussed at this meeting.

Mr Jarman confirmed Maidstone Borough Council (MBC) had been working closely with Kent County Council and Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council on the Vizam modelling programme.  Mr Jarman went on to say testing of the public transport model was still needed.

Mr Jarman informed the committee of the work carried out by Mott McDonald on modelling in three areas, Staplehurst; Coxheath and the Coldharbour roundabout at junction 5 of the M20.  Preliminary work had been carried out on bypassing the Coldharbour roundabout.

Mr Jarman reported 26 meetings with parish councils and residents groups had taken place and it was hoped the policies that had been developed reflected what they required.

Mr Jarman explained that MBC was working with KCC on foul water drainage and sewage system capacity.  A scope for the work had been agreed and would be going out for procurement in the near future.  There was some information already available on this from work carried out by Amey who surveyed south east drainage capacity.

Mr Jarman explained that MBCs strategic flood risk assessment was from 2008 but due to the floods of last winter the Environment Agency were re-calibrating their flood zone model and the results would be available in March 2015.

Mr Jarman confirmed that all the studies on the infrastructure would have to come together before the draft Local Plan could go out to regulation 19 consultation.

The Chairman updated the committee on the future work programme and the committee agreed to keep the meeting of 17 February 2015 clear as an overflow for any reports delayed from the meeting of 20 January 2015.

The committee also agreed that the working group for the Transport in Maidstone – alternatives to using a car review arrange a meeting to review the evidence for the review of the Park and Ride service and report back to the committee at the meeting of 17 February 2015.

RESOLVED: that

The committee noted the update on the future work programme by the Chair and agreed the following:

·  To keep the meeting of 17 February 2015 clear as an overflow for any reports delayed from the meeting of 20 January 2015.

·  The working group for the Transport in Maidstone – alternatives to using a car review arrange a meeting to review the evidence for the review of the Park and Ride service and report back to the committee at the meeting of 17 February 2015.

That the committee noted the List of Forthcoming Decisions and the SCRAIP update.

18:30hrs – 22:00hrs