1.         PURPOSE OF REPORT AND EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1.1      This supplementary report takes account of the report presented to this Committee on 14 July 2015 on Landscapes of Local Value which was deferred for further consideration, with specific regard to the Low Weald to provide appropriate protection for locally valued landscapes.  Account has been taken of the discussion which took place at the previous meeting and amendments to the previous report are recommended for approval.

1.2      The Committee also requested further clarification on a larger scale plan of the areas identified as landscapes of local value, which will be available at the meeting.

1.3      Where development sites allocated in the draft Maidstone Borough Local Plan fall within landscapes of local value, specific policy criteria will mitigate the impact of development on the landscape.

1.4      This report should be considered in conjunction with the deferred report (Appendix A) and the officer responses to the representations received during public consultation for criterion 6 of policy SP5 of the draft Maidstone Borough Local Plan 2014 (Appendix B).  The amended A4 map identifying landscapes of local value (Appendix C) replaces the map attached to the 14 July agenda.  The policy in this report has been subject to review and strengthened by including previously proposed text in the policy itself.

2.         INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

2.1      The countryside has an intrinsic value that should be conserved and protected for its own sake, although there needs to be some flexibility for certain forms of development to support the countryside economy and rural communities.  Policy SP5 of the draft Maidstone Borough Local Plan 2014 offers countryside protection, and the policy will be subject to review in a subsequent report in light of representations received during public consultation and recent Inspectors’ appeal decisions, which support saved policy ENV28 of the adopted Maidstone Borough-wide Local Plan 2000 and confirm that the policy still carries significant weight in accordance with its consistency with the National Planning Policy Framework.  This report focuses on criterion 6 of policy SP5 which offers protection for landscapes of local value.

2.2      The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) makes distinctions between international, national and locally designated sites whereby their protection is commensurate with their status.  A large area of the borough (27%) lies within the Kent Downs AONB, a nationally important landscape designation where a strong level of protection is given.  Of international importance in Maidstone is the North Downs Woodlands Special Area of Conservation.  The borough has nationally important Sites of Special Scientific Interest, and locally important Local Wildlife Sites and Local Nature Reserves.  As the Committee is aware, the NPPF still encourages the protection of locally valued landscapes provided a strong case for their protection is made, and policy SP5(6) focuses on such landscapes.

2.3      The 14 July 2015 report (Appendix A) identified six potential areas for consideration as landscapes of local value:

·         Greensand Ridge

·         Loose Valley

·         Medway Valley

·         Len Valley

·         Setting of the Kent Downs AONB

·         Low Weald

2.4      As the result of the application of criteria, five areas were selected as appropriate for designation as Landscapes of Local Value.  The Committee requested further consideration of the Low Weald and this is provided by the substitution paragraphs below.  The review has also resulted in an amendment to the original matrix (table 1): the Len Valley satisfies the criterion of being ecologically diverse and significant.

2.5      The following paragraphs in italics replace those numbered 2.14 to 2.17 and table 1 in the 14 July report.

2.14  Table 1 shows how the criteria relate to the specific areas which have been identified through previous assessments and consultation, indicating the characteristics which are most significant in denoting landscape quality.  The asterisks indicate where the criterion has been satisfied for the area identified, and areas which satisfy at least four of the criteria are regarded as suitable for inclusion in the draft Local Plan as areas of local landscape value.

Table 1: Landscape value criteria matrix

2.15  This analysis provides the evidence to strengthen the protection of valued local landscapes as identified in policy SP5 of the draft Local Plan 2014.  The Greensand Ridge and the Setting of the Kent Downs AONB score highly in the matrix as valued landscapes, as do the three river valleys which score well and are particularly valued for their function as a transition from town to countryside.  These valleys are an important local characteristic of Maidstone and have influenced the distinctive pattern of growth of the town.

2.16  The Low Weald meets three of the landscape value criteria, one of  which is a landscape identified through community engagement (which all areas satisfy).  The Low Weald does not constitute a coherent contiguous area of high quality landscape as it is punctuated by development in several locations, but strong countryside protection policies still apply.

2.17  As a low lying area it does not provide intrinsic interest in long distance views and the area provides a wide range of field patterns, geological and other landscape features and is not felt to provide a landscape of equal quality to the other areas proposed for designation.  The Low Weald, as characterised in the Landscape Character Assessment studies, covers a large part of the borough and the council must be careful that it does not diminish the value of local landscape protection through extensive coverage in the countryside, which may not be defensible at examination into the local plan.

2.18  The case for designating the Low Weald is not regarded as sufficiently robust for inclusion in the proposed landscapes of local value.  It is therefore recommended that the Committee approves one additional landscape of local value for policy SP5(6): the Setting of the Kent Downs AONB.

2.19  As a further calibration of the selection process, each of the five recommended landscapes of local value was revisited in the Maidstone Landscape Capacity Study: Sensitivity Assessment 2015 with regard to the comparative sensitivity of landscape character areas to possible development.  The methodology for this study is also derived from Topic Paper 6 of the Landscape Character Assessment Guidance referred to in paragraph 2.9.  This exercise has helped to refine the boundaries of the recommended landscapes of local value.

2.20  For each area subject to review, the assessment combined landscape character with visual sensitivity to provide a value for overall landscape sensitivity with three levels: low, medium and high.  In each of the five areas recommended, the landscape character and visual sensitivities scores were both rated as high.  The areas constituting the Low Weald did not demonstrate similarly uniformly high sensitivities.

3.         AVAILABLE OPTIONS

3.1      This is a supplementary report which is amending a previous report following the Committee’s requests and deferment for further consideration.

4.         PREFERRED OPTION AND REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS

4.1      The recommendation for the alteration to draft local plan policy SP5 for the countryside refers to criterion 6 only.  This supplementary report provides further clarification of the reasons for not including the Low Weald as a designated landscape of local value.

4.2      An additional amendment to the policy is proposed in this report, so that reference to “Development proposals within landscapes of local value should, through their siting, scale, mass, materials and design, seek to contribute positively to the conservation and enhancement of the protected landscape” (paragraph 4.3 of 14 July SPS&T Committee report) is embodied in the policy to strengthen the policy.  For clarity, the amended policy and its supporting text are set out below, and the Committee is recommended to approve the policy for Regulation 18 public consultation.  Additions to the original policy are in bold text and deletions are in strike through text.

Policy SP5(6) Landscapes of Local Value

4.3      The council will protect its most valued landscapes which are in good condition. In addition to the Kent Downs AONB and sites of European and national importance, the borough includes significant tracts of landscape which are in good condition and are highly sensitive to significant change.  Landscapes of local value have been identified according to criteria relating to the character and sensitivity of the areas:

              i.        Part of a contiguous area of high quality landscape;

            ii.        Significant in long distance public views and skylines;

           iii.        Locally distinctive in their field patterns, geological and other landscape features;

           iv.        Ecologically diverse and significant;

            v.        Preventing the coalescence of settlements which would undermine their character;

           vi.        Identified through community engagement;

         vii.        Providing a valued transition from town to countryside.

4.4      Development proposals within landscapes of local value should seek to contribute positively to the conservation and enhancement of the scenic quality and distinctive character of protected landscape.  Designated areas include the setting of the Kent Downs AONB, including parts of the Greensand Ridge, together with and the borough’s river valleys of the Medway, the Loose and the Len river valleys. These landscapes were highlighted as areas of local value by the public through previous consultations. 

4.5      The setting of the Kent Downs AONB comprises the land to the south of the North Downs escarpment which is to some extent compromised by the presence of the M20 motorway and railway lines but still provides relatively uninterrupted views of the nationally designated landscape area.  It is characterised by open grassland which is generally used for livestock grazing or arable cultivation.

4.6      The Greensand Ridge lies to the south of Maidstone and is defined by the scarp face of the Ridge with extensive views across the Low Weald to the south. It is characterised by frequent small blocks of coppice and deciduous woodland, extensive orchards and frequent oasts, with ragstone being a predominant material in walls and buildings.

4.7      The Medway Valley is characterised by the wide River Medway and steep valley sides where the valley incises the Greensand Ridge and is crossed by distinctive ragstone bridges. The area lends itself to much recreational land use including the Medway Valley Walk, although some sections are more wooded and remote in character.

4.8      The Loose Valley lies to the south of Maidstone and is characterised by the Loose stream, mill ponds and springs with steep wooded valley sides, mature native woodland and traditional mill buildings and cottages. 

4.9      The Len Valley lies to the east of Maidstone and is bordered by Bearsted to the west. It is characterised by the River Len, historic mills and a network of pools with remnant orchards.
           

5.        CONSULTATION RESULTS AND PREVIOUS COMMITTEE FEEDBACK

5.1      The draft Maidstone Borough Local Plan has been subject to public consultation in accordance with Regulation 18.  The representations submitted in respect of landscapes of local value are set out in Appendix B of the report, together with officer responses and recommendations.  The amended policy will be subject to further public consultation (Regulation 18) before the local plan is published in its entirety for Publication consultation (Regulation 19).

6.        NEXT STEPS: COMMUNICATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DECISION

6.1      The draft policy for landscapes of local value will be subject to further public consultation (Regulation 18) before being included in the Publication version of the local plan (Regulation 19).

7.        CROSS-CUTTING ISSUES AND IMPLICATIONS

8.         REPORT APPENDICES

The following documents are to be published with this report and form part of the report:

·         Appendix A: Landscapes of Local Value report deferred from 14 July 2015 (agenda item 14)

·         Appendix B: Maidstone Borough Local Plan Regulation 18 Consultation 2014 – landscapes of local value policy SP5(6) consultation issues and responses

·         Appendix C: Landscapes of Local Value Map

9.         BACKGROUND PAPERS

None