Agenda and minutes

Venue: Town Hall, High Street, Maidstone

Contact: Poppy Collier  01622 602242

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

It was noted that apologies for absence had been received from Councillors Carter, Springett and Wilby.

 

2.

Notification of Substitute Members

Minutes:

It was noted that Councillor Boughton was substituting for Councillor Springett.

 

3.

Notification of Visiting Members

Minutes:

It was noted that Councillor Prendergast was in attendance as a observer.

 

4.

Disclosures by Members and Officers

Minutes:

There were no disclosures by Members or Officers.

 

5.

Disclosures of lobbying

Minutes:

There were no disclosures of lobbying.

 

6.

Minutes of the Meeting held on 20 April 2016 pdf icon PDF 53 KB

Minutes:

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held on 20 April 2016 be approved as a correct record and signed.

 

7.

Matters arising from the minutes

Minutes:

The Chairman updated the Board on two items that had been considered at the meeting held on 20 April 2016.

 

160. Verbal Report of the KCC Head of Transportation – Request for correspondence with Kent Police

 

The Chairman advised that he had contacted Kent police and had received a response. A meeting would be arranged between the Chairman and Chief Inspector Gardner to further discuss the issues raised.

 

165. Report of the KCC Head of Transportation – Verbal Update on proposed amendments to the Maidstone Joint Transportation Board Agreement

 

The Chairman had been in contact with the KCC legal department and it had been confirmed that an amended version of the agreement would be drafted in advance of the next meeting of the Board.

 

8.

Petitions

Notice has been given pursuant to Council Procedure Rule 11 of

the intention to present a petition in the following terms:

 

We the undersigned agree with the Planning Committee of the Maidstone Borough Council when at their meeting on 28 May 2015 and in connection with the proposed development on the Mayfield Nursery site (Planning Application number 13/1823); they voted for the following Informative to be added to the Planning consent:

 

“The highway improvements to the A20 associated with the development shall include the provision of a pedestrian footway along the southern side of the highway linking the development with the existing bus stop and an uncontrolled crossing in the close vicinity of the existing bus stop.”

 

We urge Kent County Council and Maidstone Borough Council to ensure that this resolution is carried out before first occupation of the Mayfield Nursery development.

 

Minutes:

The Chairman advised that the petition included on the agenda had been withdrawn at the request of the petitioner.

 

9.

Questions/Statements by members of the public

Minutes:

Mr Hughes was in attendance to make a statement regarding item 11 Report of the MBC Head of Planning and Development – Integrated Transport Strategy.

 

Mr Hughes stated that future growth would affect the A229 and A274, which were already congested. Mr Hughes expressed concern that more congestion would increase air pollution in these areas, and hoped that mitigation against this would be implemented at the earliest opportunity.

 

Mr Hughes’ statement was noted.

 

10.

Verbal Report of the KCC Director of Highways, Transportation and Waste - Update on Petitions Submitted to Kent Highway Services

Minutes:

Richard Emmett, outgoing KCC Highways District Manager for Maidstone, provided an update on the petition received to the previous meeting requesting KCC to extend the existing 20 mph speed zone to further residential roads around North Maidstone with specific reference to Hillary Road, The Hedges, Gladstone Road and Peel Street.

 

Mr Emmett advised that a KCC Councillor had agreed to finance initial investigations into this matter through his combined members grant. Once the findings of these investigations had been evaluated they would be presented to the Board for discussion.

 

RESOLVED: That the verbal report be noted.

 

11.

Verbal Update of the MBC Head of Planning and Development - Boughton Lane and Oak Lane

Minutes:

Steve Clarke, MBC Principal Planning Officer, addressed the Board regarding Boughton Lane and Oak Lane.

 

Boughton Lane

 

Mr Clarke explained that following feasibility work undertaken on the A229 corridor as part of the evidence base for the Local Plan, various options had been considered to improve highway capacity. These included widening of the existing signal junction and its replacement by a mini roundabout.

 

It was agreed at MBC Strategic Planning, Sustainability and Transportation Committee on 6 July 2016 that results of the junction modelling indicated that proposed and committed developments could be delivered with improved operating conditions with the implementation of mitigation measures.

 

Oak Lane, Headcorn

 

Mr Clarke advised that improvements to visibility at the Junction with A274 Wheeler Street, to include minor kerb build-outs and the provision of a footway on Grigg Lane, had been secured through an approved housing development at Grigg Lane. Improvements would be delivered through S278 agreements with the Highways Authority.

 

RESOLVED: That the verbal update be noted.

 

12.

Report of the MBC Head of Planning and Development - Integrated Transport Strategy pdf icon PDF 74 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Tim Read, KCC Head of Transportation, and Rob Jarman, MBC Head of Planning and Development, presented the joint MBC and KCC report on the Integrated Transport Strategy (ITS).

 

Mr Read advised that KCC and Highways England had objected to the ITS, and the ITS had not been included with the Local Plan for submission.

 

Mr Jarman explained that at the meeting of the Maidstone Joint Transportation Board on 7 December 2015, priority junctions were agreed and were largely in alignment with those of the MBC Strategic Planning, Sustainability and Transportation Committee. The Local Plan submitted for examination included a number of those junctions, and there was £8.9m available through the Local Growth Fund (LGF) for junction improvement.

 

During discussion it was confirmed that the jointly commissioned strategic modelling, and the MBC commissioned detailed local modelling, would inform each other.

 

A Member moved the recommendations with an amendment to the wording of recommendation 5.1, that it be changed from ‘with a firmer commitment to work together in relation to paragraph 4.2’, to read ‘with a firm commitment to the items identified in paragraph 4.2’.

 

The recommendations as amended were voted on.

 

RESOLVED:

 

1.  That the transport interventions identified in paragraphs 2.4 and 2.5, together with a firm commitment to the items identified in paragraph 4.2 of the report of the MBC Head of Planning and Development, be approved as forming the basis of the transport strategy.

 

2.  That this matter be referred to the KCC Cabinet Member for Transport and the MBC Strategic Planning, Sustainability and Transport Committee for approval.

 

13.

Minutes (Part II) of the Meeting held on 20 April 2016

Minutes:

RESOLVED: That the minutes (Part II) of the meeting held on 20 April 2016 be approved as a correct record and signed.

 

14.

Duration of meeting

Minutes:

5.00 p.m. to 5.44 p.m.