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Agenda and minutes

Venue: Town Hall, High Street, Maidstone

Contact: Debbie Snook  01622 602030

Items
No. Item

6.

Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

It was noted that apologies for absence had been received from Councillor Prendergast.

 

7.

Notification of Substitute Members

Minutes:

It was noted that Councillor Perry was substituting for Councillor Prendergast.

 

8.

Notification of Visiting Members

Minutes:

There were no Visiting Members.

 

9.

Items withdrawn from the Agenda

Minutes:

There were none.

 

10.

Urgent Items

Minutes:

The Chairman stated that, in his opinion, the update reports of the Head of Planning and Development should be taken as urgent items as they contained further information relating to the applications to be considered at the meeting.

 

11.

Disclosures by Members and Officers

Minutes:

Councillor Harwood disclosed an Other Significant Interest in the report of the Head of Planning and Development relating to application 15/507909 (Walderslade Woods, including land off Wildfell Close, Boxley, Kent) by virtue of being a Member of Boxley Parish Council, the applicant.  Councillor Harwood said that he would exercise his right to make representations, and then leave the room when the application was discussed.

 

Councillor Harwood also disclosed an Other Significant Interest in the report of the Head of Planning and Development relating to application 18/500352 (Hill Farm, Lenham Road, Ulcombe, Maidstone, Kent) by virtue of having family connections to the two adjoining farms (Upper Hill Farm and Tilman Gate Farm).  Councillor Harwood said that he would leave the room when the application was discussed.

 

12.

Exempt Items

Minutes:

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

 

13.

Minutes of the meeting held on 26 April adjourned to 30 April 2018 pdf icon PDF 80 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

RESOLVED:  That the Minutes of the meeting held on 26 April adjourned to 30 April 2018 be approved as a correct record and signed.

 

14.

Minutes of the meeting held on 22 May 2018

Minutes:

RESOLVED:  That the Minutes of the meeting held on 22 May 2018 be approved as a correct record and signed.

 

15.

Appointment of Political Group Spokespersons

Minutes:

RESOLVED: That the following Members be appointed as Spokespersons for their respective Political Groups for the Municipal Year 2018/19:

 

Councillor Boughton

Conservative

Councillor Harwood

Liberal Democrat

Councillor Munford

Independent

Councillor Adkinson

Labour

 

16.

Presentation of Petitions

Minutes:

There were no petitions.

 

17.

Deferred Items pdf icon PDF 42 KB

Minutes:

17/503291 - ERECTION OF 6 NO. LIGHTWEIGHT COMMERCIAL/INDUSTRIAL UNITS - THE PACKHOUSE, QUEEN STREET, PADDOCK WOOD, TONBRIDGE, KENT

 

17/503237 - OUTLINE APPLICATION (SOME MATTERS RESERVED) FOR DEMOLITION OF EXISTING BUILDINGS, AND CESSATION OF COMMERCIAL USE ON SITE; ERECTION OF RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT PROVIDING 18 NO. UNITS, OF WHICH 12 X 1 BED AND 6 X 2 BED. PROVISION OF 16 PARKING SPACES/2 DISABLED SPACES AND 4 VISITOR SPACES. ACCESS, LAYOUT AND SCALE BEING SOUGHT - J B GARAGE DOORS, STRAW MILL HILL, TOVIL, MAIDSTONE, KENT

 

17/505995 - ERECTION OF A DETACHED FIVE BEDROOM DWELLING WITH ASSOCIATED PARKING - COURT LODGE FARM, THE STREET, TESTON, MAIDSTONE, KENT

 

17/504412 – DEMOLITION OF STORAGE BUILDINGS AND ERECTION OF 5 DETACHED DWELLINGS, 2 CAR PORTS FOR PLOTS 1 AND 5, AND 2 TWO BAY CAR PORTS FOR THE EXISTING HOUSE AND BARN CONVERSION APPROVED UNDER 14/505872/FULL - IDEN GRANGE, CRANBROOK ROAD, STAPLEHURST, TONBRIDGE, KENT

 

The Major Projects Manager said that he had nothing further to report in respect of these applications at present.  Most of the applications had been subject to re-consultation exercises which had been completed recently.  The applications would be reported back to the Committee in due course.

 

18.

18/500352 - VARIATION OF CONDITION (3) APPENDED TO PLANNING PERMISSION 14/504784/FULL TO PERMIT THE POLYTUNNELS TO BE COVERED BETWEEN 14 FEBRUARY AND 15 NOVEMBER (CURRENTLY RESTRICTED TO BETWEEN 1 MARCH AND 31 OCTOBER) - HILL FARM, LENHAM ROAD, ULCOMBE, MAIDSTONE, KENT pdf icon PDF 240 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Having disclosed an Other Significant Interest, Councillor Harwood left the room when this application was considered.

 

The Chairman and Councillors Boughton, Perry and Round stated that they had been lobbied.

 

The Committee considered the report of the Head of Planning and Development.

 

RESOLVED:  That permission be granted subject to the conditions and informatives set out in the report.

 

Voting:  10 – For  0 – Against  2 – Abstentions

 

19.

18/501196 - TWO STOREY DETACHED HOUSE WITH DOUBLE GARAGE WITH ACCESS OFF GRIGG LANE - LAND NORTH OF 61 AND 62 KNAVES ACRE, HEADCORN, ASHFORD, KENT pdf icon PDF 409 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chairman and Councillor Round stated that they had been lobbied.

 

The Committee considered the report of the Head of Planning and Development.

 

RESOLVED:  That permission be granted subject to the conditions and informatives set out in the report.

 

Voting:  13 – For  0 – Against  0 – Abstentions

 

20.

18/501016 - CONVERSION OF BARN TO HOLIDAY LET ACCOMMODATION - LEA FARM, FAVERSHAM ROAD, LENHAM, KENT pdf icon PDF 110 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Councillor Round stated that he had been lobbied.

 

The Committee considered the report and the urgent update report of the Head of Planning and Development.

 

RESOLVED:  That permission be granted subject to the conditions and informatives set out in the report and the additional condition set out in the urgent update report.

 

Voting:  13 – For  0 – Against  0 – Abstentions

 

21.

17/506306 - APPROVAL OF RESERVED MATTERS APPLICATION FOR THE ERECTION OF 250 DWELLINGS (APPEARANCE, LANDSCAPING, LAYOUT AND SCALE BEING SOUGHT) AND DETAILS OF CONDITIONS 5, 7, 9, AND 10 RELATING TO PHASING, LANDSCAPING AND ECOLOGY, PURSUANT TO 14/502010/OUT (OUTLINE APPLICATION FOR THE ERECTION OF RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT FOR UP TO 250 DWELLINGS WITH ACCESS AND GARAGING WITH ACCESS CONSIDERED AT THIS STAGE AND ALL OTHER MATTERS RESERVED FOR FUTURE CONSIDERATION) - HEN AND DUCKHURST FARM, MARDEN ROAD, STAPLEHURST, TONBRIDGE, KENT pdf icon PDF 287 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

All Members except Councillors Bartlett, Harwood, Kimmance and Parfitt-Reid stated that they had been lobbied.

 

The Committee considered the report of the Head of Planning and Development.

 

By way of an update, the Principal Planning Officer advised the Committee that:

 

·  Members should have received a letter from Staplehurst Parish Council providing commentary and some interpretation of the Staplehurst Neighbourhood Plan policies, but this did not affect the Officers’ views set out in the report.

 

·  Since the publication of the agenda, three letters had been received from local residents raising issues including the setting of the Hen and Duckhurst listed building, loss of hedges, loss of privacy and surface water.  These issues had been covered in full in the report and the recommendation remained unchanged.

 

·  A request had been made for the Secretary of State to call in the application for consideration.  The Secretary of State had responded stating that he would not be intervening in the application as the case did not raise more than local issues.

 

·  The Staplehurst Neighbourhood Plan was not listed in the Policy and Other Considerations section of the report (an oversight for which he apologised), but the Plan had been fully considered in reaching the Officers’ recommendation.

 

Mr Curtis, an objector, Councillor Buller of Staplehurst Parish Council, and Mr Cooper, for the applicant, addressed the meeting.

 

RESOLVED:  That consideration of this application be deferred to seek to mitigate the impact of the development on the privacy and amenity of existing residents at the Lime Trees estate by moving the new houses further away from the eastern boundary of the site and providing more of a landscape buffer along the edge.

 

Voting:  8 – For  3 – Against  2 – Abstentions

 

FURTHER RESOLVED:  That the details to be submitted pursuant to condition 18 of outline permission 14/502010 (Foul and surface water sewerage disposal) are to be discussed with Ward Members and the Parish Council before the condition is discharged.

 

Voting:  13 – For  0 – Against  0 – Abstentions

 

22.

15/507909 - CHANGE OF USE OF WOODLAND AND GRASSLAND TO PROVIDE FOR FORMAL PUBLIC OPEN SPACE WITH ASSOCIATED ANCILLARY STRUCTURES (INCLUDING SEATING AND NATURAL PLAY EQUIPMENT), IMPROVEMENT TO PATHS AND LANDSCAPING; AND THE ERECTION OF 9 NO. DWELLINGS WITH GARAGING, LANDSCAPING AND ACCESS ON LAND WEST OF WILDFELL CLOSE - WALDERSLADE WOODS INCLUDING LAND OFF WILDFELL CLOSE, BOXLEY, KENT pdf icon PDF 518 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

All Members except Councillors Boughton and Kimmance stated that they had been lobbied.

 

The Committee considered the report and the urgent update report of the Head of Planning and Development.

 

The Major Projects Manager advised the Committee that an additional drawing in the form of a Landscape Master Plan had been received, and this needed to be listed in condition 2 (Approved Plans) and cross referenced in condition 8 (Landscaping).

 

Having disclosed an Other Significant Interest in this application, Councillor Harwood exercised his right to make representations, and then left the meeting (7.50 p.m.).

 

Councillor Davies of Boxley Parish Council and Mr Burrows of the Walderslade Woodlands Group addressed the meeting in support of the application.

 

RESOLVED:  That subject to:

 

(a)  The prior completion of a legal agreement in such terms as the Head of Legal Partnership may advise to provide for the Heads of Terms set out in the report amended to reflect Members’ expressed wish to:

 

·  Ensure the retention of the open space in perpetuity with an emphasis on the enhancement of its ecological and conservation value in the Landscape and Ecology Management Plan;

 

·  Include reference to (a) the minimum funding required to be generated from the development of the new dwellings and to be ring fenced for the future management and maintenance of the open space and (b) how that funding will be managed; AND

 

(b)  The conditions and informatives set out in the report, as amended by the urgent update report and by the Major Projects Manager at the meeting, and the additional conditions set out in the urgent update report with:

 

·  An additional condition requiring the incorporation within the residential development of a minimum of one operational electric vehicle charging point for low-emission plug-in vehicles; and

 

·  An additional informative advising the applicant that the proposed Hawthorn trees in the residential development should be replaced by Field Maples,

 

the Head of Planning and Development be given delegated powers to grant permission and to be able to settle, add or amend any necessary Heads of Terms in line with the matters set out in the recommendation, and as resolved by the Planning Committee, and to finalise the wording of the amended and additional conditions and the additional informative.

Voting:  12 – For  0 – Against  0 – Abstentions

 

23.

Appeal Decisions pdf icon PDF 41 KB

Minutes:

The Committee considered the report of the Head of Planning and Development setting out details of appeal decisions received since the last meeting.

 

The Vice-Chairman drew the Committee’s attention to the Council’s recent success in defending appeals against enforcement action.

 

RESOLVED:  That the report be noted.

 

24.

Chairman's Announcements

Minutes:

The Chairman advised the Committee that:

 

·  The Communications Team had started to publicise the successful outcomes of enforcement action and the Strategic Planning, Sustainability and Transportation Committee would be reviewing the current enforcement protocol.  Together with the Vice-Chairman and the Political Group Spokespersons of the Planning Committee, he had been pushing for this.

 

·  Arrangements would be made for a meeting of the Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Political Group Spokespersons of the Planning Committee to take place in the near future, and if Members wished to include items on the agenda, they should raise them with their Spokesperson direct.

 

25.

Duration of Meeting

Minutes:

6.00 p.m. to 8.15 p.m.