Issue - meetings

  - report of Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment, Mr David Brazier and Mike Austerberry, Corporate Director for Environment)

(1)     Cabinet received a report seeking endorsement of the Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan 2013–30 for agreement by County Council and submission to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.

(2)     The Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment introduced the report for members and reported that:

(i)        That the adoption of a framework was a statutory requirement and related to the councils approach to finding minerals and disposing of waste.

(ii)       That the document had been the subject of various consultations and cross party involvement throughout its life and that a further consultation would be undertaken in the near future.

(iii)      The framework did not include site information but those plans would follow its adoption.

(3)     Mr Crick, Director of Planning and Environment and Mr Prosser, Minerals and Waste Planning Policy Manager were in attendance to speak to the item.  They drew the attention of members to the following:

(i)        That the document was the product of several years work and various consultations on direction. 

(ii)       It would be examined in public by the secretary of state following the agreement of County Council to submit it and a further final consultation

(iii)      That the approximate date for adoption was scheduled for April 2015.

(iv)      The Framework would provide a firm base for determining planning applications in the future and protection for those sites where no further developmentwas desirable.

(1)       The purpose of the report was to ensure that the County Council submitted its Minerals and Waste Local Plan (MWLP) to the Secretary of State. After an Examination in Public into the soundness of the plan had been held and reported upon by an appointed planning inspector, the County Council would be able to adopt the MWLP as its planning policy for minerals and waste. The production of a Minerals and Waste Local Plan (MWLP) was a statutory requirement for the County Council. When adopted, along with Local Plans produced by District Councils and Government Planning Policy, it would form the policy basis for decision making by the County Council when determining planning applications for proposed minerals and waste developments. Its preparation was separate from KCC’s role as Waste Disposal Authority (WDA) for household (municipal) waste. It was also a distinct function from KCC’s role as Planning Authority in determining minerals and waste planning applications.  A list of all the planning policies in the MWLP was set out in Appendix B to the report.

(2)       Hosting the Examination in Public and paying for the appointed planning inspector was the County Councils responsibility. It was estimated that it would cost up to £250,000 and a budgetary provision had been made.

(3)       The future programme for the MWLP was set out in the report. When the Minerals and Waste Plan 2013-2030 was adopted, the County Council could then proceed with the formal stages of production of the Minerals and Waste Sites Plans. It was estimated that the documents could be finished, consulted upon and submitted to the Secretary of State such that they could be adopted by the County Council during April 2016. The report included details on public consultation; submission; options; legal implications; equalities implications; and delegated powers.

(4)       RESOLVED that the Pre-Submission Draft Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan (MWLP), prior to its submission to Cabinet for endorsement and onward transmission to the County Council for approval to submit the Plan to the Secretary of State be noted, subject to:

(a)        a six week period of public consultation on the plan;

(b)          no material objections being received during the public consultation; and

(c)                    the Director of Planning & Environment being given delegated powers to approve any non-material changes to the MWLP in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment following on from the public consultation and to agree any amendments to the MWLP during the Examination in Public for submission to the appointed planning inspector, if the amendments were likely to resolve objections.