Minerals and Waste Planning Policy
1st Floor
Invicta House
Maidstone
ME14 1XX
By email to: mwlp@kent.gov.uk
Date: xxxxxxxxx/2023
Dear sir or madam
Kent Minerals and Waste local Plan, and Kent Minerals Sites Plan; Regulation 18 Consultation Draft
Thank you for consulting Maidstone Borough Council (MBC) on the Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan 2024-2039 - Further Proposed Changes, and the amendments to the Kent Mineral Sites Plan. Maidstone Borough Council’s comments on the proposed changes are detailed below.
The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 (as amended) places a legal duty on planning authorities to engage constructively, actively, and on an ongoing basis, to ensure the effectiveness of Local Plan preparation in relation to strategic issues. Effective and on-going joint working between strategic policy-making authorities is integral to the production of a positively prepared and justified strategy. MBC and KCC have consistently and positively engaged on their respective plan making processes and MBC therefore considers that the duty to cooperate in plan-making between the two authorities has been satisfied to date and that cooperation is ongoing.
MBC have reviewed the additional changes and are broadly supportive of the plans as a whole. However, MBC would request that the allocation on land south and west of Hermitage Lane, as identified in the Mineral Sites Plan, is subject to a requirement for the applicant to provide an assessment of the impact of the proposed operations on the amenity of occupiers of nearby residential dwellings.
Notwithstanding the above, MBC maintains its concerns with regard to policy CSW3 (waste reduction) and the additional burden placed on Local Planning Authorities and would reiterate its previous comments made in December 2022.
I hope these comments are helpful and look forward to continuing, constructive dialogue on strategic issues as part of the duty to cooperate as our respective Local Plans progress.
Yours sincerely,
Philip Coyne
Interim Local Plan Review Director
Maidstone Borough Council, King Street, Maidstone, Kent ME15 6JQ