Agenda and minutes

To confirm as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting of Tonbridge Forum held on 16 April 2018

RESOLVED: That the Minutes of the meeting held on 16 April 2018 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

The following updates were provided:

TF 18/2 Chairman Announcements

The Forum was advised of a positive response to the new seating arrangements and these allowed for informed and audible discussion to be undertaken.  In addition, the Chairman indicated that consideration would be given to the current format of the ‘question time.’

In his role as Leader of the Borough Council, the Chairman opened the discussion by reminding Members of the key milestones achieved so far in the preparation of the Local Plan. 

It was explained that every council in the country had a statutory obligation to identify sufficient land for future house building and this had to be set out in a Local Plan.   The number of houses that had to be planned for was decided by an approach set down by central Government and not by the local council.    In Tonbridge and Malling the housing need had been identified as 13,920 homes for the period of the Local Plan up to 2031.  This represented a figure of 696 dwellings per year and meant that, over and above sites already completed, under construction and approved, sufficient new land to build an additional 6,800 homes had to be identified. 

Following the Call for Sites exercise and evidence-based assessment the draft Local Plan now included 31 sites, refined to achieve an estimated potential yield of 6,834 new dwellings. This had significantly reduced in size to reflect Local Plan evidence and changes arising from consultations. 

The Leader reiterated the very severe consequences if the Borough Council failed in its duty to adopt a Local Plan.  Without a Plan in place the Borough Council’s ability to manage development would be weakened.   In addition, the failure to submit a Local Plan within the transitional period set out by the Government in the new draft National Planning Policy Framework (published on 24 July 2018) would result in significant risks associated with having to address a substantially higher housing provision.  It would also cause significant further delays, which would place the Borough Council in a more vulnerable position in terms of land supply in responding to planning applications and facing planning appeals.

In summary, the Leader indicated that generally it was accepted that more homes were required for future generations.  However, these should be in the right place and supported by adequate infrastructure.  This was what the Local Plan sought to do and it was the responsibility of the Borough Council to consider the strategic overview given the difficult task set by Government.   It was noted that the Local Plan was unlikely to resolve community infrastructure problems completely, although it was hoped that the situation could be improved by maximising investment from developers, as identified in the Local Plan.

The Head of Planning and the Planning Policy Manager then provided an update on the preparation of the Local Plan.  A revised draft document with a refined development strategy, policies and proposals had been considered recently by the Planning and Transportation Advisory Board on 5 June and 24 July and at an Extraordinary Cabinet on 3 September 2018.  The latter had recommended to Council that the draft Local Plan be approved for submission to the Secretary of State after a further period of statutory consultation.  Further detail set out in these reports was available on the Borough Council’s website  ...  view the full minutes text for item TF 18/11

The Head of Street Scene and Leisure and the Waste Contract Officer provided an update on the procurement process for the new Waste Services Contract.  Members were reminded that the current refuse and recycling collections and street cleansing contract ended in February 2019 and was being retendered on a partnership basis with Tunbridge Wells Borough Council and in liaison with Kent County Council.

Following consideration by the Street Scene and Environment Services Advisory Board and the Extraordinary Cabinet on 4 September 2018 the new South West Kent Waste Partnership contract was due to be awarded.  Although this would commence on 1 March 2019 the existing service would continue while arrangements were made to launch the new service.   The name of the successful contractor would be announced on 25 September 2018. 

The new contract enabled a much improved service to be delivered to residents and included:

-        Weekly food waste collection;

-        Fortnightly collection of residual waste;

-        Alternative fortnightly collection of plastics, cartons, cans and glass (mixed dry recyclate) in a wheeled bin with a separate container for paper and card;

-        A separate fortnightly collection of garden waste (as an ‘opt in’ charged service); and

-        Additional collection of textiles, small electrical items (WEEE) and household batteries

It was reported that the proposals maintained the current frequency of high speed roads cleansing, which was the highest in Kent, retained the Saturday bulky waste collection service and would contribute to the Borough Council’s Savings and Transformation Strategy.

Particular reference was made to the proposed introduction of ‘opt-in’ charges for the collection of garden waste.  Members were advised that the Street Scene and Environment Services Advisory Board and the Cabinet had recommended to Council a standard charge of £40 per year, with further detail related to any introductory offers to be considered by the Advisory Board at a future date.    It was explained that these ‘opt-in’ charges would support the enhanced recycling service, particularly the introduction of kerbside collection for plastics and glass.   The Forum was reminded that all the Borough Council’s fees and charges were reviewed on an annual basis and this would also apply to the ‘opt-in’ for garden waste collection.

Residents would be fully informed of all details and an independent PR consultant had been engaged to develop a Marketing and Communication Strategy.  The Borough Council recognised that effective communication and messaging was vital in promoting the new service. 

Members welcomed the proposals, which delivered a much improved service, and encouraged increased recycling of plastics and glass. There was also the potential to include additional services such as the collection of small electrical items, textiles and batteries.   However, it was noted that a significant amount of work remained to ensure the smooth introduction of the new service.

The Forum participated in significant discussion on a number of issues including the use of bags for properties where bins were not possible; availability of additional bins and associated charging; cross contamination of bins due to their change of use; recycling  ...  view the full minutes text for item TF 18/12

Kent Police were unable to attend this meeting due to operational pressures and their apologies were noted.

However, the Chairman referred to the Community Alcohol Partnership which had been launched in Tonbridge on 13 July 2018.   The scheme aimed to prevent underage drinking with a mix of education, enforcement, community engagement and the provision of diversionary activities for young people.  It was hoped that this would be as successful as the initiative operating in Snodland.

Members noted the report of the Kent County Council Community Liaison Officer (Anne Charman) which provided details on a number of County initiatives and consultations.  Further information was available on the Kent County Council Services Update report attached to the agenda.

The Kent County Councillor for Tonbridge (Richard Long) provided a brief update on the progress of the High Street and Station improvement works and advised of new proposals related to the location and design of the lay-bys.   

There would also be improvements to the pedestrian access outside the station and consideration was being given to the reconfiguration of nearby roads.

Further detail related to these would be presented in due course. 

Reference was made to a temporary pedestrian crossing in Tonbridge which Members of the Forum considered dangerous.  County officers were aware of the concerns raised and County Councillor Long offered to clarify the position with Kent Highway Services. 

The Chairman (in his role as Leader of the Borough) provided an update on key points relevant to Tonbridge.  The headline messages set out in the presentation would be available online and circulated with the Minutes.  However, in summary these included:

-        Help for homeless households:  The Borough Council had taken positive action to increase affordable temporary accommodation in the borough with the purchase of a property on Tonbridge High Street.

-        Business Rates Retention Scheme:  Kent authorities had successfully bid for involvement in the Business Rates Retention Pilot.  As a result part of the funding secured would go towards promoting economic growth.  Proposed initiatives relevant to Tonbridge included grants for independent businesses under a Commercial Frontages Improvement Scheme; support for pop-up shops, Wi-Fi and events.

-        Fairtrade Tonbridge:  The Borough Council were awaiting a decision from the Fairtrade Foundation regarding the application for Fairtrade Town status.  Any organisation wishing to get involved was asked to contact the Borough Council’s Economic Regeneration Officer (Jeremy Whittaker).

-        A number of recent events had been well attended and these included the Luna Cinema, Illyria performances, marking the Centenary of the end of World War I, the medieval Fayre and Dragon Boat Races.    The Chairman thanked all the organisations involved for their contribution in making the events so successful.  

-        Leisure improvements and investment such as the newly resurfaced Tonbridge to Penshurst Cycle Path and new footpaths and children’s play area at Haysden Country Park.  The Borough Council continued to explore funding streams for further investment.

The University of the Third Age referred to the recent Overview and Scrutiny Committee review into the support and provision of events and sought clarity on proposals to introduce charging to use the Castle Lawn and Sportsground.  In response, the Head of Street Scene and Leisure confirmed that a review was ongoing and no decision had been reached at the present time.  It was indicated that a sensible and cautious approach to charging for community and charity events would be taken.  However, it was realistic for the Borough Council to consider charging for commercial and corporate events to cover administration fees and utilities costs. 

Christmas Festival 2018:

The Tonbridge Rotary Club announced that the Tonbridge Christmas Festival would take place on 25 November 2018.  The High Street would be closed for a number of festive events and the evening would finish with a firework display.

Promotion of Tonbridge:

The Tonbridge Town Team advised that a range of merchandise promoting Tonbridge was available to buy.  This included tee shirts with the slogan ‘I am a Tonbridge Dragon’, reusable coffee cups and reusable water bottles.   Prices ranged from £6 to £4.  Anyone interested should contact Mr Howard Porter.