Issue - meetings

Report of the Head of Planning and Development - Reconsideration of previously rejected Maidstone Borough Local Plan Regulation 18 Draft and 2014 SHLAA Housing Sites

Meeting: 23/07/2015 - Strategic Planning, Sustainability and Transportation Committee (Item 52)

52 Report of the Head of Planning and Development - Reconsideration of previously rejected Maidstone Borough Local Plan Regulation 18 Draft and 2014 SHLAA Housing Sites pdf icon PDF 195 KB

Additional documents:

Decision:

Issue for Decision

 

To reconsider the sites excluded from the local plan during the January, February and March 2015 cycle of meetings (the sites deleted from Regulation 18 version of the Plan (7 sites and 1 part site in total) and the allocation of more additional sites (totalling 15) resulting from the 2014 call for sites).  To also reconsider sites put forward by Ward Members with community support in Neighbourhood Plans during the further call for sites process and which were borderline rejections from the SHLAA.

 

Decision Made

 

That:

 

1.  The following sites, which have already obtained either Planning Permission or a Resolution to Grant by the Council’s Planning Committee, be approved for Public Consultation (according to the relevant stage of the consultation for each site):

 

·  H1 (39) – Land at Ulcombe Road, Headcorn (Regulation 19);

·  H1 (61) – Land at Cross Keys, Roundwell, Bearsted (Regulation 18);

·  H1 (65) – Land North of Lenham Road, Headcorn (Regulation 18).

 

2.  It be agreed in principle that, subject to further discussion at the meeting of the Strategic Planning, Sustainability and Transport Committee on 18 August 2015, at which a full report in relation to Broad Location is to be submitted for consideration by the Committee, the yield of the Broad Locations in the town centre be increased to an anticipated 700 units.

 

3.  Site H03 – 220 – Hubbards Lane, Loose and Boughton Monchelsea be approved for inclusion in the draft local plan and Regulation 18 Consultation with an indicative yield of 6 units.

 

4.  Site H03 – 270 – Bentletts Yard, Claygate Road, Laddingford be approved for inclusion in the draft local plan and Regulation 18 consultation with an anticipated indicative yield of 10 units.

 

5.  Site H1 (76) – Land North of Heath Road (Older’s Field) Coxheath be approved for inclusion in the draft local plan and Regulation 18 consultation.

 

6.  Site H1 (19) – Bell Farm, North Street, Barming be approved for inclusion in the draft local plan and Regulation 19 consultation to include a 5 meter set-back for the development from North Street frontage and a 5 meter boundary extension to the west as per the amended site plan and revised policy criteria set out in the Amended Agenda issued on 7 July 2015.

 

7.  Site H1 (4) – Oakapple Lane, Barming be approved for inclusion in the draft local plan and Regulation 19 consultation with a revised site plan and yield of 187 units as recommended in the Urgent Update dated 23 July 2015.

 

8.  Site H1 (69) – Land at Lodge Road, Staplehurst not be approved for inclusion in the draft local plan and be maintained for rural employment use.

 

9.  Site H1 (68) – Land to the North of Henhurst Farm, Staplehurst be approved for inclusion in the draft local plan and Regulation 18 consultation.

 

10.  Site H1 (67) – Land South of Marden Road, Staplehurst does not proceed to Regulation 18 Consultation on the grounds that it has not been demonstrated that current foul  ...  view the full decision text for item 52

Minutes:

The Committee reconsidered the sites excluded from the draft Local Plan during the January, February and March 2015 cycle of meetings (the sites deleted from Regulation 18 version of the Plan (7 sites and 1 part site in total) and the allocation of more additional sites (totalling 15) resulting from the 2014 call for sites).  The Committee also reconsidered sites put forward by Ward Members with community support in Neighbourhood Plans during the further call for sites process and were borderline rejections from the SHLAA.

 

The Head of Planning and Development addressed the Committee and explained the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) stated that any constraints leading to a shortfall in the supply of land to meet the objectively assessed housing need figure of 18560 would need to be evidenced or the Local Plan would be found unsound at inspection.

 

Since the Cabinet decisions on site allocations for the draft Local Plan in February planning consents had been granted to sites that had been rejected because mitigation had shown that infrastructure constraints had been overcome with detailed planning.

 

The previously rejected sites had been brought back to Committee in an attempt to close the shortfall of 1899 units. If the shortfall was reduced significantly the draft Local Plan would go out for further Regulation 18 consultation in late September 2015 for four weeks and Regulation 19 consultation in January 2016.

 

The allocation of sites in the draft Local Plan did not provide the details for development of the sites.  The Local Plan would provide an opportunity to identify possible development sites, establish the potential issues of developing the sites and include criteria within the policies against which future detailed planning applications would be tested prior to approval. If a developer was able to prove any impact of a development was acceptable a section 106 agreement would be included in the planning consent to ensure mitigation measures are undertaken.

 

The Committee were reminded that if the shortfall cannot be met there would be an impact on the timetable for taking the local plan to the inspection stage.

 

The Spatial Policy Team Leader presented an urgent update to the Committee on the 20 year housing land supply which replaced the table on page 65 of the agenda.

 

The Committee heard that there had been a number of windfall sites since 2011 because there had been no local plan.  With an adopted local plan there would not be the same level of windfall sites as before.

 

The Committee noted a letter received from Barbara Cooper of Kent County Council recommending further work be undertaken on cost, feasibility and sustainability of highway measures before further sites were allocated to the Local Plan.  It was recommended not to delay the reconsideration of the previously rejected sites as this would delay the timetable for the local plan and risk having a larger shortfall in housing sites.

 

The Committee agreed sites with planning permission or a resolution to grant planning permission be approved for local plan consultation.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 52