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.

No interests were declared.

The Chairman welcomed Members, officers, the applicant and representatives from Faversham Town Council to the meeting.

The Area Planning Officer introduced the application which was for an extension to the existing garage to create an observatory.  He explained that the application site was within Faversham Conservation Area and the nearby Oyster Bay House was a Grade II listed building.  He stated that the 3-bay garage that was going to be extended was of no architectural merit.  There would be an extension to the end of the garage by way of a platform, with a tall octagonal structure topped with a glass fibre observatory dome.  He said that the extension would be connected to the garage by an enclosed stairway, and that the proposal involved removal of three small trees.  The top of the dome would be 11.6 metres in height.  The Area Planning Officer reported that Faversham Town Council supported the application, and the Faversham Society considered the observatory would add visual interest to the area.

The Area Planning Officer acknowledged that it was an interesting application, but questioned whether it would preserve and enhance the setting of the Conservation Area and the Listed Building.  He considered the staircase to be bulky, and the proposal was intrusive to the setting, by both its scale and bulk.  He added that the solar panels could be considered to be obtrusive.

The Applicant explained that the dome could be painted, and he considered the staircase added interest to the design.  He said that although the facility was primarily for his personal use, local schools, and interested groups could also use it, and they would view the observatory findings on a screen in the Oyster Bay House.  He was happy to consider any modifications to the scheme.  The Applicant added that the fruit trees on the site could remain.

Representatives from Faversham Town Council spoke in support of the application and considered the site to be a logical place to put the observatory because of the lack of light pollution.  They said the proposal could be a benefit to students, residents and tourists.

A Member asked whether the community benefit aspect had been included within the application.  The Area Planning Officer explained that there had been no details of this within the application.  The Member asked whether there had been any discussions on what parts of the application could be amended in order to make it more acceptable.  The Area Planning Officer stated that there had been no discussions to-date.

In response to questions about whether the structure could be decreased in height, the Applicant explained that as there were large lights in the adjoining boatyard, and other lighting in nearby properties, it was necessary to have some height to the structure.  This would allow a further range of visibility, and help to observe star galaxies.

Members suggested that the dome be painted green so that it blended in better with the surroundings, and that the solar panels be ground-mounted instead.