Cllr. ALAN POOLE HAS MADE AN OFFICIAL COMPLAINT TO STANDARDS OFFICER.

From: Clive Hart
Sent: Thursday, October 22, 2009 5:11 PM
Subject: CONCRETE & COUNTRYSIDE
Below are the details of events at Wednesday evening's TDC Planning meeting.
No further comment will be made on this issue as a request for an investigation may be made.

22/10/2009

Tories vote to concrete over yet another piece of Thanet!

Last night Conservative Planning Committee members at Thanet District Council voted unanimously against the Planning Officers recommendation to refuse the Bradgate Caravan Park application and for 1.78 hectares of Thanet’s prime farmland to be turned into a Caravan Park.

This land is now considered ‘brown field land’ and can be further developed at a later date.
Notes for editors:
Conservative Cllr Shirley Tomlinson, under the comments section of the Agenda, made it quite clear that she supported the Caravan Park’s application even before the meeting had taken place.

The Conservative Planning Chairman called fellow Conservative Cllr Shirley Tomlinson to speak first during the debate and she proposed ‘Approval’ and Cllr Michael Tomlinson ‘seconded’.

A previous Application for the same site had already been refused. Wednesday night's application was substantially the same application again, and carried the Planning Officers recommendation to ‘refuse’ on the same ‘grounds’ as the last application.

Neither the Applicant nor his Agent spoke at the Meeting. It is most unusual for Applicant or Agent not to put their case to the Committee, especially when the recommendation is ‘refusal’.

The site is not in the Local Plan for development and the development was contrary to Thanet Local Plan Policies CC1, CC2, CC9 and T3. Kent & Medway Structure Plan SS8, EN1, EP9 and EP10.

Various headings in the report also supported ‘refusal:-

Principle of Development will not generally be permitted unless there is a need for the development that overrides the need to protect the countryside.

Loss of Best and most versatile Agricultural Land – it is acknowledged that the Caravan Park would result in the loss of prime agricultural land.

Impact on the Character of the Area – the site is located on the open Central Chalk Plateau and would undoubtedly damage the openness of the countryside.

Sustainability – the site is poorly located in relation to the primary and secondary road network and is not highly accessible by foot, cycle and public transport.

Manston Court Road- is a narrow road that does not allow two cars to pass in places. Any additional traffic would have an impact on road safety.

In the report the Planning Officer stated: - “To conclude I consider that the economic benefits to the local area would not outweigh the potential harm resulting from the loss of open countryside and the unsustainable location would result in additional vehicle movements. As such I recommend the Members refuse this application,”

Amazingly, prior to the final vote the Conservative Chairman stated that there were ‘only’ a few unimportant issues outstanding.

Published by Thanet Labour Group, 44 Northdown Road, Margate, Kent, CT9 2RW.