Agenda and minutes

Resolved:  That all items on the agenda be web-cast

It was noted that Councillor F Wilson was substituting for Councillor Batt.

It was noted that Councillor Parr was a visiting Member and wished to speak on Agenda Item 7, ‘Call-In: Current and Future Position of Park and Ride’.  It was also noted that Councillor Greer was a visiting Member with an interest in all items on the Agenda.

a)  Disclosures of interest.

b)  Disclosures of lobbying.

c)  Disclosures of whipping.

There were no disclosures.

Resolved:  That all items on the agenda be taken in public as proposed.

Interview with:

·  The Leader, Councillor Chris Garland;

·  The Cabinet Member for Environment, Councillor Mark Wooding;

·  The Assistant Director of Development and Community Services, Brian Morgan; and

·  The Public Transport Officer, Clive Cheeseman.

The Chairman invited Councillors Robertson and Mortimer to explain their reasons for calling in the decision of the Cabinet with regard to the Current and Future Position of Park and Ride.

Councillors Robertson and Mortimer acknowledged the requirement to increase charges to make savings, but expressed their concern that the Park and Ride strategy was being formulated as part of the Local Development Framework (LDF).  Councillor Robertson noted that other Local Authorities with LDFs had successfully implemented Park and Ride Strategies, independent from, but fully integrated with their LDFs, including Canterbury City Council and the metropolitan boroughs in South Yorkshire.  Councillors Robertson and Mortimer highlighted that the report concluded that Park and Ride was one of the few tools available to the Council in addressing congestion and that it had been predicted that the town centre would be grid locked by 2011.  However they felt that as the LDF would not be adopted until after 2011, the production and implementation of the Park and Ride strategy would not be executed until after the town centre was grid locked.  Members felt that an interim strategy was therefore required to address issues in the period prior to the LDF’s implementation, including safeguarding sites and addressing congestion. 

The Chairman invited the Leader of the Council, Councillor Chris Garland and the Cabinet Member for the Environment, Mark Wooding, to respond to the reasons given for the call-in.  Councillor Garland agreed that a strategic, holistic Park and Ride plan was required to provide strategically placed Park and Ride sites and a financially sustainable service.  However, he felt that this would be achieved through developing a strategy as part of the LDF.  Mr Morgan advised the Committee that the LDF needed to consider all means of reducing congestion in the town centre, noting that the Borough had been identified to potentially accommodate 11,080 homes in the draft South East Plan.  He also highlighted that there had been difficulties with the size and location of Park and Ride sites; as well as their funding.  He advised the Committee that these difficulties could be addressed by producing a Park and Ride strategy through the LDF.  The Park and Ride strategy, as part of the LDF, would therefore bring together and address land use, spatial planning as well as identifying how the sites could be funded.  Mr Morgan also advised the Committee that since Park and Ride Sites would be located outside of the urban boundary of the town; potential sites would be protected from development by countryside policies in the interim period prior to adoption.  The Committee recommended that an interim Park and Ride strategy be produced to ensure important sites were safe-guarded and that this should be dovetailed with the Local Area Agreement targets and the Local Development Framework.

The Committee noted the difficulties in locating new satisfactory Park and Ride Sites and felt that the Bluebell Hill site presented a unique opportunity.  Councillor Wooding advised the Committee that Kent County Council’s preliminary feasibility  ...  view the full minutes text for item 125.

The Committee considered its future work programme and discussed the scope of the Economic Development Review.  The Committee noted the importance of the Economic Development Review but felt that the required scope would be compromised by the time demands of the three in-depth reviews already being undertaken.  Members agreed that they did not have the required capacity to dedicate to such an important review and it was therefore agreed to include the review as part of its 2009/10 work programme.

The Committee agreed it was important to dedicate time to consider each of the upcoming Committee draft review reports.  It was therefore resolved to dedicate its February meeting to the ‘Enforcement of Planning Conditions and Compliance with Section 106 Agreements Review’ draft report and its March meeting to the ‘Road Safety Review’ draft report.

  Resolved:  That

a)  The Economic Development Review be included in the Regeneration and Sustainable Communities work programme in 2009/10;

b)  The ‘Enforcement of Planning Conditions and Compliance with Section 106 Agreements Review’ draft report be considered at its meeting on 10 February 2009; and

c)  The ‘Road Safety Review’ draft report be considered at its meeting on 10 March 2009.

6:30 p.m. to 8.10 p.m.