Agenda and minutes

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Items
No. Item

Audio Recording

34.

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.

35.

Change in Membership of Panel

Minutes:

It was noted that Councillor Alastair Gould had replaced Councillor Tim Valentine on the Panel.

36.

Minutes

To approve the Minutes of the Meeting held on 14 March 2019 (Minute Nos. 558 - 564) as a correct record.

 

Minutes:

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 14 March 2019 (Minute Nos. 558 – 564) were taken as read, approved and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

37.

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:

Councillor Monique Bonney declared a Disclosable Non-Pecuniary Interest as she was the Chairman of the Five Parishes Opposition Group and also sat on Rodmersham Parish Council.

Part A Minutes for Recommendation to Cabinet

38.

Local Plan Review - Open session for Councillors to make suggestions and to put forward ideas to be taken into account in the Local Plan Review pdf icon PDF 806 KB

Presentation added 17 June 2019.

Minutes:

The Chairman introduced the item and explained that there would be a presentation, followed by an open session where Members could raise issues, suggestions and ideas going forward.

 

The Spatial Planning Manager gave a presentation on the Swale Borough Local Plan Review.  Members were given a copy of the presentation, a summary of which is outlined below:

 

Local Plan Review

 

·         Bearing Fruits had been adopted in 2017, and was reviewed every five years;

·         Government housing targets for Swale had been increased by 40% to 1,050 dwellings per annum, and strong evidence was required if it was thought that this figure was too high; and

·         the Local Plan was a statutory document and evidence-based at each stage of the process.

 

Geography and Environmental Issues

 

·         The Borough consisted of both constrained and unconstrained areas, with local designations, and different levels of land protection;

·         there were small amounts of unconstrained areas;

·         Swale was limited by the sea, the M2/A2 corridor, and the Kent Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty to the south; and

·         there were 52 conservation areas within the Borough.

 

Constraints or Opportunities?

 

·         Environmental;

·         Historic assets;

·         Transport;

·         Other Infrastructure – schools, health services; and

·         Government ‘shackles’ – housing targets, and could these be met, and how?

 

Evidence – what we know and what we need to find out……

 

·         Employment land in the Borough was in short supply;

·         impact of the Internet on retail; and

·         various studies were in-hand at the moment, with some still to be commissioned.

 

The Spatial Planning Manager outlined the next steps for consideration by the Panel in the next four years.

 

The Chairman welcomed questions and comments from Members.

 

The following points were made:

 

·         The Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report, the Employment Land Review and the Retail and Leisure Needs Assessment all needed to be reviewed again by the new Panel, to take into account new ideas and reflect on what Members wanted to do now;

·         environmental issues should be addressed and prioritised, including the installation of solar panels on new-builds;

·         employment land and density needed to be re-visited;

·         residents were fed-up with the increase in housing in the Borough;

·         there was a lack of infrastructure;

·         there needed to be more affordable and social housing included in the Local Plan;

·         viability, based on the expectation of the developer, needed to be looked at;

·         opposed to one-place solutions for housing;

·         needed to think creatively and how housing could contribute to making urban areas more sustainable;

·         there should be small-scale increments to villages in Swale to make them more sustainable and viable;

·         the Council should provide land for social and affordable housing;

·         the town centres in the Borough needed to be revitalised; with the inclusion of housing above retail units to aid footfall;

·         café-culture should be encouraged;

·         the ‘tech’ age needed to be taken into account within the Local Plan and a ‘live-work’ environment needed to be considered; 

·         rural areas needed to grow in a sustainable way;

·         new designations should be created, to include for example ancient woodland and ancient hedges; and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 38.