Author: Lesley

Shepway have just released this press release. Please put the dates in your diaries and make sure you get to at least one of the sessions.

“Two public exhibitions on plans that will shape the future of Princes Parade are being held this month.

In April Shepway District Council’s Cabinet decided that a new swimming pool and recreation centre, new homes and new public open spaces should form the basis of a planning application.

Shepway’s cabinet will be discussing Princes Parade at the cabinet meeting on 20th December at 4pm. This is a change of date so please make a note in your diaries. The notice said “This report seeks cabinet approval to submit a planning application for the redevelopment of land at Princes Parade, Hythe to provide a mix of uses including a Recreation Centre, homes, public open space, car parking and small scale commercial uses. It also considers procurement matters.”

Glad to see that Hythe Town Council will be considering its response to the local plan at the Plans & Works meeting next Tues at 9.30am. The public are allowed to observe this meeting so it would be good if some people could go along – more details:http://www.hythetc.kentparishes.gov.uk/…/PW%20Agenda%2001.1… . This would  be a good time to email the Hythe Town Councillors  Contact details herehttp://www.hythetc.kentparishes.gov.uk/default.cfm?pid=5275

Princes Parade is not on the agenda for next week’s cabinet meeting after all so our protest is cancelled. It is now due to be discussed at cabinet on 14th December so we will reschedule the protest then.

And a date for your diary. At the Shepway Cabinet meeting on 19th October the planning application for Princes Parade will be on the agenda “Further to the resolution of Cabinet on the 13th April 2016 (Report C/16/98) this report seeks agreement on the detail and nature of the proposed planning application.” The relevant papers won’t be published until the week before. Cabinet meetings are usually at 5pm.

We’re going to be talking a lot about the upcoming local plan consultation over the next few weeks because it’s crucial that you all understand why it’s so important that everyone submits comments objecting to the proposals for Princes Parade. If PP is allocated as a development site in the final version of the Local Plan then that would effectively mean that the principle of development on the site had been agreed and any planning application submitted at that stage would just be a formality. Of course things are complicated by the fact that Shepway seem determined to submit a planning application before the local plan has been finalised but we still need you all to take part in the consultation.

The next Local Plan Consultation is on the agenda for next week’s cabinet meeting. Cabinet members are being asked to approve the latest draft preferred options document and the consultation arrangements. As we already knew Princes Parade has been identifed as the site for the new leisure centre and 150 new homes. The main document (page 79 onwards) refers to an appropriate mix of flats, terraced town houses and pavilion housing along the seafront. It says there is an opportunity for 8 self build/custom build and also refers to discussions with the Hythe Sailing Club although as we know the members have voted not to move to Princes Parade. There is also a policy about community facilities in Hythe (ie the leisure centre) on p242. Appendix 1 (page 356) lists the reasons why the Imperial Golf Course has been deemed not suitable for development. Page 344 lists the “saved policies” that are being deleted. The ones relating to PP are TM8 (recreation) which it says “is no longer required” and LR9 (open space) “Covered by NPPF and Policy C3”. Appendix 2 lists the sites that were considered as open spaces including PP but it gives no reasons why the sites were not included. Subject to cabinet approval the public consultation will open on 30 Sept for 6 weeks so watch this space and we will tell you how you can take part and object to the inclusion of PP as a development site. http://www.shepway.gov.uk/moderngov/documents/s20276/rcabt20160914%20appendix%20to%20places%20and%20policies.pdf
There is also a summary of the responses to the last local plan consultation and an attempt to explain how those responses have been taken into account in drawing up this new document. PP is on page 28. Note that they haven’t listed all the respondees as there were too many of us!
http://www.shepway.gov.uk/…/rcabt20160914%20appendix%202%20…

In May 2014 Shepway published a newsletter about their plans for Princes Parade. This promised  that “a small number of quality houses is also proposed to help meet local housing needs within the district.” How did we get from that to 150 new homes? In answer to the question “Won’t development have a negative visual impact on many residents?” the answer was “The council is insisting on low-profile,eco-friendly designs and is committed to minimising the visual impact on the surrounding area.” So why does the recent scoping report for the Envirnmental Impact Assessment refer to 4 storey buildings? And how could a leisure centre ever be low profile anyway?

The July 2014 newsletter said “a legally binding covenant be drawn up to protect the proposed parkland and open space from any future development proposals not directly related to the site’s leisure and educational objectives”. Something else that seems to have been forgotten.

And why haven’t Shepway published a Princes Parade newsletter since then?

newsletter June

 

newsletter May