Agenda and minutes

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

Contact: Democratic Services, 01795 417330 

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Items
No. Item

671.

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 outlined the emergency evacuation procedure.

672.

Minutes

To approve the Minutes of the Meeting held on 10 February 2022 (Minute Nos. 587 - 589) as a correct record.

 

Minutes:

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 10 February 2022 (Minute Nos. 587 – 589) were taken as read, approved and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

673.

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 meeting 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:

Councillor David Simmons declared a Disclosable Non-Pecuniary Interest in respect of item 2.1 21/503441/FULL, Walled Garden, Mount Ephraim, Staple Street, Hernhill as he knew the applicants.  Councillor Simmons remained in the Council Chamber with an open mind and intended to debate and vote on the item.

674.

Planning Working Group pdf icon PDF 182 KB

To approve the Minutes of the Meeting held on 1 March 2022 (Minute Nos. to follow).

 

To consider the following applications:

 

·         20/505921/OUT Land at Highfield Road, Minster-on-Sea, Sheerness, ME12 3BA

 

·         21/502609/OUT Land to the East of Lynsted Lane, Lynsted, ME9 9QN

 

Tabled Paper added for the Lynsted Lane item on 10 March 2022.

 

Minutes:

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 1 March 2022 (Minute Nos. 642 – 644) were taken as read, approved and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

 

20/505921/OUT Land at Highfield Road, Minster-on-Sea, Sheerness, ME12 3BA

 

The Planning Contract Officer (Majors) displayed photographs of the street scene taken from 5 March to 9 March 2022, which had been submitted by the Agent. 

 

The Chairman moved the officer recommendation to approve the application and this was seconded by the Vice-Chairman.

 

A Ward Member who was also a member of the Planning Committee, spoke against the application.  He raised points which included:

 

·           Noted that the photographs had been taken during the working day and suggested they should have been taken in the evening instead to give a more realistic picture of the parking issues along the road; 

·           the position of the proposed access to the application site was too close to the blind brow of the hill; and

·           this development meant the loss of a section of the Important Local Countryside Gap.

 

Members considered the application and points raised included:

 

·         Considered that if the Committee voted against this, the Council would lose on appeal; and

·         there were good reasons to refuse the application.

 

On being put to the vote the motion to approve the application was lost.

 

At this point the Head of Planning Services used his delegated powers to ‘call-in’ the application.

 

A Ward Member requested that an independent highways analysis be carried out and reported back to the Committee, and the Committee agreed with this.

 

Resolved:  That as the Planning Committee was minded to make a decision that would be contrary to officer recommendation and contrary to planning policy and/or guidance, determination of the application be deferred to a future meeting of the Committee, with the inclusion of an independent highways analysis.

 

21/502609/OUT Land to the East of Lynsted Lane, Lynsted, ME9 9QN

 

The Major Projects Officer drew Members’ attention to the tabled update prepared following the Planning Working Group meeting held on 1 March 2022.

 

The visiting Ward Members spoke against the application.

 

A visiting Member spoke against the application.

 

The Chairman moved the officer recommendation to approve the application and this was seconded by the Vice-Chairman.

 

Members considered the application and points raised included:

 

·           Pedestrian access through the working joinery to the north of the site was inappropriate and not acceptable;

·           there was a lack of visibility on Lynsted Lane towards the A2 junction;

·           the site was outside the built-up area boundary which was set in policy;

·           an application in nearby Cellar Hill, Teynham had recently been refused and was similar in many ways to this site;

·           Kent County Council (KCC) Highways and Transportation had not responded to the Cellar Hill application, and the report was contradictory to this application when there were so many similarities with it;

·           access was poor from/to the A2/Lynsted Lane, Teynham;

·           the lane was too narrow to sustain bus routes if the proposed highway works were implemented;

·           advice from KCC  ...  view the full minutes text for item 674.

675.

Schedule of Decisions pdf icon PDF 55 KB

To consider the attached report (Parts 2 and 5).

 

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 9 March 2022.

 

Tabled Paper added to item 2.2 on 9 March 2022.

 

Additional information which might be refered to at the meeting added on 10 March 2022.

 

Tabled Paper added to items 2.6 and 2.7 on 10 March 2022.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

PART 2

 

Applications for which PERMISSION is recommended

 

2.1       REFERENCE NO - 21/503441/FULL

APPLICATION PROPOSAL

Erection of dwelling of exceptional quality of design (Para 80e), new access and associated works.

ADDRESSWalled Garden Mount Ephraim Staple Street Hernhill Faversham Kent ME13 9TX

WARD Boughton and Courtenay

PARISH/TOWN COUNCILHernhill

APPLICANT Mr and Mrs Wallis

AGENT Hughes Town Planning Consultancy Ltd

 

The Area Planning Officer introduced the application.  He said this was for a single dwelling in a countryside location, outside the built-up boundary of Boughton/Dunkirk.  The site was on a designated rural lane and in a special landscape area.  The Area Planning Officer displayed the proposed dwelling and traditional garden layout.  He explained that a new vehicular access would be installed through the existing wall on the eastern side.

 

Rob Hughes, the Agent, spoke in support of the application.

 

A visiting Ward Member said that he was undecided on the application.

 

The Chairman moved the officer recommendation to approve the application and this was seconded by the Vice-Chairman.

 

A Ward Member who was also a member of the Planning Committee spoke in support of the application.  He welcomed the preservation of the walled garden and the improved visibility splays at the new access point onto what he considered to be a dangerous road.

 

Members considered the application and points raised included:

 

·           This was an outstanding design, and noted that it was not visible from the road;

·           congratulated the officer on a very enthusiastic report;

·           this was an excellent scheme;

·           pleased that this type of dwelling was being developed in Swale and hoped similar schemes came forward;

·           noted that the word ‘innovative’ had been removed from paragraph 80(e) as a factor, and as set-out in paragraph 8.4 of the report, the Design Review Panel stated that the design had not yet shown that they met all the paragraph 80(e) criteria;

·           there was a lot of support for the application and no objections and could not see a reason to refuse the application; and

·           this would be an improvement to what was currently on the site.

 

Resolved:  That application 21/503441/FULL be approved subject to conditions (1) to (30) in the report and Strategic Access Management and Monitoring Scheme (SAMMS) payment.

 

2.2    REFERENCE NO - 21/506401/FULL

APPLICATION PROPOSAL

Demolition of two conservatories. Alterations to fenestration including 4 no skylights to north and 1 no skylight to south elevations. Increase of cladding.

ADDRESS New Barns Farm Box Lane Painters Forstal Faversham Kent ME13 0RU

WARD East Downs

PARISH/TOWN COUNCIL Ospringe

APPLICANT MsKresse Wesling

 

The Area Planning Officer drew Members’ attention to the tabled paper for this item.  He displayed the ‘before’ and ‘after’ images of the bungalow, with its black cladding and corrugated sheeting to look similar to a farm building.

 

The Chairman moved the officer recommendation to approve the application and this was seconded by the Vice-Chairman.

 

The Ward Member who was also a member of the Planning Committee considered the proposed finish to the building was a bit ‘brutal’ and that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 675.

676.

Adjournment of Meeting

Minutes:

The Meeting was adjourned from 8.46 pm until 8.53 pm.