minutes

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 1st August 2006 (Minute Nos. 249 - 258) were taken as read, approved and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

declarations of interest

No interests were declared.

part b minutes for information

urgent item

The Chairman announced that he had accepted an Urgent Item on Shoreline Management.

paper collection by village schools

Mr Willis, the Chairman of Bredgar Parish Council, raised concerns over the loss of third party recycling credits made to schools in Swale. The credits had been paid by Kent County Council (KCC) to Swale Borough Council (SBC) and then paid to individual schools. This system had now ceased. Mr Willis cited the case of Bredgar Primary School, where parents and children had collected waste paper, which was then recycled and had raised over £500 per annum for school funds. The loss of the recycling credits had been further compounded by the need for the school to now spend funds in order to have their waste paper removed. He noted that he had contacted Environmental Services at KCC, who had confirmed that this decision had been taken by KCC Officers. KCC had reviewed the situation and had reported that the scheme had little effect on budgetary constraints. Mr Willis reported that KCC Officers had then approached SBC Officers with the offer to pay for half of the recycling credits if SBC paid for the other half. He asked the Executive at SBC to consider the situation and make appropriate recommendations.

A Member noted that KCC was only responsible for the disposal of domestic waste, as school waste was viewed as being trade waste, not domestic, and recycling credits should only have been awarded for domestic waste.

Another Member noted that the scheme had been a good idea, as it had encouraged children to consider environmental issues from an early age.

The Chairman agreed to Mr Willis' request for the situation to be studied by the Executive and requested that a report be submitted to the Executive for its consideration.

RESOLVED:

(1) That the Head of Environmental Services be asked to submit a report to the Executive. HES

the problems of rural accessibility and an overview of community transport issues

Mr Whitburn, from Action with Communities in Rural Kent, gave a presentation on the problems of rural accessibility and an overview of community transport issues. 29% of the population of Kent lived in rural areas and 13% of those living in rural areas did not own a car. This created problems in getting to work, finding jobs and obtaining specialist support such as healthcare. Action with Communities in Rural Kent, with partners, had set up a number of schemes such as community buses (similar to the recently-introduced Sheppey Wheels scheme), community cars, taxibuses, a taxi voucher scheme, the 'Dial-a-Ride' scheme and 'Wheels to Work', (where a moped was loaned to a person for a nominal fee, to enable them to travel to work). Mr Whitburn highlighted individual places where these schemes had been put into practice and were benefiting the local community.

Mr Whitburn also explained the functions of the Community Rail Partnership, a partnership of stakeholders along a rail corridor playing an active role in the development of their local rail service. Stakeholders would usually include train operators, Network Rail, local authorities, employers, development and tourism agencies, local and community groups. Community Rail Partnerships in Kent included the Station Adoption scheme, the Medway Valley Line and SwaleRail. The Partnerships helped to improve line usage, promoted increased usage for work and leisure, created a better, safer travelling environment, integrated rail services with other transport modes and tackled problems of social inclusion and regeneration.

A Member, whilst welcoming the work of Action with Communities in Rural Kent, highlighted the problem of poor transport links at the eastern end of the Isle of Sheppey and requested that dialogue between the bus and rail companies be set up to assist bus/rail connections at Queenborough and Sheerness stations. Mr Whitburn confirmed that the Community Rail Partnership would address this matter with the bus operators. A Member also reported that KCC and SBC Officers were investigating further bus and train integration.

A Member endorsed the fact that Kent boasted the second most extensive bus network in the country and due to the introduction of new buses on many routes, the use of buses in Kent had risen by 13%.

The Chairman thanked Mr Whitburn for attending the meeting.

quiet lanes project

Dr Grimble gave a presentation on the proposals for the Quiet Lanes Project. He explained that the Mid Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) Steering Group had decided to explore the concept of quiet lanes, after receiving concerns from local people regarding the appearance and safety issues on country roads. Those concerns included the use of large and heavy vehicles; dangers to walkers, horse riders and cyclists; fly-tipping and the damage to verges, hedges and passing places. The Mid Kent Downs AONB Steering Group had produced an Action Plan, which was still at concept stage. The Action Plan included the aims of reducing speed; increasing awareness towards other road users; promoting shared vehicle usage; discouraging large vehicles and all non-essential traffic and to enhance the essential character and beauty of the lanes. To this end, the Steering Group proposed non-intrusive, environmentally friendly, low cost measures, such as introducing quiet lane zones, to discourage the use of lanes as 'rat-runs'; the imposition and enforcement of 25mph speed zones and the restoration of appropriate passing places, verges and hedges.

Dr Grimble also explained that the Steering Group's pilot project would concern the Pilgrims Way route at the foot of the North Downs. Their proposals had been submitted to Kent Highway Services and the Steering Group awaited their response.

A number of Members voiced their approval of the proposals, but noted that for the project to succeed, it was essential to ensure the maintenance and free-running of the main arterial routes, so that the lanes would not be used as 'rat-runs'.

A Member suggested that the Forum should maintain contact with Dr Grimble, to receive feedback on progress, which was agreed by Members.

DSO

The Chairman thanked Dr Grimble for attending the meeting.

the effect of the second homes discount on rural tourism

The Tourism Development Officer (SBC) presented her interim report, which gave details of non-payment of council tax on second homes in the Borough and assessed the impact in the reduction of the second homes council tax discount on the rural economy. She highlighted the difficulty of obtaining data, as chalet park owners were sometimes reluctant to enter into dialogue with SBC Officers and that there was no existing data for comparison. She concluded that whilst there was little data available at the time, the general feeling amongst SBC Officers and local Partners was that there had been little effect on rural tourism.

A Member congratulated the Tourism Development Officer on her report and noted that, as the Executive Member for Finance had agreed that the situation would be monitored, he supported the suggestion of an independent impact assessment.

A number of Members noted the need to divide the issue into two categories - genuine second homes and holiday chalets. It was also suggested that the effects on the rural economy should be studied in depth.

A Member suggested that, as both Canterbury and Shepway Councils had previously been in a similar position, information could be sought from them.

RESOLVED:

(1) That the report be noted.

(2) That a further financial update be submitted to the next meeting of the Forum, dividing properties into the categories of second homes and holiday chalets. TDO

the future for farmers' markets in swale

The Vice-Chairman introduced this item, stating that it was included on the Agenda as a discussion point to ascertain the views of Members. She outlined a proposal for a Farmers' Market on the Isle of Sheppey, as people were increasingly turning to naturally farmed products and a Farmers' Market would help diversification and assist in the promotion of tourism.

A Member suggested that for a Farmers' Market to be successful, it would need to be held monthly and have car parking facilities nearby.

The Tourism Development Officer noted that previous Farmers' Markets in the Borough had been very successful and that several Parish Councils had voiced their interest in such a proposal.

A Member also suggested that, as Sittingbourne Town Centre was due to develop dramatically in the next few years, consideration should be given to establishing a permanent Market Place in the town.

The Chairman suggested that the Vice-Chairman and the Tourism Development Officer should discuss the matter further and report back to the Forum at a later date.

urgent item - shoreline management update

Mr Attwood, a representative from the National Farmers Union (NFU), informed Members of a number of forthcoming meetings, which would discuss the issue of shoreline management and suggested that an Officer from SBC should attend one or more of these meetings.

A Member raised concerns over the Western Intermediate Transitional Zone, situated on the northern coast of the Isle of Sheppey, where the current policy on coastal erosion was to 'wait and see'. He expressed the view that as coastal erosion was a serious problem in this area, it should be addressed immediately.

A Member noted the confusion caused by the splitting of the relevant Committee into three separate groups - a Policy Group, an Officer Group and a Stakeholder Group. There was also confusion over reporting lines and he suggested that reporting at County level would be far more effective than at the present Regional level.