Visitors and members of the public who are unfamiliar with the building and procedures are advised that:

(a)      The fire alarm is a continuous loud ringing. In the event that a fire drill is planned during the meeting, the Chair will advise of this.

(b)      Exit routes from the chamber are located on each side of the room, one directly to a fire escape, the other to the stairs opposite the lifts.

(c)      In the event of the alarm sounding, leave the building via the nearest safe exit and gather at the assembly point on the far side of the car park. Do not leave the assembly point or re-enter the building until advised to do so. Do not use the lifts.

(d)      Anyone unable to use the stairs should make themselves known during this agenda item.

The Chair outlined the emergency evacuation procedure.

To approve the Minutes of the Meeting held on 9 March 2023 (Minute Nos. 785 – 789) as a correct record.

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 9 March 2023 (Minute Nos. 785 – 789) were taken as read, approved and signed by the Chair as a correct record subject to a change to Minute No. 789, on item 2.2 Land North of Lower Road, Eastchurch, from ‘A Ward Member spoke against the application.’ to ‘A Ward Member spoke on the application’.

Councillors should not act or take decisions in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their families or friends.

The Chair will ask Members if they have any disclosable pecuniary interests (DPIs) or disclosable non-pecuniary interests (DNPIs) to declare in respect of items on the agenda. Members with a DPI in an item must leave the room for that item and may not participate in the debate or vote. 

Aside from disclosable interests, where a fair-minded and informed observer would think there was a real possibility that a Member might be biased or predetermined on an item, the Member should declare this and leave the room while that item is considered.

Members who are in any doubt about interests, bias or predetermination should contact the monitoring officer for advice prior to the meeting.

Councillor Eddie Thomas declared a Disclosable Non-Pecuniary Interest in respect of Item 2.3 21/506465/HYBRID Land at Lady Dane Farm, Love Lane, Faversham and left the meeting during consideration of this item. 

Councillor Richard Palmer declared a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in respect of Deferred Item 1 20/505046/FULL High Hopes, Poot Lane, Upchurch. Once he had spoken on the item as Ward Member, Councillor Palmer left the meeting during consideration of this item.

To approve the Minutes of the Meeting held on 4 April 2023 (Minute Nos. To-follow) as a correct record.

To Consider the application 21/505041/OUT Land North of Lower Road, Eastchurch.

Update – please note that only the minutes for this item will be considered at this meeting. The planning application will be considered at a later meeting.

2.2 21/505041/OUT Land North of Lower Road, Eastchurch

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 4 April 2023 (Minute Nos. 802 - 803) were taken as read, approved and signed by the Chair as a correct record.

The Chair advised that this application would be considered at the next meeting.

To consider the following application:

20/505046/FULL High Hopes Poot Lane Upchurch ME9 7HL.

Members of the public are advised to confirm with Planning Services prior to the meeting that this application will be considered at this meeting.

Requests to speak on this item must be registered with Democratic Services (democraticservices@swale.gov.uk or call us on 01795 417328) by noon on Wednesday 12 April 2023.

Reports shown in previous Minutes as being deferred from that Meeting.

The Senior Planning Officer introduced the report as set out in the report.

Parish Councillor Gary Rosewell, representing Upchurch Parish Council, spoke in support of the application.

Stephen Curtis, the applicant, spoke in support of the application.

A Ward Member, also a member of the Planning Committee, spoke in support of the application.

A visiting Ward Member spoke in support of the application.

The Chair moved the officer recommendation to refuse the application, and this was seconded by the Vice-Chair.

The Chair invited Members to make comments, and points raised included:

·         The committee had made exceptions to the rules before, and this application could be one of those exceptions;

·         noted that both Ward Members and the Parish Council were in support of the application;

·         there were no objections from public;

·         acknowledged the work the applicant had put into the application but thought there was too many issues that were unresolved;

·         the proposal did not prove a ‘real clear need’ in the rural countryside area;

·         sought clarification as to whether an application to run a business on the site had been made as it was not clear in the report;

·         the business plan was based on two-bedroom accommodation, but the applicant had told the committee there would only be one-bedroom;

·         considered the business would encourage economy in a rural area and welcomed the proposal; and

·         the flood risk test was something that could be overturned at appeal and was something that officers needed to look further into.

The Senior Planning Officer advised Members that there were no planning records of a scuba diving business at the adjoining site and that officers had concerns with the intensified used of the business at this rural location. She added that the original application proposed two-bedroom units, but the application had been revised to  two one-bedroom units to meet the requirements of the Environment Agency.

The Senior Lawyer (Planning) read out an extract from the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which clarified the process in respect of the Sequential and Exception Tests in areas of flood risk so that Members could understand why the need to consider alternative site was important.

Resolved: That application 20/505046/FULL be refused for the reasons outlined in the report. 

To consider the attached report (Parts 2, 3 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 12 April 2023.

Item 2.1 22/502692/FULL has been withdrawn from the agenda. 13.04.2023

Tabled update for Item 2.3 added 11.04.2023.

Tabled update for Item 2.3 added 13.04.2023

Tabled update for Item 3.1 added 13.04.2023.

Part 2

Applications for which PERMISSION is recommended

This Item was withdrawn from the agenda.

The Area Team Leader introduced the application as set out in the report. 

Parish Councillor Andrew Bowles, representing Selling Parish Council, spoke against the application.

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

The Chair invited Members to make comments, and points raised included:

·         The site was located in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) with a number of listed buildings in close proximity to the site;

·         thought that the design of the proposal should be more traditional, similar to the buildings nearby;

·         congratulated officers on their work to mitigate the impact of the proposal;

·         the proposed link between the two buildings was 23 metres away from the adjacent property, so the impact of the lighting would be minimal;

·         what was the proposed difference in height between the original roof and the proposed roof?;

·         thought that the proposed sloped roof was a good design;

·         glad to see that the proposed roofing would be a ‘green roof’ to minimise the impact; and

·         thought that the design was poor and that a pitched roof would have blended in better with the surrounding buildings.

The Area Team Leader responded to say that the height of the pitch of the existing roof would be in line with the same part of the proposed monopitch roof and confirmed with Members that the link was 23 metres away from the nearest bedroom of the adjacent property, which officers felt was far enough away to not cause any lighting issues.

The Conservation & Design Manager commented on the designs issues and said that he felt that the applicant had done enough to mitigate the impact of the proposed linked extension on the setting of the adjacent listed building. He commented that the application property displayed some contemporary design features and that the applicant was proposing to use similar materials to those already seen on the setting of the site, but he advised it would be a neutral one given that the proposed extension would sit comfortably in its context with Owens Court Cottage.

Resolved: That application 22/505535/FULL be approved subject to conditions (1) to (6) in the report.

The Chair thanked those members of the Committee who were not standing in the forthcoming election for their service over the last four years. The Chair also thanked officers for their guidance over the years.

As it was Flo Churchill’s last meeting as Interim Head of Planning Services, Members thanked Flo for all her hard work and wished her all the best.