10 am – Item 2.1 21/503749/REM Land on the south east side of Bartletts Close, Halfway, Kent, ME12 3EG

The Chair welcomed the Agent, the Applicants, local residents and Members to the meeting.

The Development Manager introduced the application which was for reserved matters for appearance, landscaping, layout and scale.  This followed on from the outline application 19/503810/OUT allowed on appeal for 17 dwellings with a new access road, associated parking and landscaping.  The proposed layout now consisted of two single storey dwellings and 15 two storey dwellings, with a T-shaped layout and a five-metre landscaping buffer to two sides of the development.  The Development Manager explained that the application site adjoined the built-up area boundary of Halfway/Minster and fell within the open countryside and was within a designated Important Local Countryside Gap.  He explained that the principle of development had been allowed on appeal, and now the detailed matters of the application were being considered.

Local residents raised the following issues:

·         Considered the landscape buffer zone should be continued on the other sides of the development as well;

·         the development was not in keeping with the dwellings already situated in Bartletts Close;

·         this was elevated land and there would be overlooking issues;

·         the development would be harmful to residential amenity of the local area;

·         there should be more bungalows;

·         the mix of housing would be attractive to larger families and this did not fit the demographic of Bartletts Close;

·         there would be an increase in noise and traffic;

·         the proposed yellow brick finish was not suitable and did not fit in with the existing properties;

·         the mix of semi-detached and terraced dwellings on elevated ground did not fit in with the street scene;

·         the majority of the dwellings in Bartletts Close were bungalows and this development was not in-keeping with that;

·         lack of parking;

·         the number of dwellings should be reduced;

·         the standard of the current road was poor, with bad drainage and this would get worse with construction traffic and the development;

·         drainage and flooding issues; and

·         improvements were needed to the drainage system and the road prior to construction of the development.

In response to a question, the Development Manager explained that the buffer zone was put in place on the countryside boundary, rather than the built-up boundary to give a softer edge between the countryside and the built development.

In response to some questions, the Applicant and Agent explained that the sewer belonged to Southern Water.  They assured the residents that the developers would mitigate the risk of flooding on the site, and they would speak to Southern Water about the on-going issues. The road would be made good during the development work and would be left in a good condition.  Details of the new soakaways would be submitted in due course.  The Agent gave an update to the application and advised that following the Planning Committee meeting on 12 May 2022, they had decided to replace two of the semi-detached two-storey dwellings with a bungalow, with hipped roof design, on the east of the development and this would significantly reduce the height of the first dwelling on the development and reduce over-shadowing, with the result that there would now be 16 proposed units on the development, rather than 17.

A Member asked whether a bungalow could be situated on the west side of the development as well.  The Applicant advised that an increase in the number of bungalows would reduce the viability of the scheme.