Agenda and minutes

Venue: Town Hall, High Street Maidstone

Contact: Committee Services  01622 602032

Note: This meeting will facilitate the continuation of the review started on the 2 November 2022, with the agenda papers for that meeting containing the relevant information. 

Items
No. Item

15.

Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

Apologies were received from Councillors Brice, Knatchbull and T Wilkinson.

16.

Notification of Substitute Members

Minutes:

Councillor Brindle was present as Substitute Member for Councillor Brice.

17.

Urgent Items

Minutes:

The Chairman reiterated the receipt of an urgent update which contained information relating to the consideration of Item 11 – The Council’s Performance against the Waste Strategy, as outlined at the Committee’s previous meeting.

18.

Notification of Visiting Members

Minutes:

There were no Visiting Members.

19.

Disclosures by Members and Officers

Minutes:

There were no disclosures by Members and Officers.

20.

Disclosures of Lobbying

Minutes:

There were no disclosures of lobbying.

21.

EXEMPT INFORMATION

Minutes:

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

22.

Presentation of Petitions

Minutes:

There were no petitions.

23.

Question and Answer session for Local Residents

Minutes:

There were no questions from Local Residents.

24.

Questions from Members to the Chairman

Minutes:

There were no questions from Members to the Chairman.

25.

The Council's Performance against the Waste Strategy (Waste Strategy Review)

The report and associated information for this meeting is contained within the agenda papers for the 2 November 2022 meeting of this Committee.

 

These can be accessed using this link: (Public Pack)Agenda Document for Overview & Scrutiny Committee, 02/11/2022 18:30 (maidstone.gov.uk)

 

 

 

Minutes:

The Democratic Services Officer introduced the report, outlining the lines of enquiry relevant to the second stage of the review. Of the external stakeholders consulted, Golding Homes was unable to attend but would be able to answer any questions arising from the review; Kent County Council and the Kent Resource Partnership were unable to attend, although an offer of informal engagement with the Chairman and/or Committee Representatives had been given from the relevant Head of Service for Waste Collection Services.

 

The witnesses to the review of the Council’s Performance against the Waste Strategy (the Waste Strategy) were identified as follows:

 

·  Jennifer Stevens, Head of Environmental Services and Public Realm

 

·  Councillor Martin Round, Lead Member for Environmental Services

 

·  Austin Mackie, Major Projects Team Leader (Planning)

 

The urgent update provided was referenced throughout the Committee’s questioning of the witnesses.

 

In response to questions on the use of Development Planning Documents (DPD) to improve waste collection services, the Major Projects Team Leader explained that the determination of planning applications was more robust when supported by a policy base, particularly when additional conditions were placed upon an application’s approval. The ongoing Regulation 18A public consultation on the proposed Design and Sustainability (D&S) DPD was referenced, as waste collection could be included within the wider sustainability measures of the policy. The importance of commenting on both the contents of the Scoping, Themes and Issues Document of the D&S DPD, as well as those aspects that were mentioned only briefly, such as waste collection, was reiterated. The Major Projects Team Leader stated that the Committee Members could contact him with their comments on the D&S DPD, for inclusion within the Planning Department’s response to the public consultation.

 

The Major Projects Team Leader confirmed that vehicle entry and exit was considered as part of an application’s determination. As residents were now spending more time in their local areas, greater emphasis was being placed on the provision of open public spaces within housing estates; an example of where these areas could be improved in relation to waste collection, was to include the provision of public collection facilities within the D&S SPD. The Head of Environmental Services stated that any public facilities provided needed to have a suitable capacity and be visually engaging, to be of sufficient use and benefit; the Street Cleansing Team had previously had to replace inadequate public collection facilities.

 

Several Members of the Committee questioned alternative types of waste collection infrastructure. In response, the Major Projects Team Leader stated that the viability of underground bin units depended on the development, with the proposed Garden Communities contained within the Council’s Local Plan Review given as an example where the guiding framework could consider waste generation and management. The Head of Environmental Services stated that the cost of underground bins, which required a specialist vehicle to empty alongside their smaller than required capacity, had prevented their use within the borough. Ashford Borough Council’s (ABC) use of underground bins was referenced, as whilst useful,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 25.

26.

DURATION OF MEETING

Minutes:

6.30 p.m. to 8.31 p.m.