Agenda item

(1)     Mrs K Van Beveren addressed the Committee and raised a number of objections to the application on behalf of some local residents.

(2)     The views of Mr M Snelling as a Local County Member and Leader of Gravesham Borough Council were reported to the meeting, together with further views from Gravesham Borough Council arguing that the proposed development did not constitute appropriate development in the Green Belt issues and therefore needed to be justified by very special circumstances.  Mr Snelling supported the application provided there were appropriate safeguards put in place regarding nearby resident amenities.  Mr L Christie and Mr H Craske also attended the meeting as Local County Members.  Both expressed their general support for the application but also brought to the attention of the Committee some concerns which had been made known to then by local residents and which they asked the Committee to note in its consideration of this application.  Mr L Tricker spoke in reply and Mr Crossley provided further advice on a number of planning points which had been raised.

(3)     During the course of debate, the view of Members was that the application should be approved subject to some changes to the list of conditions as follows:-

-           deletion of the ‘subject to’ relating to the Highway Agency in favour of an extra condition requiring the submission of a Travel Plan and Parking Management Strategy;

-           adjustment of the first condition relating to external lighting to refer to details of the pavilion and car park security lighting only;

-           addition of a condition prohibiting any external lighting within the Activity Park other than security and car park lighting; and

-           addition of a condition prohibiting the use of the proposed pavilion and ancillary buildings for privately hired functions.

(4)     RESOLVED that permission be granted subject to conditions, covering:

§                a 5 year time limit for implementation;

§                the submission of a Travel Plan and Parking Management Strategy

§                the development to be carried out in accordance with the permitted details;

§                no ‘major weekend events’ to be held on site until such time as an application for such events is submitted to and permitted by the County Planning Authority;

§                the submission of details of all materials to be used externally for the pavilion and ancillary buildings, and design details of the ancillary buildings;

§                the submission of details of all external security lighting of the pavilion and car park;

§                no lighting of the existing parks cycle/footpath or bridle way without approval;

§                all external lighting within the Activity Park is prohibited other than security lights and car park lighting;

§                all lighting on site, except security lighting, to be extinguished by 10pm, or 15 minutes after last use of the facility if earlier;

§                details of CCTV;

§                a scheme of hard and soft landscaping, its implementation and maintenance, and details of earth works and land contours;

§                measures to protect trees to be retained;

§                details of fencing, gates and means of enclosure, including colour finishes;

§                contaminated land assessment;

§                control of surface water drainage;

§                limit on noise levels from public address/tannoy systems;

§                details of foundation design/below ground excavations;

§                implementation of a programme of archaeological work;

§                development to accord with the recommendations made in the submitted Ecological Scoping Survey;

§                protection of nesting birds;

§                identified ecological enhancements to be incorporated into the scheme;

§                the provision of car parking and access prior to occupation;

§                the provision of overflow parking, should in be required;

§                restrictions on hours of use of the Core Activity Park, and the pavilion and car park;

§                hours of working during construction;

§                construction code of practice to include measures to prevent dust etc during construction, prevention of the deposition of mud on the local highway network and details of construction methodology;

§                the use of the proposed pavilion and ancillary building for privately hired functions to be prohibited;