Issue - meetings

Mrs Sarah Lee, Principal Planning Officer (Strategic Planning), outlined that the Local Plan Review would define how housing, and other developments, should be distributed in the borough.  This review would include a new housing target.  Mrs Lee explained to the Committee that the latest household projections were significantly lower than previous figures.  The Government has indicated that it will review its standard methodology for calculating “local housing need” figures, and that this will be consulted on in December 2018.  It was stated that the demand for houses could be met through a variety of means, but it was likely that a package of different spatial approaches would be required to meet the expected target of more than 1000 dwellings per year.  Mrs Lee informed the Committee that the Sustainability Appraisal was key to ensuring that the Local Plan Review was objective and sustainable.  A workshop was scheduled for 23^rd November 2018 to explore the Sustainability Appraisal process and its role in the Local Plan Review.  Ahead of a Call for Sites, there was the potential to distribute an information package to developers, outlining the national and local constraints, the desired outcome of the Local Plan and the information that would need to be supplied to the Council regarding future developments.

In response to questions from the Committee, Officers stated that Maidstone Borough Council was on target to maintain the five year land supply of housing based on current figures.  There was a risk that if the figures were to change, and no further provision was made through the Local Plan Review, the five year land supply would not be maintained.

The Committee made the following observations:

·  That positive, proactive planning was crucial to the success of the work.

·  That future plans should consider the possibility of housing need figures rising, so that if the numbers changed, the Council was well prepared.

·  That the evidence base needed to be as current as possible to inform a refresh of the Local Plan.

·  That the lessons learned from the previous Local Plan be considered during the review of the Local Plan.

RESOLVED:

1)  That Officers progress the identification of broad spatial options for the Local Plan Review.

2)  That a report outlining the Call for Sites information package be submitted to the Strategic Planning, Sustainability and Transportation Committee for approval prior to publication.

Voting: Unanimous

The meeting was adjourned from 7.53 p.m. to 8.01 p.m.