Issue - meetings
Consultation on Tunbridge Wells Borough Council’s response to the Inspector’s initial findings letter on the examination of their new Local Plan
Meeting: 28/03/2024 - Planning, Infrastructure and Economic Development Policy Advisory Committee (Item 160)
Additional documents:
- Appendix 1: Draft response to Tunbridge Wells Borough Council Local Plan consultation March 2024, item 160 PDF 213 KB View as HTML (160/2) 52 KB
Minutes:
The Cabinet Member for Planning, Infrastructure and Economic Development introduced the report, which related to the consultation response for the Tunbridge Wells Borough Council (TWBC) local plan at the request of their local plan inspector.
There
were three main issues raised by the inspector including:
- consistency of the assessment of sites in the Green
Belt;
- concerns about the deliverability of the proposed Tudeley
Village in the manner envisioned; and
- concerns around flood risk relating to strategic housing and employment growth proposed at Paddock Wood and land at east Capel.
The Cabinet Member highlighted concerns that the proposed removal of sites at Tudeley Village and Paddock Wood could result in TWBC requesting that Maidstone take some of their housing growth, which Maidstone borough is not currently in a position to be able to do given the recent adoption of the Local Plan Review and the planned levels of growth contained within it. There were also concerns that the proposed early review would not be feasible and that a 10 rather than 15 year plan was not ‘sound’.
These concerns were reflected in the consultation response letter, which the Committee agreed should be submitted.
RESOLVED to RECOMMEND to the CABINET MEMBER: That
- The
current consultation on Tunbridge Wells Borough Council’s
response to the Inspector’s initial findings letter on the
Examination of their new Local Plan be noted; and
- The draft response to the consultation, in Appendix 1 to the report, be agreed for submission to Tunbridge Wells Borough Council ahead of the 12 April 2024 consultation response deadline.