To approve the Minutes of the Meeting held on 14 July 2015 (Minute Nos. to follow).

15/500330/FULL – Keycol Farm, Keycol Hill, Bobbing, Kent, ME9 8NA

Tabled paper uploaded 28 July 2015.

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 14 July 2015 (Minute Nos. 99 – 100) were taken as read, approved and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

15/500330/FULL – Keycol Farm, Keycol Hill, Bobbing, Kent, ME9 8NA

The Chairman moved the officer recommendation for approval and this was seconded.

The Senior Planner reported that following a request by a Member at the site meeting she had contacted Kent County Council’s (KCC) Archaeological Officer for his comments on how potential archaeology should be treated at the site now that most of the ground work had already taken place.  He was clear that had archaeology been found during engineering works, the advice would have been to record it and leave it in situ. He also considered that undertaking an archaeological investigation now would therefore be pointless because any archaeology would have already been disturbed.  He advised that imposing a condition to require a programme of archaeological work for any further groundwork was the best course of action.

The Senior Planner reported that KCC Highways had been requested to comment on road traffic accident records along this stretch of the A2 and were also asked to comment on why this proposal was different to the previous planning applications for development using the same access in the 1980s which were refused on highway safety grounds.  They had provided a detailed response which had been tabled for Members to read in full.

The applicant’s agent had sent various reports to, and by, the United Nations and Council of Europe in respect of their position on gypsy site provision in the UK.  The Senior Planner noted those reports were printed some years ago, the most recent being 2009.  The advice contained within the committee report on pages 60 and 61 in respect of the need to consider the Human Rights Act and various other acts was current and correct.

The Senior Planner reported that one additional letter had been received from a neighbour which reiterated objections already raised by local residents.

Councillor Mike Henderson moved the following motion:  That a landscaping condition be imposed.  The condition to include that the laurel bushes be removed from the site.  This was seconded by Councillor Andy Booth.

The Senior Planner stated that a landscaping condition was already suggested and drew attention to condition (6) of the report.  She suggested that removal of the laurel bushes could be included within that condition.  This was agreed by Members.

A Member raised the following concerns: lapse response by KCC we should not be bound; how would officers monitor and enforce conditions?; should wait to hear from Bobbing Parish Council before considering the application; cohesion between gypsy and settled community and would upset the balance of the local community; and would allow overlooking of residents gardens.

In response to a query from a Member, the Senior Planner stated that it would not be fair to consider any other potential traffic that may or may not use the site as a consequence of any future planning applications.  She explained that as an agricultural site there were already a number of different types of vehicles using the access.

Resolved:  That application 15/500330/FULL be approved subject to conditions (1) to (8) in the report, the imposition of a condition requiring a programme of archaeological work for any further groundwork and condition (6) to require the removal of the laurel bushes.