Appendix A: Draft Statement of Common Ground

 

Maidstone’s context

Maidstone is a Borough Council within the County of Kent.. Maidstone is the Local Planning Authority, while Kent County Council has responsibility for the provision of services including transport and education. Maidstone is surrounded by the Kent District Councils of Ashford, Tonbridge & Malling, Tunbridge Wells, Swale, and Medway Council, which is a unitary authority which works collaboratively with Kent CC to provide services. 

The key strategic issues being addressed by this statement

The key strategic issues being addressed by this Statement are listed below. Included is the intended cross-boundary signatory we expect to seek agreement on the section of the Statement of Common Ground with (where appropriate).

 

Strategic Issue for Maidstone borough

 

Geographical area relevant for the ‘Duty to  Co-operate’[1]

Possible Statement of Common Ground signatories

Meeting the borough’s local housing need and helping to meet needs across the relevant Housing Market Area/s

Housing Market Area/s; neighbouring authority areas

[extent of HMA to be confirmed through future evidence]

 

 

Ensuring there is a sufficient supply of affordable housing

Ensuring sufficient land and floorspace is provided to support economic growth in the borough and to contribute to the needs of the wider economic market area

Functional Economic Market Area

[extent of FEMA to be confirmed through future evidence]

 

South East Local Enterprise Partnership

Ensuring that Maidstone has a vital and vibrant town centre which maintains its role in the sub-region and that a network of local centres continue to serve local retail and service needs.

Retail Catchment Area

[extent of RCA to be confirmed through future evidence]

Ensuring that the borough’s environmental assets such as the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Landscapes of Local Value, the countryside and Green Belt are suitably protected

Green Belt

Tonbridge & Malling BC.

Kent Downs AONB; setting of High Weald AONB

Tonbridge & Malling BC; Medway; Swale BC; Ashford BC; Tunbridge Wells BC.

North Downs AONB Unit

Landscapes of Local Value

Tonbridge & Malling BC; Ashford BC; Tunbridge Wells BC.

Ensuring that the borough’s biodiversity and wildlife habitats are suitably protected and managed

North Downs Woodlands Special Area of Conservation and, potentially, European designated sites in other boroughs

[extent of impacts to be  identified through the Habitat Regulations Assessment].

Kent Nature Partnership

 

SSSIs, Local Wildlife Sites, ancient woodland which straddle the borough’s boundaries.

Natural England

Tonbridge & Malling BC; Ashford BC; Medway; Swale BC; Tunbridge Wells BC.

Ensuring that the borough’s historic assets are conserved and managed

Maidstone borough

Historic England

Contributing to an overall improvement in air quality, in particular in the Maidstone Air Quality Management Area.

Maidstone AQMA; AQMA in the Malling area of Tonbridge & Malling.

Kent County Council (as highway authority);

Tonbridge & Malling BC.

Managing the risk of flooding from all sources.

Catchments of the River Medway, Stour, Beult & Teise. 

Environment Agency;  Tonbridge & Malling BC; Medway; Ashford BC; Tunbridge Wells BC

Addressing climate change

Maidstone borough.  [Significant overlap with air quality and transport issues]

-

Ensuring sufficient transport infrastructure is provided to serve the new development that is planned.

Strategic highway network, local highway network, and public rights of way within the borough and, potentially, key junctions falling in neighbouring authority areas.

Rail infrastructure within the borough.

Kent County Council;

Highways England;

Network Rail;

Tonbridge & Malling BC; Ashford BC; Medway; Swale BC; Tunbridge Wells BC.

Ensuring sufficient utilities infrastructure is provided to serve the new development that is planned.

Maidstone borough (subject to the selected spatial strategy)

Utilities providers

Ensuring that sufficient provision is made for health and education to serve the new development that is planned.

Maidstone borough  (subject to the selected spatial strategy)

Kent County Council;

West Kent Clinical Commissioning Group;

Maidstone & Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust.

 

Ensuring a sufficiency of parks and open spaces

Maidstone borough

-

Ensuring that sufficient provision is made for community infrastructure

Maidstone borough

-

 

Governance arrangements for the cooperation process

 

The Council will anticipate receipt of agreement, disagreements, additions and amendments to the above issues being set out in response to this consultation.

 

MBC officers will offer the opportunity to discuss all issues with each proposed cross-boundary authority. These will take place between Sep-Dec 2019, with the aim of agreeing the Plan’s approach to managing each cross-boundary issue.

 

Where there are differences identified by an authority to the above schedule, the Council will set up a meeting to discuss the issue, and its potential inclusion in the next version of the Statement of Common Ground, as well as the Preferred Approach consultation in Spring 2020.

 

The Preferred Option consultation will be the key opportunity for a cross-boundary authority to signpost agreement or disagreement with the way a strategic issue has been addressed in the draft Plan. Where there is agreement, this will need confirming upon Publication of the Plan.

 

Where there is disagreement, the Council will seek to discuss the issue with the relevant cross-boundary authority body through a series of structured workshops, to see whether the Plan can be modified to secure agreement. Where it can, the change will be noted a schedule within the Statement of Common Ground, and where it cannot it will be noted within the Statement which accompanies the Publication of the Local Plan in September 2020.

 

 

Issues for which agreement is in place

 

This is a record of where agreements have (or have not) been reached on key strategic issues, including the process for reaching agreements on these. This will be filled out following consultation responses received in relation to the Preferred Options Consultation in Spring 2020.

Issues for which agreement is not in place

 

Where we have sought, and failed to come to an agreement, the list of outstanding areas of disagreement will be set out here. This is a record of where agreements have not been reached on key strategic issues, including the process undertaken in seeking agreement on these.

 

Meeting Housing Need

The housing requirements being planned for in neighboring authorities is set out below.

LPA

Swale

Medway

Ashford

Tonbridge & Malling

Tunbridge Wells

Housing Target

13,192

37,143

16,872

13,920

10,096

Plan Until

2031

2035

2030

2031

2033

Unmet need

0

0

0

0

Not available

New Plan Stage

Adopted

Reg 18

Post- EiP

Submitted

Reg 18

 

 

 



[1] Subject to the selected spatial strategy.