Issue - meetings

To consider and endorse, or make recommendations to the Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport on a proposed decision

(Mrs S Thompson, Head of Planning Applications, and Mr B Geake, Principal Planning Officer, Policy, attended the meeting for this item).

1.         Mrs Thompson, Head of Planning Applications introduced the item which sought the Committee’s views of the Site Identification and Selection Methodology that was proposed to support the ‘call for sites’ exercise

2.         Mrs Thompson proposed that  paragraph 4.8 relating to the Detailed Technical Assessment be amended to clarify that additional information  to support the detailed technical assessment stage would need to be provided by the site promoter and not the County Council..

3.         Mrs Thompson and Mr Geake responded to comments and questions by Members and made points including the following:

(a)  The Safeguarding Policy would ensure assessments were carried out fairly and reasonably and meet government and community expectation that minerals in particular would not be compromised for future generations.

(b)  There were no community claw backs, and site allocation would be  carried out in accordance with the adopted Kent MWLP Strategy , although there was potential for planning gain at application stage.

(c)  Information about the final destination of minerals extracted in the county was not presently collated. Local authorities did receive information on a four yearly basis for the South East region, which could be shared.

4.         RESOLVED that the decision proposed to be taken by the Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport to agree

(a)       the methodology for site identification and assessment for the Kent Mineral and Waste Site Plans as attached at Appendix B of the report, subject to the amendment referred to in paragraph 2 above.

(b)       the ‘call for sites’ exercise that forms the initial part of the preparation of the Site Plans work; and

(c)        to authorise the Corporate Director for Growth, Environment and Transport to:     

(i) publish the draft Site Identification and Selection Methodology, having first made any minor modifications that may be needed, such as formatting changes and typographical errors, and

(ii) undertake the ‘call for sites’ exercise, be endorsed.