Agenda and minutes

RESOLVED:  That all items on the agenda be webcast.

Apologies were received from Councillor de Wiggondene.

Apologies for lateness were received from Councillor Willis who arrived at 18:40hrs.

Councillor Cuming was present as substitute for Councillor de Wiggondene.

Councillor Burton was present as a visiting member.

Rob Jarman, Head of Planning and Development and Tim Hapgood, Transport Consultant, JMB Consultants/Spatial Policy Team were in attendance for item 9, Maidstone Integrated Transport Strategy.

There were no disclosures.

RESOLVED: that all items on the agenda be taken in public as proposed.

RESOLVED: that the minutes of the meeting held on 9 June be approved and duly signed by the Chairman subject to the following alterations:

Page 3 – bullet point 4 – which read “Mr Jarman confirmed brownfield sites within village boundaries had precedence for development over green field sites.”

Be changed to read “Mr Jarman confirmed brownfield sites in villages took precedence for development over green field sites where they did not cause damage to the open countryside and are sustainable”.

Page 4 – bullet point 1 – first sentence the word “many” be changed to “sufficient”.

Page 4 – that an additional bullet point be added as follows:

“The point was made that inward migration influenced population growth in the borough along with birth and death rates.  However inward migration was difficult to assess”. 

An update on the progress with the Integrated Transport Strategy.

Interviews with Rob Jarman, Head of Planning and Development and Tim Hapgood, Transport Consultant, Spatial Policy.

Tim Hapgood gave an overview of his report and added that stage one of the traffic modelling was underway and would include input from Kent County Highways.  It was due for completion by the end of June 2014.

Mr Hapgood went on to explain a background growth (such as changes to national demographics, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), fuel price trends and national transport networks) of 1.5%X impact on the highway network, had shown in the past, drastic changes were needed without any planned population growth.

Mr Hapgood reported that bi-weekly meetings were taking place with Kent County Council (KCC) and a progress meeting was planned for 1 July 2014.

Mr Jarman explained the transport modelling was the most fundamental piece of the Local Plan as it effected where new housing and employment would go in the Borough.  He went on to say once it was agreed what models to run, timescales for the process would be agreed from the end of June 2014 and Committee would receive this information in due course.

Mr Jarman estimated a realistic timeframe for the outcomes of the modelling would be October 2014.  After which costings would be established.  Then KCCs and Maidstone Borough Council’s versions of the modelling would be ‘married up’.

During lengthy discussion the following points were raised:

·  The availability of the land at Eclipse Park for the development of the proposed park and ride site at junction 7 of the M20.  Mr Jarman confirmed the land was in the draft Local Plan and was a saved policy in the current local plan.  Mr Jarman went on to say there was room on the site for a hotel and park and ride.  Negotiations had continued with the owners who had said the site may not be available.  Mr Jarman also stated that previous modelling work demonstrated the need for a park and ride site at junction 7 and no other site had been put forward.

·  Concern was raised regarding the congestion on Sittingbourne Road and other areas in the town and how air quality measures were being built into the Integrated Transport Strategy (ITS). Mr Hapgood explained air quality modelling would be carried out once the outcomes of the transport modelling work had been completed.

·  Mr Jarman went on to explain there would possibly be new streams of work coming from the highway modelling which may make it necessary for bespoke modelling work for specific junctions using different software packages.  However, this would depend on the outcomes of the modelling work carried out using the VISUM software package first.

·  Mr Jarman confirmed the Committee would be able to see the impact of Local Plan growth on transport once the modelling work had been completed.

·  Mr Jarman confirmed KCC had made representations as part of the consultation on the draft Local Plan.  KCC had been asked for more detail but Mr Jarman was unaware of any agreed programme of works from Leeds Castle to the A274 area.

·  The Committee questioned bus services in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 21.

The Committee agreed the following changes to the FWP:

·  That the meeting on 22 July 2014 be used to invite witnesses for stage one of the Cycling and Walking part of the ‘Transport in Maidstone Borough – alternatives to using the car’ review.

·  That Green and Blue Infrastructure Strategy, Open Space Standards and a verbal update on the Infrastructure Delivery Plan be put on the agenda for the meeting of 16 September 2014.

RESOLVED: The Planning, Transport and Development Overview and Scrutiny Committee noted the revised Future Work Programme and made the following recommendations:

a.  That the proposal to hold a joint meeting with the Economic and Commercial Development Overview and Scrutiny Committee, to look at the Qualitative Employment data, be referred to the Scrutiny Coordinating Committee at their meeting of 10 July 2014 for a decision.

b.  That planning policy officers meet with Ward Members, Parish Councils and Neighbourhood Forums to go through the proposed site allocations in the draft Local Plan in addition to the multi-agency event.

c.  That the Cabinet Member for Planning, Transport and Development promotes appropriate progress going forward with neighbourhood plans by including the Planning, Transport and Development Overview and Scrutiny Committee to appropriately scrutinise and comment on the Borough’s response to the consultation stage of Neighbourhood plans.

d.  That the Planning, Transport and Development Overview and Scrutiny Committee, as part of the review of the Parish Charter, scrutinise the planning policy processes to be included in the Parish Charter.

18:10 to 20:43