Agenda and minutes

There were no declarations of interest made in accordance with the Code of Conduct.

To confirm as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting of Area 1 Planning Committee held on 6 August 2020

RESOLVED:  That, subject to the amendment of Minute AP1 20/17 to read ‘In accordance with CPR 8.6, Part 4 (Rules) of the Constitution, Councillors J Botten, M Boughton, N Foyle and J Lark requested that it be recorded that they had voted against approval of the application.’, the Minutes of the meeting of the Area 1 Planning Committee held on 6 August 2020 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

Introduction and Glossary

Decisions were taken on the following applications subject to the pre-requisites, informatives, conditions or reasons for refusal set out in the report of the Director of Planning, Housing and Environmental Health or in the variations indicated below.  Any supplementary reports were circulated in advance of the meeting and published to the website. 

Members of the public addressed the meeting where the required notice had been given and their comments were taken into account by the Committee when determining the application.  Speakers are listed under the relevant planning application shown below. 

Development of the rear car park to form a 70 room hotel (Use Class C1); 10 residential units (Use Class C3); retention of the existing retail unit (Use Class A1); associated car parking, landscaping, refuse and cycle storage

Development of the rear car park to form a 70 room hotel (Use Class C1); 10 residential units (Use Class C3); retention of the existing retail unit (Use Class A1); associated car parking, landscaping, refuse and cycle storage at 78C High Street, Tonbridge. 

RESOLVED: That planning permission be GRANTED in accordance with the submitted details, conditions, reasons and informatives set out in the report and supplementary report of the Director of Planning, Housing and Environmental Health subject to

(1)            The addition of conditions

23. Prior to the first occupation of the use hereby approved, a Travel Plan shall be submitted and approved by the Local Planning Authority. The Travel Plan must include details of:

 
(a) A comprehensive survey of all users of the development;

(b) Details of local resident involvement in the adoption and implementation of the Travel Plan;

(c) Targets set in the Plan to reduce car journeys to the development;

(d) Details of how the Travel Plan will be regularly monitored and amended, if necessary, if targets identified in the Plan are not being met over a period of 5 years from the date the development is occupied. At the end of the first and third years of the life of the Travel Plan, you must apply to us for approval of reports monitoring the effectiveness of the Travel Plan and setting out any changes you propose to make to the Plan to overcome any identified problems.

Reason: In the interests of local amenity and highway safety.

24. No external lighting shall be installed across the site or on the building hereby approved until a scheme indicating the location, type, design, level of luminance and any hours of operation of any such lighting has been submitted to and approved by the Local Planning Authority. The lighting shall thereafter be installed in strict accordance with the approved details and retained and maintained in accordance with those details thereafter. 

Reason: In the interests of visual amenity and to safeguard neighbouring properties.

(2)            The addition of Informatives

4. The developer is strongly encouraged to ensure hotel visitors and staff have access to comprehensive information regarding local public transport links and long stay public car parks and to make early contact with the Borough Council with a view to purchasing permits within its long stay car parks within the vicinity of the site.

5. The developer is strongly encouraged to enter into discussions with the County Council as the Highways Authority regarding potential improvements to the surrounding highway network via a Traffic Regulation Order.

6. The applicant is strongly encouraged to follow all recommendations set out by the Kent Police Designing Out Crime Officer to show a clear audit trail for Design for Crime Prevention and Community Safety to meet Kent Police and Local Authority statutory duties under Section 17 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998.

[Speakers: Lotte Hirst (Agent) addressed the Committee via video-conferencing]

In accordance with Committee Procedure Rule 8.6, Part 4 of the Constitution, Councillors A Clark and  ...  view the full minutes text for item AP1 20/23

The Chairman to move that the press and public be excluded from the remainder of the meeting during consideration of any items the publication of which would disclose exempt information.

There were no items considered in private.