Cabinet

24^th February 2014

Agenda Item 7 Urgent Update

1.        Housing Allocations

Transport

Remove reference to bus lanes in the supporting text and site allocation policies for sites in the south east of the urban area and replace with “additional lane of vehicular capacity”. Also remove reference to the bus lane extending to the junction of Armstrong Road and Park Way and replace with Wheatsheaf junction. See example below:

……”An in-bound bus lane additional inbound lane for vehicular traffic on the A274 Sutton Road from Willington Street to the Wheatsheaf junction.” with Armstrong Road and Park Way…

Flood Mitigation

Strengthen reference to flood mitigation in the site allocation policies by including the word “robust”. See example below:

….”Appropriate surface water and robust flood mitigation measures will be implemented where the site coincides with identified flood zones, subject to a flood risk assessment, incorporating sustainable drainage systems…”

2.        Policy H3 – Future locations for housing growth

Amend the policy, and make any consequential changes to the plan, to increase the number of dwellings in the town centre broad location from 200 to 600. 

This increase reflects emerging proposals for The Mall which would see substantial new residential development coming forward as part of a comprehensive redevelopment of the shopping centre area.

The total capacity of the 3 broad locations would increase from 3,000 to 3,400 dwellings.

3.        Policy SP4 – Larger Settlements

Change reference to larger settlements in the supporting text and policy to larger villages.

4.        Policy DM30 – Development principles in the countryside

Amend criterion (2) of the policy as follows:

“Outside of the settlement boundaries as defined on the policies map, proposals which would create high quality design and meet the following criteria will be permitted:

…..

2. Outside the Kent Downs AONB, causes no significant not result in harm to landscape of the highest value and respect the landscape character of the locality;….”

This amendment better reflects the wording in the saved adopted Local Plan Policy ENV28 which a number of appeal Inspector’s have assessed to be in accordance with the NPPF.

5.        Policy SS1 – Maidstone borough spatial strategy

To overcome an omission, add criterion to the policy to refer to the proposed future locations for housing growth as follows:

6a      Future locations for significant housing growth in the latter phase of the plan period, post 2026, are identified at Invicta Park Barracks, in the town centre and at Lenham.

6.        Policy SP1 – Maidstone Town Centre

For ease of public consultation, include the Primary Shopping Area plan agreed by Cabinet in December in the Local Plan document itself in addition to it being shown on the consultation version of the policies map.

7.        Representations received from the public on the draft Local Plan

Since the publication of the draft Local Plan, the council has received 5 representations from the public. The following issues were raised:

                  i.        Concerns regarding the SHMA;

                 ii.        Concerns regarding the 19,600 objectively assessed need being too high;

               iii.        Concerns about the proposed level of affordable housing not being deliverable in Headcorn;

               iv.        Concerns that there is conflict between the proposed allocations and neighbourhood plans;

                v.        Concerns about the cumulative impact of development and non-delivery of infrastructure; and

               vi.        Concerns that site H1(50) – Vicarage Road, Yalding – is not suitable for development.

In addition, a further representation has been received from Golding Homes, objecting to the exclusion of their site (new settlement at Otham).

The representations have been acknowledged and officers will consider them, alongside all other representations made, during the public consultation in March/April.