Agenda item

Outline permission (with all matters reserved except access) for construction of up to 521 residential units (Use Class C3); up to 9,335sqm 90 apartment retirement village (Use Class C2); up to 730sqm health facility (Use Class D2); conversion of thatched barn to pub/restaurant (Use Class A4/A3); conversion of stable block to retail shop (Use Class A1/A2); and conversion of farmhouse to bed & breakfast (Use Class C1) together with associated landscaping and ancillary infrastructure and works at Great Farthingloe Farm, Dover – Outline permission (with all matters reserved) for construction of up to 7,400sqm 130 bed hotel & 150 person conference centre (Class C1); and conversion of the Drop Redoubt to a Museum/Visitor Centre (Use Class D1) together with associated landscaping and ancillary infrastructure and works at land at Western Heights, Dover – Outline permission (with all matters reserved except layout and access) for construction of up to 31 residential units (Use Class C3); and reconstruction of the Victoria Halls to provide 9 residential units (Use Class C3) together with associated landscaping and ancillary infrastructure and works at land at Western Heights, Dover – Provision of pedestrian access network to facilitate enhanced recreation access together with associated landscaping and works on land at Great Farthingloe Farm and Western Heights, Dover

To consider the attached report of the Head of Regeneration and Development.

(a)        It was agreed to recommend to the Planning Committee that, should it be minded to grant planning permission, the monetary Section 106 requests for Farthingloe/Western Heights, as set out at Appendix 8 of the report, be determined as follows:

            (i)         Education (Provision of 130 new primary school places and 25% of a new site) – That discussions continue with Kent County Council regarding an appropriate level of contribution, having regard to the overall development viability and the priorities given to the other development contribution requests by the Planning Committee, as informed by the Developer Contributions Executive Committee.  

            (ii)        That, should any sums allocated for educational provision not be spent within the timescale, these should be allocated to other infrastructure needs arising from the development as determined by the Developer Contributions Executive Committee and the Planning Committee. 

            (iii)       Family Care and Social Care (Community Hubs and Building Community Capacity, Co-location with Health, Accommodation Solutions, Assistive Technology) – That the claim from Kent County Council be rejected.  

            (iv)       Libraries and Archives (Additional Stock/Equipment and Staffing Support for Dover Discovery Library) – That the claim from Kent County Council of £37,518.31 (or £28,470 pro rata estimate with reduced scheme as recommended) for library stock at Dover Discovery Library be accepted, but the other element of the claim be rejected, with this allocation accorded the lowest priority.

            (v)        Community (Adult) Learning (Additional Stock/Equipment and Class Provision)  – That the claim from Kent County Council be rejected.

            (vi)       Sustainable Travel (Pump-priming a new or revised bus route to serve the development at Farthingloe) – That the claim from Kent County Council of £400,000 be accepted, subject to further investigations and, in the event that the sums or part of the sums allocated are not required for this purpose, the monies be allocated to other infrastructure needs arising from the development as determined by the Developer Contributions Executive Committee and the Planning Committee. 

            (vii)      Sustainable Travel (Subsidy for a bus service to the proposed hotel at Western Heights) – That the claim from Kent County Council of £100,000 be accepted, subject to further investigations and, in the event that the sums or part of the sums allocated are not required for this purpose, the monies be allocated to other infrastructure needs arising from the development as determined by the Developer Contributions Executive Committee and the Planning Committee.

            (viii)      Sustainable Travel (Travel plan monitoring) – That the claim from Kent County Council of £5,000 be accepted, subject to further investigations and, in the event that the sums or part of the sums allocated are not required for this purpose, the monies be allocated to other infrastructure needs arising from the development as determined by the Developer Contributions Executive Committee and the Planning Committee.

            (ix)       Sustainable Travel (Mitigating possible impact of increased trips to the Western Heights) – That the claim from Kent County Council of £100,000 be accepted, subject to further investigations and, in the event that the sums or part of the sums allocated are not required for this purpose, the monies be allocated to other infrastructure needs arising from the development as determined by the Developer Contributions Executive Committee and the Planning Committee.

            (x)        Sustainable Travel (Contribution towards the cost of adopting the track from Farthingloe to the ridge above the proposed development) – That the claim from Kent County Council of £27,000 be accepted, subject to further investigations and, in the event that the sums or part of the sums allocated are not required for this purpose, the monies be allocated to other infrastructure needs arising from the development as determined by the Developer Contributions Executive Committee and the Planning Committee.

            (xi)       Sustainable Travel  (Upgrade of informal tracks between the two development sites) – That the claim from Dover District Council of £98,550 be accepted.

            (xii)      Policing (Proportion of new custody cells, proportion of new officers and their start-up costs) – That the claim from Kent Police be rejected.

            (xiii)      Primary Health Care (Extension/conversion of Pencester Health Surgery and St James's Surgery) – That the claim from the NHS of £106,580 (or £72,544 with reduced scheme as recommended) be accepted, subject to the sum being allocated for intermediate care beds and, should this not be deliverable, allocated to the extension/conversion of Pencester Health Surgery or as appropriate.

            (xiv)     Outdoor Sports – (Improvements to increase capacity of sports pitches to meet the standard proposed and consulted upon in the Land Allocations Pre-Submission Local Plan and Open Space Policy and Standards documents) – That the claim of £289,200 (or £221,400 with reduced scheme as recommended) be accepted, subject to the allocation being used where it is most needed within the Dover sub area.

            (xv)      Affordable Housing (Policy DM5 of the adopted Core Strategy states that the Council will seek 30% affordable housing) – That it be accepted that a contribution will only be sought where the funds set aside by the developer for necessary infrastructure, as agreed by the Developer Contributions Executive Committee and the Planning Committee, have not been fully allocated. 

            (xvi)     Green Infrastructure (Thanet Coast and Sandwich Bay SPA and Ramsar) – That the claim of £26,117.40 (or £19,819 pro rata estimate with reduced scheme as recommended) be accepted.  

(b)        It was agreed to recommend to the Planning Committee that, should it be minded to grant planning permission, the improvements to be secured under Section 278 of the Highways Act, as set out at Appendix 8 of the report, be determined as follows:

            (i)         Junction Improvements on Elms Vale Road/Folkestone Road – That the improvements requested by Kent County Council Highways be accepted.

            (ii)        Junction Improvements on York Street/Folkestone Road – That the improvements requested by Kent County Council Highways be accepted.

(c)        It was agreed to recommend to the Planning Committee that, should it be minded to grant planning permission, recommendation II of the report be amended to include the Chairman of the Developer Contributions Executive Committee as a consultee on Section 106 matters.