Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber, Swale House, East Street, Sittingbourne, ME10 3HT. View directions

Contact: Democratic Services, 01795 417330 

Items
No. Item

Audio Recording

271.

Emergency Evacuation Procedure

The Chairman will advise the meeting of the evacuation procedures to follow in the event of an emergency. This is particularly important for visitors and members of the public who will be unfamiliar with the building and procedures.

 

The Chairman will inform the meeting whether there is a planned evacuation drill due to take place, what the alarm sounds like (i.e. ringing bells), where the closest emergency exit route is, and where the second closest emergency exit route is, in the event that the closest exit or route is blocked.

 

The Chairman will inform the meeting that:

 

(a) in the event of the alarm sounding, everybody must leave the building via the nearest safe available exit and gather at the Assembly points at the far side of the Car Park.  Nobody must leave the assembly point until everybody can be accounted for and nobody must return to the building until the Chairman has informed them that it is safe to do so; and

 

(b) the lifts must not be used in the event of an evacuation.

 

Any officers present at the meeting will aid with the evacuation.

 

It is important that the Chairman is informed of any person attending who is disabled or unable to use the stairs, so that suitable arrangements may be made in the event of an emergency.

 

Minutes:

The Chairman ensured that those present were aware of the emergency evacuation procedure.

272.

Declarations of Interest

Councillors should not act or take decisions in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves or their spouse, civil partner or person with whom they are living with as a spouse or civil partner.  They must declare and resolve any interests and relationships.

 

The Chairman will ask Members if they have any interests to declare in respect of items on this agenda, under the following headings:

 

(a)          Disclosable Pecuniary Interests (DPI) under the Localism Act 2011.  The nature as well as the existence of any such interest must be declared.  After declaring a DPI, the Member must leave the meeting and not take part in the discussion or vote.  This applies even if there is provision for public speaking.

 

(b)          Disclosable Non Pecuniary (DNPI) under the Code of Conduct adopted by the Council in May 2012.  The nature as well as the existence of any such interest must be declared.  After declaring a DNPI interest, the Member may stay, speak and vote on the matter.

 

(c)          Where it is possible that a fair-minded and informed observer, having considered the facts would conclude that there was a real possibility that the Member might be predetermined or biased the Member should declare their predetermination or bias and then leave the room while that item is considered.

 

Advice to Members:  If any Councillor has any doubt about the existence or nature of any DPI or DNPI which he/she may have in any item on this agenda, he/she should seek advice from the Monitoring Officer, the Head of Legal or from other Solicitors in Legal Services as early as possible, and in advance of the Meeting.

 

Minutes:

No interests were declared.

273.

Schedule of Decisions pdf icon PDF 40 KB

To consider the attached report (Part 2).

 

The Council operates a scheme of public speaking at meetings of the Planning Committee.  All applications on which the public has registered to speak will be taken first.  Requests to speak at the meeting must be registered with Democratic Services (democraticservices@swale.gov.uk or call 01795 417328) by noon on Wednesday 2 October 2019.

 

Tabled Papers added 3 October 2019.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

PART 2

 

Applications for which PERMISSION is recommended

 

2.1       REFERENCE NO - 18/505151/REM

APPLICATION PROPOSAL

Approval of Reserved Matters for mixed-use development relating to appearance, landscaping, layout and scale of 311 dwellings and 650sqm of neighbourhood shopping/community facilities pursuant to outline planning permission 14/501588/OUT

ADDRESS Land At Stones Farm The Street Bapchild Kent ME9 9AD 

WARD West Downs

PARISH/TOWN COUNCIL Bapchild

APPLICANT Chartway Group Ltd

AGENT

 

The Senior Planning Officer introduced the report and referred Members to the tabled papers for this item.   He explained that there was an error in the table on page 19 of the report, and that the number of 1 bedroom units should be 34, and the number of 2 bedroom units should be 110.  This amendment also related to paragraph 2.02 in the report.  The tabled paper also set-out that two additional letters that had been received from Bapchild Parish Council, and also responded to some queries that were raised at the developer briefing held on 1 October 2019.  The Senior Planning Officer reported that an email had been received from a local resident on the day of the Planning Committee asking why works on the highway had commenced already, and highlighted the impact on an already over-stretched highway.  The Senior Planning Officer explained that detail of the access works had been dealt with as part of the hybrid application and impacts upon the local highway network had already been dealt with.

 

Parish Councillor Richard Bush, representing Bapchild Parish Council, spoke against the application.

 

Katherine Putman, on behalf of the Applicant, spoke in support of the application.

 

The Chairman invited Members to ask questions.

 

A Member asked whether a roundabout would be a better option than traffic lights on the junction of the development with the A2; whether the 30mph speed limit would be extended; and would the affordable housing be offered to local people?  The Senior Planning Officer explained that the detail of the road junction had already been granted detailed consent under the hybrid application, and was not being considered as part of this application.  He explained that the 30mph speed limit was to be extended, but this was outside the terms of reserved matters.  The Strategic Housing and Health Manager explained that the affordable rented units would be allocated via the housing register.  The housing register had a qualification of residence in Swale of four out of five years.  The shared ownership units would give preference to local families.

 

A Member asked what the percentage of apprentices would be that worked on the development and whether the apprenticeships covered all trades?  The Senior Planning Officer explained that this would ordinarily be dealt with under the Section 106 Agreement in the outline application, not in the reserved matters stage.  Although there was no requirement in the Section 106 Agreement, he added that he had spoken to the developer on this matter who would be able to provide further details if required.

 

A Member asked whether local building materials were being used and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 273.

274.

Urgent Item - Exclusion of the Press and Public

To decide whether to pass the resolution set out below in respect of the following items:

 

That under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraphs 5 and 7.

 

5.    Information in respect of which a claim to legal professional privilege could be maintained in legal proceedings.

7.    Information relation to any action in connection with the prevention, investigation or prosecution of crime.

 

 

 

Minutes:

Resolved:

 

That under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraphs 5 and 7 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act:

 

5.  Information in respect of which a claim to legal professional privilege could be maintained in legal proceedings.

7.  Information relating to any action taken in connection with the prevention, investigation or prosecution of crime.

 

275.

Urgent Item - Schedule of Decisions

To consider the tabled report (Part 6).

 

Minutes:

17/505711/HYBRID Land at Wises Lane, Borden

 

Members were disappointed that some Councillors had not returned to the Meeting after the recess.

 

The Head of Planning Services introduced the report which had been urgently tabled due to impending deadlines to provide further information to the Planning Inspector and appellant, on some of the specific grounds for refusal raised by the Planning Committee on 29 August 2019.  An appeal had been made against non-determination of this application, and on 29 August 2019, the Planning Committee resolved that, had an appeal not been submitted, the application would have been refused on a number of grounds.

 

The Council had been asked by the Planning Inspectorate for greater clarity on reasons relating to climate change, ecology and heritage matters.

 

The Planning Committee were being asked to agree to the additional clarification sought by the Planning Inspector.

 

Discussion ensued and Members indicated that the heritage aspect be delegated to officers, in consultation with the Chairman, Cabinet Member for Housing and the Head of Planning Services, to take forward subject to the results of the Heritage Consultant’s advice note.  They also indicated that the ecology and the climate change reasons be taken forward.  Voting was taken for all three matters en masse.

 

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 19(2) a recorded vote was taken on all three matters going forward and voting was as follows:

 

For:  Councillors Lee McCall, Simon Clark, Tim Gibson, James Hall, Carole Jackson, Elliott Jayes, Benjamin Martin, Richard Palmer, Ben J Martin, Tim Valentine and Tony Winckless.  Total equals 11.

 

Absent from Meeting:  Councillors Cameron Beart, Roger Clark, James Hunt, Peter Marchington and Mike Dendor .  Total equals 5.

 

The motion was won.

 

Resolved:  That further information on three of the reasons for refusal of application 17/505711/HYBRID (climate change, ecology and heritage) be provided to the Planning Inspector.

276.

Adjournment of meeting

Minutes:

The Meeting was adjourned from 8.22pm to 8.35pm.