Agenda and minutes

Planning Committee - Monday, 4th May, 2020 7.00 pm

Venue: Assembly Room

Contact: Email: townhall@tenterdentowncouncil.gov.uk

Items

No.

Item

7156.

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE.

Minutes:

Cllr. Dr. L. Lovelidge.

7157.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST.

Minutes:

None.

7158.

MINUTES.

To consider and, if approved, confirm and sign the minutes and report of the meeting held 6^th April 2020 and Special meeting held on 14^th April 2020.

Minutes:

The minutes and report of the meeting held on 6^th April 2020 and Special meeting held on 14^th April 2020 were confirmed as correct records and will be signed at the earliest opportunity.

Cllr. Cole queried the recording of his voting decision on planning application 20/00432/AS in the minutes of the Special meeting held on 14^th April 2020. Cllr. Cole advised that he had changed his mind and objected to this application. The Deputy Town Clerk advised Cllr. Cole that when the legal vote was taken Cllr. Cole did vote in support of this application but changed his mind afterwards. Cllr. Crawford advised that Cllr. Cole’s original legal vote has to stand.

7159.

MATTERS ARISING.

Minutes:

None.

7160.

COUNCILLORS QUESTIONS.

At the Chairman’s discretion Councillors may ask a question about any relevant matter not on the agenda. Questions shall be put and answered without discussion. Answers may take the form of a direct oral answer or reference to a Town Council publication. Where a reply cannot be conveniently given an oral or written answer may be circulated at a later date.

Minutes:

(a) Cllr. Carter expressed his concerns with regard to the regeneration of the High Street. Cllr. Carter commented that more emphasis should be put on the High Street to help it to survive and to resurrect it when we can during the Covid-19 pandemic. Cllr. Crawford agreed that we need some sort of recovery programme. The Deputy Town Clerk advised that a discussion had taken place with the Chair of the Tourism and Business Sub-committee and that some ideas were being put together for a town recovery plan. This will be discussed at the External Committee meeting on 11^th May 2020.

(b) Cllr. Carter asked if the Town Council could obtain an update on the Cloverbank Stables, Cranbrook Road application. Cllr. Mrs. Walder reported that new documents had been submitted by the applicant but they had not been uploaded to the Ashford Borough Council planning portal. This application falls in the middle of the debate around supporting the draft Gypsy and Traveller Supplemental Planning Document and protecting the High Weald AONB. Cllr. Mrs. Walder is in weekly contact with the Planning Officer at Ashford Borough Council and if there are any developments to be debated she will inform this Committee.

7161.

REPRESENTATIONS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC.

Previously notified to the Chairman.

Minutes:

Mr. Holmes, Mr. Masefield and Mr. Haslam all requested to speak on Application No. 17/00708/AS.

7162.

PLANNING APPLICATIONS. PDF 309 KB

To consider the following applications.

17/00708/AS	Land north of 14, Westwell Court. Erection of a fifty six bed care home and 23 units for assisted living (Use class C2) comprising 16 cottages and seven flats (including Manager's accommodation) with associated landscaping, parking, stores and service areas, estate roads, access and landscaping buffers. Application for full planning permission. NORTH & WEST WARDS.

20/00499/AS	Hopes Grove Nurseries, Smallhythe Road. Provision of Additional Car Parking Incidental to the Exiting Plant Nursery Business Use of the Land. Application for full planning permission. WEST WARD.

20/00505/AS	Tenterden Sports and Leisure Centre, Recreation Ground Road. Removal of existing roof materials to be replaced with profiled metal sheet; removal of plastic guttering replacing with metal guttering; removal of existing fascia/soffit materials and replacement with metal fascia/soffit; removal of roof panels above swimming pool and replacement with profiled metal sheet. Application for full planning permission. SOUTH WARD.

20/00511/AS	Homewood School and Sixth Form Centre, Ashford Road. Installation of an Acoustic Barrier in relation to the 3G Pitch approved under planning application 17/01770/AS. Application for full planning permission. NORTH WARD.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered the following planning applications. It was RESOLVED that its recommendations would be submitted.

17/00708/AS

Land north of 14, Westwell Court.

Erection of a fifty six bed care home and 23 units for assisted living (Use class C2) comprising 16 cottages and seven flats (including Manager's accommodation) with associated landscaping, parking, stores and service areas, estate roads, access and landscaping buffers.

Mr. Masefield of West Cross Gardens addressed the Committee with his concerns that the site is precious not only for exercise in the open air, but for its wide views of the Wealden landscape, for its ancient protected trees and for the diversity of its wildlife – including 4 mammals on the B A P priority species list, 8 protected reptiles and amphibians and 11 birds on the British Trust for Ornithology’s Red and Amber lists for those of critical concern. Ashford Local Plan Policy ENV1 states that ‘development should avoid significant harm to locally identified biodiversity assets’ – which this development most certainly would not! Still more compelling are the ‘Biodiversity Metric’ calculations which, as part of the new Environment Bill, will become law this year – by which all green field developments are required to show a net biodiversity GAIN of at least 10% when completed. In March this year, Kent Wildlife trust applied the metric calculation to this application, to estimate a whopping net biodiversity LOSS of 51%, disqualifying it in planning terms and inviting the Wildlife Trust’s strongest objection.

Over more than 3 years of largely superficial amendments, this application would clearly be socially and ecologically disastrous – even if the current pandemic hadn’t demonstrated the folly of building a care home for a vulnerable client group, close to and on both sides of a constantly walked public footpath.

A full copy of Mr. Masefield’s speech will be available on the Council’s website.

Mr. Haslam of Rogersmead drew the Committee’s attention to an apparent error in the District Health Authority’s 2018 Transport Statement which has caused the Care Home staff car parking requirement to be significantly under provided. The provisioning of parking is governed by the “Kent and Medway Structure Plan: Supplementary Planning Guidance 4 (SPG4) 2006” There are 2 paragraphs in this document which apply to class C2. Whilst quoting from SPG4, the DHA have ignored the clear instruction to use the full-time equivalent staff number and have generated their own interpretation based on the shift number provided by Barchester. There is a huge disparity between their figure of 11 spaces and the 30 which SPG4 would require.

30 spaces may sound generous but, just as with hospitals, care staff will need an overlap on shift change to facilitate handover. The overlap period could mean that all these spaces will be occupied at times.

A full copy of Mr. Haslam’s speech will be available on the Council’s website.

Mr. Holmes of Westwell Court addressed the Committee with his concerns over the Class c2 designation. The Applicant has made a number ... view the full minutes text for item 7162.

7163.

NOTIFICATION OF DISCHARGE OF CONDITIONS. PDF 78 KB

List No. 022. *

Minutes:

List No. 022 was NOTED.

7164.

DECISIONS OF THE ASHFORD BOROUGH COUNCIL PLANNING COMMITTEE. PDF 101 KB

List No. 590. *

Minutes:

List No. 590 was NOTED.

7165.

SUB-COMMITTEE & WORKING GROUPS.

(a) Selective Neighbourhood Plan Working Group. No meetings have been held.

Minutes:

(a) Selective Neighbourhood Plan Working Group. No recent meetings have been held.

7166.

MINOR MATTERS. PDF 112 KB

(a) Appeal Decision on 19/00632/AS 16 Rogersmead. To note a Planning Appeal Decision made by The Planning Inspectorate in relation to an appeal made by the applicant of 16 Rogersmead against the decision of Ashford Borough Council. *

Minutes:

(a) Appeal Decision on 19/00632/AS - 16 Rogersmead. The decision by the Planning Inspectorate to support the appeal in relation to 16 Rogersmead against the decision of Ashford Borough Council was NOTED.

7167.

CORRESPONDENCE.

None.

Minutes:

None.

7168.

ANY OTHER BUSINESS PREVIOUSLY NOTIFIED TO THE CHAIRMAN.

No decision may be made, but matters involving an exchange of information may be discussed.

Minutes:

(a) Beacon Oak Road/Ashford Road Junction. Cllr. Crawford reported that the works should have started on 4^th May 2020 to install a roundabout on the Beacon Oak Road and Ashford Road junction, however, this has been delayed due to Covid-19. The new start date will be circulated once known.

The Deputy Town Clerk reported that concerns had been expressed over the monolith stone on the corner of the Beacon Oak Road junction and was pleased to report that the Town Council have taken the monolith and the bench away and put them in a safe place until the works are complete. The Deputy Town Clerk thanked Cllr. Mrs. Ferguson for helping to chase this issue with Kent County Council, however, it was easier to remove the stone ourselves.