|
Recommendation |
Lead officer |
Initial comments |
Timetable (if known) |
|
Every effort should be made to ensure that the Core Strategy is made ready for Reg 19 consultation by late 2012. It is essential that this work is conducted in tandem on the allocation of sites so that the Council can deliver its priorities through the implementation of a spatial vision for the borough. |
Rob Jarman/Sue Whiteside |
Call for strategic sites will go out on 11th May. Cabinet report updating the Local Development Scheme to be presented on 16th May. This report includes recommendations to incorporate strategic land allocations in the Core Strategy, and amends the Core Strategy programme. Revised timetable will result in submission of the Core Strategy to the Secretary of State in March 2013, within the NPPF one-year transitional period for local plans. |
11/05/12 Call for Sites 17/08/12 Reg 18 consultation on strategic site allocations 14/12/12 Reg 19 consultation on the Core Strategy |
|
The planning service should undertake a review of its evidence base and keep it up to date to ensure that this is complete and robust to support the submission of the Core Strategy. This should include taking full account of the recently published NPPF. |
John Foster/Sue Whiteside |
To balance the Core Strategy housing targets with employment floorspace/hectarage requirements rather than a 10,000 jobs target which is not a measurable indicator and, to a large extent, is beyond the influence of the Core Strategy. The Employment Land Review (2011) accords with Economic Development Strategy objectives. Propose policy CS1 of the Core Strategy be amended to deliver a target of 13.7ha net of employment land. The Core Strategy and its evidence base will be assessed against the NPPF Compatibility Check List and other tools to test the soundness of local plans. |
17/08/12 Reg 18 consultation on policy CS1 14/12/12 Reg 19 consultation on the Core Strategy |
|
Work on the local implementation of the Community Infrastructure Levy should be prioritised so that it is ready to follow the adoption of the Core Strategy and should also be modelled on the Council’s requirements. |
Rob Jarman |
Consultants will begin viability work in July 2012 and the CIL is likely to be considered at a Hearing in summer 2013. |
Completion Autumn 2013 |
|
Member involvement in the development of the Core Strategy needs to be much sharper to make a better use of member resources and to expedite decision making |
Rob Jarman |
This has now started. At Cabinet on 16 May the importance of timely decision taking was stressed. The Project Board for the Core Strategy has been made aware of the need to reduce the amount of meetings, in particular, workshops and this is beginning to happen. Latest Core Strategy timetable (approved at 16 May Cabinet) and those of the Integrated Transport Plan (ITS) and Infrastructure Delivery Plan (IDP) have no workshops built-in after May 2012. |
Ongoing. |
|
The emerging Core Strategy should feature as a potential strategic risk on the Council’s risk register and an assessment made of the impact of not achieving the timetable of march 2013, which is already at risk. CLT and Cabinet should monitor the progress in completing the work on the Core Strategy and CIL. |
Rob Jarman |
This was undertaken in April 2012 |
Completed. |
|
The review of the Economic Development Strategy should be prioritised so that it is working in alignment with both the Core Strategy on preferred options and the Development Management process. |
John Foster |
An inception meeting with Council Officers and consultants Shared Intelligence has taken place and the timetable aligned to the Core Strategy with an interim report available by the 29th June which will contain the information requested to support the Cabinet report in July. |
29th June 2012 Interim report |
|
Tough decisions in progressing corporate priorities and acting on the emerging Core Strategy to support delivery of some of these priorities will be required. It is recommended that officers and members try to anticipate these and develop strategies for gaining consensus. |
Rob Jarman/Angela Woodhouse |
This needs to be undertaken in parallel with the viability work on CIL and then form the subject of collaboration working with KCC and other infrastructure providers. |
September 2012 onwards |
|
Evaluate options for smaller development at Junction 8 of the M20. This could be for logistics or other use and should be progressed so as to take account and respond to community concerns and to send a message to developers that the Council is ‘open for business’ pending finalisation of the Core Strategy. |
John Foster |
Cabinet has agreed to progress with Strategic Allocations including an employment allocation at Junction 8 subject to the necessary landscape assessments, traffic modelling work etc which is being commissioned. |
Ongoing |
|
The Council is recommended to ask Parish Councils what engagement they feel would be beneficial with this to include; · Developing a Council/Parish Council engagement strategy/compact that sets out a commitment for joint working · Planning training provision and specific areas of interest · Entering into discussions on Neighbourhood Planning, what it is and how it can be supported · Looking at site allocations for future commercial, housing and infrastructure development · Working together on site allocations for Gypsies and Travellers
|
AF/SW/RA Annika Fraser/ Sue Whiteside/ Roger Adley |
· Engagement strategy for parish councils to be agreed as part of the Core Strategy consultations. · TBC · Procedure Note on how neighbourhood planning will work in Maidstone, offering advice to parish councils, being drafted by Spatial Policy. To follow through on parish council training for neighbourhood plans. · Site allocations for rural service centres to be included in the Development Delivery local plan that will follow the Core Strategy. · Site allocations for gypsies and travellers to be included in the Development Delivery local plan that will follow the Core Strategy. Meanwhile, the Council is pursuing a public gypsy site(s) and will engage with parish councils in a timely manner. |
17/08/12 Reg 18 consultation 14/12/12 Reg 19 consultation |
|
The corporate communications resource should be an integral part of the Core Strategy process to present the Council’s views and approach as well as being able to counter negative comments and perceptions. |
Roger Adley |
The Communications Team is holding regular meetings with the Spatial Policy Team in order to agree a communications plan for the Core Strategy. |
|
|
Complete the evaluation of Planning Committee operations – to include; consideration of the cost of referrals from Parish Councils and alternative arrangements; review the length of committee reports with a view to introducing report templates and a prescription on report maximum length; and consideration of closer working between Planning Committee and the member forum leading on the development of the Core Strategy. |
Georgia Hawkes |
In 2011 surveys were sent out to applicants or agents whose applications had come to Planning Committee. The findings were generally positive. This recommendation will be incorporated into the improvement work Business Improvement and ICT will do with Planning, which will cover making the best use of the new website for channel shift, making the best use of ICT including information management, improving processes etc. The exact scope of the work will depend on what is being covered by the separate MKIP review of Planning Support. Closer working is being achieved through the creation of SPSAG which is an elected advisory committee to the Cabinet on spatial policy matters. |
Timescales will be confirmed once the scope and timing of MKIP work is clear, but expected to be 2012/13 |
|
Make arrangements to evaluate the pre-application process over the next two years with developer involvement, so that the process can be improved by learning from what works well, to inform how fee levels can be set in the future and by understanding the needs of developers. |
Georgia Hawkes |
This recommendation will be incorporated into the improvement work Business Improvement and ICT will do with Planning, which will cover making the best use of the new website for channel shift, making the best use of ICT including information management, improving processes etc. The exact scope of the work will depend on what is being covered by the separate MKIP review of Planning Support. |
Timescales will be confirmed once the scope and timing of MKIP work is clear, but expected to be 2012/13 |
|
Prepare DPD and supplementary documents taking into account the needs identified in the core Strategy |
Rob Jarman |
Will identify private gypsy and traveller sites in the DPD |
Adoption mid 2015 |
|
Enhance the relationship with Parish Councils |
Rob Jarman/Roger Adley |
Carried out a number of consultation events and information days. Training events for Borough and Parish councillors will be carried out on items of interest e.g. NPPF |
Ongoing |
|
The council should consider the Core Strategy officer working arrangements to be satisfied that these are as efficient as they need to be. It should also consider providing legal input into these officer meetings, especially now at this stage where the Core Strategy is moving into site detail and legal issues will be thrown up.
|
Rob Jarman |
This is under investigation |
End August 2012 |
|
Planners to start learning property surveying skills to assist with viability assessments |
Rob Jarman |
To be progressed with team members and learning and development |
End October |