Agenda and minutes

It was noted that Mr Bowles had replaced Mr Northey as a member of the committee.

The chairman welcomed Mr Hills as the new Deputy Cabinet Member for Environment following the resignation of Mr Northey following his appointment as Vice-Chairman of the County Council.

Apologies for absence had been received from Mr A Cook and Mr A Booth.

To facilitate the smooth working of its virtual meetings, the committee agreed to adopt the protocols for virtual meetings.

1.     Mr Balfour declared a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in relation to item 14 on the agenda (Adoption of the Kent Mineral Sites Plan and modifications to the Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan 2013 – 2030 resulting from the Early Partial Review) and stated he would leave the meeting for the duration of the discussion.

2.     Mr Collor declared an interest in relation to item 16 on the agenda (DFT Emergency Active Travel Fund) as he was a property owner and resident of Maison Dieu Road in Dover.

It was RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 23 January 2020 be approved as a correct record and that they be signed by the chairman subject to minute 246 being amended to reflect the figure of £1m and not £13m under paragraph 3c.

1.    Miss Carey (Cabinet Member for Environment) provided an update on the following:

(a)  Kent County Council’s Approach to Net-Zero

The Net-Zero report had been debated at the County Council meeting on 16 July 2020, however, a report would be presented to members of the Environment and Transport Cabinet Committee at its next meeting on 25 September 2020.

(b)  Household Waste Recycling Centre Booking System:

The Household Waste Recycling Centre Booking System had been introduced to help maintain social distancing in line with the government’s guidelines. From 13 July 2020:

·         all centres would be open 7 days a week with an increase in opening hours

·         the number of slots would be increased from 22,000 per week to 32,000 per week which could be viewed a month in advance (rather than the current 9 days)

·         up to 2 booking slots could be booked per household per calendar month (rather than the current limitation of 1 booking per household per 4 weeks)

·         dates and times of bookings could be cancelled or amended on-line and slots could be chosen before entering contact and vehicle details.

Miss Carey acknowledged the desire among some residents for increased access to the sites but said to ensure the safety of staff and visitors social distancing measures would remain in place. The booking system also helped to manage demand and reduce queues at the sites. Miss Carey assured members that site monitoring and resident surveys would continue, however, the feedback to date was positive. Miss Carey commended staff and contractors for the outstanding service they provided.

(c)  Household Waste Recycling Centre at Allington

The Planning Applications Committee unanimously approved plans for the new Household Waste Recycling Centre at Allington which would relieve pressure on the Tovil site.

(d)  Kent’s Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) management Plan 2020 - 2025

The AONB Management Plan consultation, which had been postponed due to Covid-19, had commenced and was due to run until 7 September 2020. Members would have an opportunity to review and comment on Kent County Council’s response to the draft plan at the Environment and Transport Cabinet Committee on 25 September prior to its final publication.

(e)  Kent Biodiversity Strategy

Kent County Council had adopted the Kent Biodiversity Strategy. The newly designed document would be available online from the week commencing 20 July 2020. Miss Carey commended Liz Milne (Natural Environment and Coast Manager) for her work and emphasised the importance of working with partners to deliver Kent’s vision.

(f)   The Climate Change Risk and Impact Assessment for Kent and Medway (CCRIA)

The Climate Change Risk and Impact Assessment for Kent had been finalised and was due to be issued shortly. The CCRIA methodology was based on the methodology applied by government. Miss Carey was pleased to announce that Kent County Council was one of the first Council’s to undertake research of this kind.

(g)  Recovery Plans

The Environment Team continued to work on Kent County Council’s recovery plans to ensure that the green principles were applied throughout  ...  view the full minutes text for item 260.

1.    Mrs Cooper (Corporate Director for Growth, Environment and Transport) introduced the report whichprovided a summary of the decisions taken or in progress by the Cabinet Member for Environment and the Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport during the temporary suspension of cabinet committee meetings during the COVID crisis.

2.    It was RESOLVED that the report be noted.

(Rachel Kennard, Chief Analyst, Strategic Commissioning – Performance & Analytics), David Beaver (Head of Waste Management) and Stephanie Holt-Castle (Interim Director of Environment, Planning and Enforcement) were in attendance for this item.

1.    Ms Kennard introduced the report which showed the progress made against targets set for key performance indicators (KPIs) up to the end of March 2020.Thirteen of the eighteen KPIs had achieved target and were RAG rated green. Five KPIs were below target but had achieved the floor standard and were RAG rated amber. No KPIs were below target and RAG rated red. The KPIs and associated targets proposed for use in 2020/21 were detailed in Appendix 2 of the report.

2.    The Cabinet Member and officers responded to comments and questions as follows:

(a)  In response to the RAG rating for KPI WM01: Municipal Waste Recycled and Composted, Mr Beaver said the measures had been affected by the policy change in June 2019 which introduced charging for soil, rubble, hardcore and plasterboard which was previously recycled at Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs). As a result, more households were choosing to home compost rather than use the recycling services; a behaviour known as waste avoidance.  Mr Beaver said that he and the Cabinet Member for Environment had started to review ways in which Kent County Council could support and encourage more people to home compost. The next phase of work would be to examine the waste hierarchy. The charging policy had encouraged a positive change behaviour in the way in which people used the HWRCs and resulted in a 28,000 tonne decrease in recyclable waste through the system.  Mr Beaver said targets for 2020-21 had been amended to reflect the change, however, due to the Resources and Waste Strategy which had been produced as a result of the Environment Bill, all authorities were required to achieve a 64% target for recyclable waste. Mr Beaver highlighted the key challenges and said a key piece of work had commenced with the Kent Resource Partnership across all authorities to identify ways in which the target could be achieved.

(b)  Mr Beaver said KCC worked with district councils to carry out waste sampling to identify the composition of black-sack waste which had led to campaigns around increased food waste collection and green waste collection.

(c)  Miss Carey responded to queries relating to the difference between figures set out in the Performance Report compared with figures in the Net Zero report presented to County Council, and said that the carbon emissions figures in the performance report had been calculated using the methodology adopted by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). The figures in the net-zero paper, reported to the County Council, had been calculated using the government’s approved source for current and future factors in net-zero modelling set out in the UK Treasury Green Book. Miss Carey assured members that whilst the calculation methodology was different, the target remained the same. Mrs Holt-Castle (Interim Director for Environment, Planning and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 262.

Christine Wissink (Interim Head of Sustainable Business & Communities) and Stephanie Holt-Castle (Interim Director for Environment, Planning and Enforcement) were in attendance for this item.

1.    Miss Carey introduced the report which set out the final draft of the Kent and Medway Energy and Low Emissions Strategy (ELES) and thanked officers and members for their input. Mrs Cooper (Corporate Director for Growth, Environment and Transport) said the strategy was practical, pragmatic, and ambitious and had the potential to reach across the wider agenda, including planning and economic recovery. The committee thanked Carolyn McKenzie and her team, which had been led by Katie Stewart and was now led by Stephanie Holt-Castle, for their work in bringing the strategy together.

2.    Mrs Holt-Castle said the final version reflected the committee’s earlier comments and that the ten priority actions were outlined on page 43 of the agenda pack. The strategy would be approved by the Cabinet Member for Environment, the Kent Leaders’ Group and Kent Chief Executives’ Group. A detailed implementation plan was being developed by officers and partners in discussion with the Cabinet Member for Environment, which would be agreed by the Kent and Medway Environment Group in the autumn. The implementation plan, and any associated projects, would be monitored and reported to the Kent and Medway Environment Group, the Kent Environment Board, the Kent Environment Strategy Cross-Party Member Working Group and the Environment and Transport Cabinet Committee.

3.    The Cabinet Member and Mrs Holt-Castle responded to comments and questions as follows:

(a)   Mrs Holt-Castle said that a priority , set out in the ELES, was to work with the wider public sector and this would be achieved though the Kent and Medway Environment Group which included representatives from local government and other sectors. Its membership continued to be defined and it was hoped to include representatives from the NHS and local clinical commissioning groups.

(b)  Mrs Holt-Castle said that Kent’s progress in achieving the targets set out in the strategy would be compared with the performance in other areas via the net-zero target that all local authorities signed up to.  Mrs Holt-Castle noted the request for comparative data and agreed to report the findings back to the cross-party member working group.

(c)  Miss Carey said that KCC was committed to using its buying power to help deliver the environmental targets, but that it also had to be mindful of EU law. Mrs Holt-Castle said Vincent Godfrey (Strategic Commissioner) was a member of the Kent and Medway Environment Group and would be involved in identifying ways in which KCC could achieve the environmental targets in relation to procurement.

2.    Members commended the Kent & Medway Energy and Low Emissions Strategy and paid tribute to all those involved.

3.    It was RESOLVED that the proposed decision (20/00062) to be taken by the Cabinet Member for Environment, to:

(a)  approve the strategy for adoption and implementation, working in partnership with all local authorities in Kent & Medway, utilising the existing Kent Environment Strategy delivery framework; and

(b)  ...  view the full minutes text for item 263.

Russell Boorman (Senior Major Capital Programme Project Manager) was in attendance for this item.

1.    Mr Payne (Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport) and Mr Boorman introduced the report which set out information about the A20 London Road Aylesford Junction Improvement Scheme and sought the committee’s approval to progress to the next stages of development and delivery, including authority to progress statutory approvals and to enter into funding, land and construction contracts.

2.    It was RESOLVED that the proposed decision (20/00028), to be taken by the Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, to:

(a)       give approval to the outline design scheme for the A20 London Road Aylesford in Tonbridge & Malling for development control and land charge disclosures, drawing number A20HR-CAP-HGN-00-DR-C-0043,

(b)      give approval to progress all statutory approvals or consents required for the scheme, drawing number A20HR-CAP-HGN-00-DR-C-0043,

(c)       give approval to enter into land agreements with third parties as necessary,

(d)      give approval to enter into construction contracts as necessary for the delivery of the scheme,

(e)      give approval to undertake engagement with all relevant stakeholders as identified in the communication plan; and

(f)        give approval for the Corporate Director for Growth, Environment & Transport, under the Officer Scheme of Delegations and in consultation with the Corporate Director for Finance and Procurement, to enter into relevant legal agreements and take other actions necessary to implement this decision,

be endorsed.

Lee Burchill (Major Capital Programme Manager, Highways) was in attendance for this item.

1.    Mr Payne (Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport) and Mr Burchill introduced the report which set out the M2 Junction 5 Highways Improvement Scheme and sought the committee’s approval to progress to the next stages of development and delivery.

2.    Members paid tribute to the officers and commended their work.

3.    It was RESOLVED that the proposed decision (20/00058), to be taken by the Cabinet Member for Highways & Transport, to approve the progression of the M2 Junction 5 improvement scheme, and, in particular, to approve that:

(a)   Kent County Council act as the accountable body for the project,

(b)   Kent County Council enter into a Local Growth Fund (LGF) funding agreement,

(c)   Kent County Council enter into legal agreements with the third party delivering the scheme to transfer the conditions of the LGF spend and project management to them, and

(d)   the Corporate Director of Growth, Environment & Transport, under the Officer Scheme of Delegations and in consultation with the Corporate Director for Finance and Procurement, to enter into relevant legal agreements and take other actions necessary to implement this decision,

be endorsed.

Lee Burchill (Major Capital Programme Manager, Highways) and Jamie Watson (Traffic Schemes Team Leader) were in attendance for this item

1.    Mr Payne (Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport) and Mr Burchill introduced the report which set out the Kent Strategic Congestion Management Programme for the A2/A251 Junction Improvement Scheme and sought the committee’s approval for Kent County Council (KCC) to progress to the next stages of scheme delivery. This included negotiations with the Kent Fire and Rescue Service and the Abbey School regarding small areas of land required to deliver the scheme, pursuing the utility works and entering into a construction contract. This work was required, prior to the Local Growth Fund (LGF) business case sign off, to ensure that the £500k LGF contribution could be spent within the Growth Deal period (prior to March 2021).

2.    Mr Bowles commented in his capacity as a member of the Swale Joint Transportation Board and commended the proposed decision.

3.    It was RESOLVED that the proposed decision (20/00064) to be taken by the Cabinet Member for Highways & Transport to approve the progression of the A2/A251 Junction Improvement Scheme, and, in particular, to approve that:

(a)       Kent County Council act as the accountable body for the project,

(b)       Kent County Council enter into a Local Growth Fund (LGF) funding agreement,

(c)       Kent County Council progress all statutory approvals or consents required for the scheme,

(d)       Kent County Council progress with the necessary land acquisitions required to deliver the scheme,

(e)       Kent County Council carry out public engagement on the scheme,

(f)        Kent County Council enter into construction contracts as necessary for the delivery of the scheme; and

(g)       The Corporate Director for Growth, Environment & Transport, under the Officer Scheme of Delegations and in consultation with the Corporate Director for Finance and Procurement, to enter into relevant legal agreements and take other actions necessary to implement this decision,

be endorsed.

Barry Stiff (Project Manager, Major Capital Programme Team) was in attendance for this item.

1.    Mr Payne (Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport) and Mr Stiff introduced the report which set out the Manston Green Junction Improvement Scheme.  The report sought approval from the committee for Kent County Council (KCC) to enter into a legal agreement with Thanet District Council to act as an infrastructure delivery partner at no cost or risk to the County Council; and to progress the project through detail design, statutory approvals and to enter into a construction contract.

2.    It was RESOLVED that the proposed decision (20/00065), to be taken by the Cabinet Member for Highways & Transport, to provide:

(a)           approval to enter into legal agreements with Thanet District Council to undertake the delivery of the infrastructure works at no cost or risk to the County Council,

(b)          approval for KCC officers to project manage, input into the delivery and supervision of the project, with the cost of all staff and consultant time being recoverable against the project funding,

(c)           approval to undertake the detailed design and surveys for the project. This work will be undertaken by appointing a consultant through the KCC professional Services Framework Contract,

(d)          approval to acquire the land and rights for carrying out the construction and maintenance of the Manston Green project. All land is being provided at nil cost to the project by the development company with an option on the land,

(e)          approval to progress all statutory approvals and consents required for the scheme including, drainage and environmental consents and stopping up orders,

(f)            approval to enter into construction contracts as necessary for the delivery of the scheme; and

(g)           approval for the Corporate Director of Growth, Environment & Transport, under the Officer Scheme of Delegations and in consultation with the Corporate Director for Finance and Procurement, to enter into relevant legal agreements and take other actions necessary to implement this decision,

be endorsed.

Carol Valentine (Highways Project Manager) was in attendance for this item.

1.    Mr Payne (Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport) and Mrs Valentine introduced the report which provided an update on the Live Labs technology project that was being carried out by Kent County Council’s Highways team in partnership with Amey plc. Mrs Valentine said phase one of the workstream development had been successfully delivered and phase two had commenced. She also drew attention to the the list of technology trials outlined within the report. The intelligence-led approach was significant in helping to identify the benefits to the service in terms of efficiencies, network resilience and the way in which KCC could deliver maintenance in the future.

2.    The officers responded to comments and questions and follows:

(a)  Mrs Valentine confirmed that the Oxfordshire trials were unable to provide the level of data required to build a substantial evidence base. The joint project team was, therefore, keen to develop the required analytical work, in conjunction with Amey and suppliers, to ensure the right data was obtained.

(b)  In response to a question, Mrs Valentine said that funding had only been provided to support the delivery of the graphene enhanced asphalt on the one scheme in Dartford. The analysis of that scheme would help to identify its potential use in other parts of the county. Mr Jones (Director of Highways, Transportation and Waste) referred to elements of innovation that existed outside of the scheme, including automated drone testing at Lydd airport.

(c)  In response to concerns regarding the use of plastics in the construction of roads, Mrs Valentine said that this was a trial undertaken by the Live Labs in Cumbria. The analytical data from the trial would consider the environmental impact, how plastics degraded over time and the waste products which would be left. Mrs Valentine said that a high degree of caution was being applied to the examination of the results of Cumbria’s trials. Mr Jones acknowledged members’ concerns and suggested that a paper, detailing the consequences of the trial and potential impact on the Environment Strategy, be submitted to the Committee.

(d)  Mr Love requested that his recognition of the innovative trials be formally recorded and commended the nature of the projects being developed.

3.    It was RESOLVED that the progress of the project and the plans for phase 2, be noted.

Please note that this report is accompanied by a number of appendices. Given their size, these appendices have been published on the County Councils website alongside the agenda and are available via the modern.gov app.

Sharon Thompson (Head of Planning Applications) was in attendance for this item.

1.    Mr Oakford (Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance, Corporate and Traded Services) introduced the report and commended Ms Thompson and her team for the significant amount of work undertaken. He said, following publication of the pre-submission drafts for the statutory period between January and March 2019, a total of 405 representations had been received.

2.    Ms Thompson paid tribute to Mr Oakford for his considerable support and guidance throughout the duration of the plan making process. The report outlined the final phase of the Council’s minerals and waste work that set out the strategy for consideration of planning applications in the future. The final decision on whether to adopt the Plans was a matter for the County Council. Ms Thompson said that following the County Council’s decision, in 2018, to submit a Minerals Sites Plan and Early Partial Review of the Minerals and Waste Local Plan to the Secretary of State for independent examination, the result of that examination had found both Local Plans to be sound and legally prepared, subject to the modifications that were discussed at the examination. On that basis, Ms Thompson said that the County Council could proceed to adopt the Plans, subject to those modifications being made (the modifications and the inspector’s report were set out in Appendix A and summarised in paragraph 2.2 of report). Overall, they clarified requirements to ensure development impacts were minimised, and addressed matters raised by the community during the examination process. Ms Thompson said that the modifications did not alter the objective or intentions of policy promoted by the Council or change the sites proposed for allocation. Should the decision be taken by County Council to adopt the Plans, the Cabinet Member responsibility for future Local Plan work would transfer from Mr Oakford to Miss Carey as the Cabinet Member for Environment.

3.    In response to concerns regarding the need for new machinery and the impact upon the greenbelt and potential flood management issues arising from the Stone Castle Farm and Moat Farm sites, Ms Thompson said that, as a result of the inspector’s examination, and in conjunction with concerns raised by the community surrounding the proposed allocated sites, the policy advice to developers in the Mineral Sites Plan had been strengthened.

4.    Members paid tribute to Ms Thompson and her team for the extensive amount of work carried out.

5.    Mr Whybrow requested that his objection to the Mineral Sites Plan be formally recorded. He also thanked Ms Thompson and her team for their hard work.

6.    It was RESOLVED that the Committee:

(a)  note the Inspector’s Report (Appendix A of the report) on the examination of the EPR and MSP and note his recommended modifications;

(b)  note the recommendations of the Sustainability Appraisals of the EPR and MSP; and,

(c)  endorse, the adoption of:

(a)  the Kent Mineral Sites Plan (as modified by the Inspector’s recommendations) (Appendix B of the report); and,

(b)  ...  view the full minutes text for item 269.

Nikola Floodgate (Schemes, Planning and Delivery Manager) and Tim Read (Head of Transportation) were in attendance for this item.

1.    Mr Payne (Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport) and Nikola Floodgate introduced the report which provided an update on the Department of Transport’s (DfT) Emergency Active Travel fund. Mr Payne said that on 28 May 2020, the government had announced that Kent could bid for funding to implement active travel schemes and that this funding would be allocated in two tranches. KCC was given 6 days to submit bids for funding from the first tranche (£1.6million) and on 26 June 2020 KCC was advised that funding had been allocated for all the bids submitted. Work was required to start within four weeks of receipt of funding and completed in eight weeks. Mrs Floodgate advised the committee that the DfT had raised its expectation in terms of ambition to secure funding from tranche 2, and bids had to be submitted by 7 August 2020.

1.    Mr Rayner moved, seconded by Mr Whybrow that paragraph 2.4 of the report be amended to read as follows:

In line with the commitment made by the Cabinet Member, shared at the Scrutiny committee, members are welcome to submit further ideas which can help formulate an expansive list for Tranche 2, “and invite parish, town and community councils to also submit projects and schemes that they have developed, or were in the process of developing, that would make road space safer and more accommodating for pedestrians and cyclists. The invitation will be sent via the Kent Association of Local Councils (KALC) who will collate and collect responses and submit them for consideration for funding in tranche 2.”

2.    In response to Mr Rayner’s proposed amendment, Mr Payne invited Mr Rayner to attend a meeting with Mr John Wilson (KALC) and himself, to discuss Mr Rayner’s concerns.

3.    The chairman welcomed comments and questions from members on the motion:

(a)  In response to members’ wish to involve the parish, town and community councils, Mr Read said the DfT was seeking significant, strategic schemes that fundamentally challenged the status quo of the existing network. As an example, he referred to the cycle superhighways in London and the potential to extend them into metropolitan areas. He also said that a considerable advice from parish and town councils had been received and an extensive database of ideas generated. He also referred the restricted timescale and the limited capacity to consult with all 300 parishes.

4.    Following the debate, the motion was agreed without a formal vote.

(Mr Chittenden requested that his abstention on the motion to amend paragraph 2.4 within the report be recorded in the minutes)

5.    The chairman welcomed comments and questions from members on the substantive item:

(a)  In response to concerns about the proposed Elwick Road Scheme, Mrs Floodgate said the scheme would not proceed because of its potential impact on local business and the inability to complete the design stage of the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 270.

David Beaver (Head of Waste Management and Business Services) was in attendance for this item.

1.    Mr Payne (Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport) and Simon Jones (Director of Highways, Transportation and Waste) introduced the report which set out the details of the new contractual arrangements for fleet management services provided by Commercial Services. He said the new contract offered flexibility and  would enable the service to select the most commercially or environmentally efficient vehicles and did not jeopardise the Electric Vehicle Strategy.

2.    Mr Jones confirmed that the contract did not prejudice any future choice of vehicle or fuel type and would provide Kent County Council with the flexibility to effectively manage its fleet.

3.    It was RESOLVED that the report be noted.

It was RESOLVED that the work programme be noted.