Maidstone Borough Council
Planning, Transport and Development Overview & Scrutiny Committee
Tuesday 20 January 2015
Local Plan Employment and Mixed use Land Allocations and Results of the Consultation of the Economic Development Strategy
Report of: Tessa Mallett, Overview & Scrutiny Officer
1. Introduction
1.1 On 21 October 2014 the Planning, Transport and Development and the Economic and Commercial Development Overview and Scrutiny Committees held a co-located simultaneous meeting. The meeting was used for both committees to consider the review of the draft Economic Development Strategy and the implications arising from the Qualitative Study of Employment Sites for the approach to employment land in the emerging Local Plan.
1.2 The consultation for the draft Economic Development Strategy ends on 23 January 2015. An analysis of the representations made will be available for both committees to review.
1.3 The Planning, Transport and Development and the Economic and Commercial Development Overview and Scrutiny Committees will need to meet again to consider any suggested changes to the Economic Development Strategy, as a result of the consultation.
1.4 A Spatial Policy report will also be available on Employment and Mixed Use Land Allocations making recommendations for amended and/or new allocations in advance of seeking cabinet approval for consultation.
1.5 Because of the inter-relationship between the Economic Development Strategy and the Local Plan’s approach to employment sites, it is prudent for these matters to be considered in tandem.
1.6 The Committees will make recommendations to the Cabinet for its meeting on 11 February 2015.
2. Recommendation
2.1 The Committee are advised to consider the two options detailed in section 3 of this report and decide which option they prefer for the two committees to meet to consider these two documents.
3. Options
3.1 Option 1 – Hold a Joint Working Group Meeting. The Working Group can be made up of all members of the two committees. A date for this meeting, should committee decide on this option, has been pencilled in for 1pm on 10 February 2015. Both committees would need to agree the membership of the Working Group. Immediately after the Working Group meeting the most appropriate committee would need to meet formally to consider the findings of the Working Group and make recommendations to Cabinet for its meeting on 11 February 2014.
3.2 Option 2 – Hold a co-located simultaneous meeting using the same format as the meeting of 21 October 2014 (see Appendix A). This meeting would be held on 10 February 2015, the date programmed in for Community, Environment and Housing Overview and Scrutiny Committee who have agreed to swap their meeting date to 17 February 2015 (the planned date for the Planning, Transport and Development Overview and Scrutiny Committee meetings) to assist with this.
4 Reasons for Recommendation
4.1 At the co-located simultaneous meeting of the Planning, Transport and Development and the Economic and Commercial Development Overview and Scrutiny Committees on 21 October 2014 the committees reviewed the draft Economic Development Strategy and the Qualitative Study of Employment Sites. At this stage the draft Economic Development Strategy had not gone out to public consultation and the policy report on Employment Land Allocations for the draft Maidstone Borough Local Plan was not available.
4.2 Public consultation of the draft Economic Development Strategy ends on 23 January 2015. An analysis of the representations made during the consultation will be available for both committees at the meeting (option 3.1 or 3.2) the committees agree to.
4.3 At either the co-located simultaneous meeting or the working group meeting both committees will be able to consider any suggested changes to the draft Economic Development Strategy, as a result of the consultation, and consider changes to the proposed employment and mixed use sites in the draft Maidstone Borough Local Plan and make recommendations to the Cabinet for its meeting on 11 February 2015.
5. Impact on Corporate Objectives
5.1 The Strategic Plan sets the Council’s key objectives for the medium term and has a range of objectives which support the delivery of the Council’
5.2 This Committee will primarily consider reports that deliver against the Council priority: ‘For Maidstone to be a decent place to live’ and ‘for Maidstone to have a growing economy’.
6 Appendicies
6.1 Appendix A - Briefing Note for the Planning, Transport and Development and Economic and Commercial Development Overview and Scrutiny Committees co-located simultaneous meeting - 21 October 2014 – 6:30pm, Town Hall Maidstone