Planning committee

Members of the Planning committee monitor the Sevenoaks District Council’s weekly planning lists to identify those applications of significance, and/or brought to their attention by Society members, with the aim of making appropriate and constructive representations following inspection and consultations on the proposals submitted.

The committee also aims to observe the debates at the Development Control Committee meetings to obtain feed back on decisions on applications.

Where appropriate, they attend site meetings and planning or other inquiries, giving oral and/or written evidence of the latter.

Additional members are always welcome especially with expertise in architecture, planning, urban design, conservation or just general interest.

Contact: Chairman Frank Marshall telephone 01732 453809

‘Planning the Future of Sevenoaks District'
Alan Dyer
Planning Policy Manager
Sevenoaks District Council

PLANNING SUB-COMMITTEE REPORT  (Autumn Report, November 2010)

In the five months since the Annual Report was written in May, two significant issues have pre-occupied the work of the planning sub-committee, namely: The Independent Examination of The Sevenoaks District Local Development Framework (LDF) ~Core Strategy Submission Development Plan Document and the Public Consultation into the Draft Brief for the Land West of Bligh's Meadow, London Road, Sevenoaks, and are reported on, as follows:

The Independent Examination.   Following a preliminary meeting on 11 August 2010, the Hearing took place at the Council Offices between 5 and 14 October 2010 with a final brief session on Friday 22 October 2010 and it was presided over by Mrs Elizabeth Fieldhouse, MRTPI, assisted by Michael Doe as programme officer; both were fully independent and appointed by the government.   Mrs Fieldhouse's conduct of the Hearing sessions was excellent, with a nice touch of humour, was required to establish that the Document had been subject to proper public consultation and that is was sound.  She expected to submit her report to the District Council on 24 December 2010 with publication anticipated in January/February 2011.   For the Hearing, Mrs Fieldhouse had selected a number of issues for debate and discussion under fourteen 'Matter' headings, each scheduled for a half day session which were generally adhered to although one lasted only an hour and a half with another taking an extra hour and a half.  The Headings were as follows:

Matter 1            Special Strategy/Distribution of Development.
Matter 2            Economy and Employment Land.
Matter 3            Housing Land Supply.
Matter 4            Design and Sustainable Construction.
Matter 5            Sevenoaks.
Matter 6            Swanley.
Matter 7            Rural Areas and Major Developed Sites.
Matter 8            Infrastructure including Green Infrastructure.
Matter 9            Fort Halstead.
Matter 10          Affordable Housing and other housing policies including gypsies and travellers.
Matter 11          Other Matters.
Matter 12          Edenbridge.
Matter 13          Revocation of Regional Guidance.
Matter 14          Local Planning Authority's Response to the Inspector's requests for possible textual and diagrammatic amendments to the Document. (The last Matter was held on Friday 22 October 2010)

As it will be seen from the Matters, a wide range of topics were covered and it is therefore only possible to give a flavour of the proceedings with a general summary and picking out a number of salient points from some of the issues covered.   The proceedings for each session were opened by Alan Dyer, the Council IS Planning Policy Manager, who set scene on behalf of the Council in a refreshingly clear and open manner, for discussion and debate by the representatives of the organisations attending. These were generally planners, agents or councillors and officers from some of the District's parishes and represented such interests as Berkeley Homes, Ark Projects Limited, Armstrong (Kent) LLP, Glaxo Smith Kline, West Kent Cold Store, KCC Property, Kent Wildlife Trust, CPRE Project Kent, etc., and attendance numbers varied according to the topic under discussion. The writer attended all sessions except those for Swanley and Edenbridge and was accompanied by Tim Pearce for Sevenoaks.

The Hearings were being held in the knowledge that the new Coalition Government had abolished the Regional Strategies and it was thought to be too soon for the full impact of these to be known and assessed. However, the planning designations such as the Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and Metropolitan Green Belt (MGB) which covered most if not all the District would remain, although there might be some tweaking some of boundaries around some villages when their Local Plans were reviewed at some future date.

It was believed that the Employment and Housing sites identified in the draft Allocations Development Plan Document would provide sufficient sites for the whole Plan period, i.e. up to 2026, without the need to encroach on the Green Belt. The Housing numbers would remain at 3,300 units as indicated in the South East Plan although two representatives suggested that the numbers could be increased to 3,800 or 4,025 without encroaching on the MGB.

There was strong pressure from the large Armstrong Team, twelve out of thirty six present at that long session, for Fort Halstead, which they were hoping to develop, to be included in the Strategy as a SPD or DPD.(Supplementary Planning or Development Plan Documents). There was also strong objection to this from Richard Bate of the Kent Downs (AONB) unit.  There was some uncertainty over the future of the Glaxo Smith Kline site in Powder Mill Lane at Leigh since the firm had recently closed down the premises.  

It was understood that the centres of Swanley and New Ash Green would be due for re-development/re-organisation during the Plan period and there would also be a DPD in 2012 to cover the Brief for the Blighs Meadow London Road site, the consultation period for which has just closed.

Although the numbers were queried, it was argued that there was adequate provision for Affordable Housing within the existing housing stock but under-occupation would be identified. It was also asserted that the policies in the Core Strategy would be adequate to cope with any Affordable Housing needs until details could be confirmed with the completion and issue of the Allocations DPD, which will follow on from the ratification of the Core Strategy in late 2011.

In one of the later/last sessions, Matter 11 Other Matters, Sir Michael Harrison, on behalf of the Sevenoaks Conservation Council, was able to get the wording ‘Conservation’ into the title of Policy SP1 to read ‘Design of New Development and Conservation’ but he was less successful in obtaining a commitment from the Council to produce a Local List (of Buildings of Local Architectural and Historic Interest) as a Delivery Mechanism although the Council did not object to the reference to an aim to produce one being included.

With regard to the J5 M25/M26/A21 slip roads, whilst the Council appeared sympathetic to the principle, they were unwilling to include it as a Delivery Mechanism for completion within the Plan period although KCC Highways had indicated the possibility of construction post 2014, depending on finance being available.  It was understood that studies were needed but the concerns of the nearby parishes were noted; the Council Leader was rather dismissive about the project at a recent Forum meeting.

The penultimate session was a debate largely between Brian Lloyd (CPRE Project Kent) and Jennifer Bate (AONB unit) and concerned the Revocation of Regional Guidance, a rather technical discussion seeking to fill the policy gaps left by the revocation of the South East Plan and what should be covered by the Core Strategy.

It was a rather demanding but interesting fortnight although much of it relating to planning principles and texts. It will be interesting to study the Inspector’s Report when it is published early in 2011.

Land West of Bligh’s Meadow, London Road, Sevenoaks:  Although the draft Brief for the re-development of this important town centre site was waved through the Council IS Cabinet on 10 June 2010, the full public consultation did not begin until 20 September 2010 and lasted until 17 November 2010, a generous period avoiding the summer holidays. The Brief had been prepared by the Council’s officers and consultants with the help and advice from the Kent Architecture Centre (KAC) and the Southern Design Panel of the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE). While we accept the principle of a mixed development, we have put forward a number of concerns and reservations in our submission to the Council.  

The site is approximately 0.57 ha in extent, irregular in shape and contours, and is bounded by Pembroke and London Roads and the car park to the present Bligh's Meadow development.  As members may be aware, the proposals consist of two blocks, Al and A2, at the junction of Pembroke and London Roads, three buildings, B, C and D1 set up the slope and at right angles to the London Road facing the listed Victorian cottages to the west and a third group of buildings, D2, El to E4, at the south end of the site and adjacent to Numbers 50 and 52 London Road. Buildings AI, A2, B, C and D1 are designated as residential with the remainder part residential/part commercial.

An underground car park under and serving the residential elements only, is to be accessed from the existing access in Pembroke Road, with a small ground level access to the small southern area from the London Road.

In brief, our concerns include the need for a stronger built element at the Pembroke/London Road junction to form a positive- 'gateway' to the town up the respective roads; a fear that the three blocks at right angles to the London Road are likely to be built on the existing raised levels above the road and do not dominate over both the Victorian cottages and the rear gardens to the Pembroke Road properties, and especially the former, and finally that further consideration is given to the difficult southern area which is most unsatisfactory at the moment since it does not link through to the High Street, does not reflect the character of the area to the south or each other and does not it connect with the three buildings to the north.

We have suggested the southern area buildings, D2 and El to E4, should be taller to match Numbers 50 and 52 London Road and others and that building D2 should be the tallest building on the development site with a 'posh' restaurant and/or a viewing terrace on the top floor(s) to act as a magnet and that is should not imitate the 'Market Hall' on the other side of the existing car park at the end of Bligh's Road.  We have also suggested that the small car park/market square in this area should be an amenity space with seats, sculptures etc.

We have calculated that the existing car parking, public and private, amounts to 128 spaces against which 66 are to be provided in the underground car park for residents only resulting in a shortfall of between 103 and 128 pubic spaces depending on the use the southern area is put to, as described above.

We have strongly recommended that the architectural design treatment should be in the modern idiom of today throughout the development in preference to traditional 'pastiche' and using modern and traditional local materials.  We also drew attention to the fact that the existing Bligh's Meadow development had been deleted from the recent High Street Conservation review as not being of sufficient quality and therefore should not be taken as a precedent for the new development.

Other Matters : Recently we have been involved with others in the successful attempt to save 'Godwins' from demolition, a 1931 late Arts and Crafts house by Oswald P Milne which lies on the south side of Blackhall Lane just short of Godden Green but outside the Wildernesse Conservation Area although proposals are in hand to extend this Area across the road.  It was threatened, together with the two houses on either side, with demolition and their replacement with five new dwellings.   Happily the other two owners were unwilling to join in this move and an application has just been approved which allows a modest addition to 'Godwins' together with a single five bedroom dwelling within the south east of the site.  Not, perhaps, an ideal solution but at least another example of this period
has been saved.

Members will, no doubt, have noticed that work is progressing on the two major projects in the town centre, namely the former BMW Showroom at 5 Dartford Road and the new Waitrose at 58 High Street; the latter started on site on 1 July with demolition completed on 24 September 2010 and pile driving currently in progress.  According to their latest bulletin they are due to re-open in September 2011.

At Oak Tree Close, formerly the rear garden to 51 High Street, a notice advises that on the Kentmere domestic development, the phase one is nearing completion and that phase two will start in 2011.

We continue to monitor the weekly planning lists, observe the discussions at Development Control Committee meetings and endeavour to keep a record of all domestic developments of more than two units.

Frank Marshall
Chairman, Planning Sub-committee
19 November 2010

Archived reports