Issue - decisions

1.  That, without prejudice to consideration of all representations prior to the approval of the Core Strategy for the next round of public consultation planned for December 2012 (regulation 19[1]), and the key issues arising from the 2011 public participation consultation on the draft Core Strategy, the officers’ responses be noted, and the following be agreed:

i)  Replace the 10,000 jobs target set out in policy CS1 with a specific employment floorspace requirement expressed in square metres;

ii)  Retain junction 8 of the M20 motorway as a strategic location for economic development to address qualitative and quantitative employment needs and the aspirations of the Council;

iii)  Retain junction 7 of the M20 motorway as a medical campus, and allocate land for development in the Core Strategy in conjunction with the adjacent redevelopment of Newnham Court Shopping Village, to be guided by an approved development brief;

iv)  Retain the housing target of 10,080 dwellings in a dispersed pattern of development;

v)  Retain the two strategic housing development locations to the north west and south east of the urban area, and allocate land for development in the Core Strategy to be guided by development briefs;

vi)  Update Maidstone’s 5-year housing land supply and housing trajectory to a base date of 1 April 2012, and engage with the development industry to achieve consensus over the methods of calculating elements of land supply, including a 5% contingency allowance;

vii)  Include housing targets in policy CS1 for each of the rural service centres in accordance with those set out in the Cabinet report of 9 February 2011, reproduced at paragraph 1.5.22 of the report of the Director of Change, Planning, and the Environment;

viii)  Include reference to the early release of a proportion of suitable greenfield sites at the rural service centres in the Core Strategy in advance of the adoption of the Development Delivery Local Plan where supported by evidence of need;

ix)  Note that work is being undertaken on the viability of Core Strategy policies, including affordable housing, and that a subsequent report on this issue will be presented to Cabinet;

x)  Retain the five rural service centres of Harrietsham, Headcorn, Lenham, Marden and Staplehurst;

xi)  Note that the draft Integrated Transport Strategy, which is the subject of a separate report attached to the agenda, addresses the issues relating to improvements to highways and public transport raised by respondents;

xii)  Rename green wedges as green and blue corridors, transfer references to corridors in policy CS3 to policy CS1, and amend the green wedges notations on the key diagram;

xiii)  Reword the Gypsy and Traveller accommodation policy (CS12) to provide clarity and to include a landscaping criterion; and

xiv)  That the work that is ongoing to provide for a suitable public site(s) for Gypsy and Traveller accommodation be noted

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