Public speaking at Council meetings

Questions from Councillors

Question from Councillor Pugh to Councillor Albon

It is great news that the Nayland Rock shelter has been refurbished but we still have many sea shelters along our coastline that are in a terrible state of disrepair. Can Cllr Albon explain what the plan is to bring these shelters back into use.

Response:

To follow.

Question from Councillor Crittenden to Councillor Duckworth:

Although it is still early days in the preparation for local government reorganization, it has to be clear that this will involve a complex range of factors.  Having recently finally secured funding for the Eastcliff waterfall and other monuments and memorials such as the Destiny peace memorial in Ramsgate, what precautions will be taken to protect our community and heritage assets before restructuring is finalised.

Response:

To follow.

Question from Cllr W.Scobie to Cllr Yates:

Can the Cabinet Member please provide an overview of the Council’s Director and Officer Insurance, specifically in relation to employment disputes and compensation, including  financial limits? Could the Cabinet Member also confirm if this policy has been triggered in the last six years with regards to employment disputes and compensation?

Response:

To follow.

Question from Cllr Fellows to Cllr Everitt:

Thanet has missed hitting its housing targets set by Central Government, both past and present.  It appears that missing these targets has resulted in Thanet being placed in a very difficult position, when it comes to refusing applications for housing developments.  A recent developer’s appeal was overturned by the Planning Inspector and his report indicated there was a failure to complete a sequential approach by the applicant when justifying the loss of BMV farmland.  Apparently, the applicant had indicated that as 91% of land in Thanet is BMV land, TDC has to allow the loss of farmland in order to achieve its housing targets.

1. How many houses remain outstanding against the current housing target and when, if ever, is Thanet expected to reach the target?

Response:

To follow.

Question from Cllr Braidwood to Cllr Everitt:

How are developers able to submit plans for a housing application on land greater than that allocated in the Local Plan?

Response:

To follow.

Questions from Press and Public:

Question from Ms Brown to Cllr Everitt:

Over the past five years TDC’s planning team and committee has approved many planning applications for large and small developments, much of it on Thanet’s BMV farmland.

What are the figures today for houses built so far, to be completed and how many applications have not even been started?

Response:

To follow. 

Question from Ms McCourt to Cllr Everitt:

Thanet District Council has acknowledged in the past that Thanet’s housing targets are over predicted, at 17,140. ONS data figures show how Thanet has, in fact, a negative population increase; with low and falling birth rates, high and rising death rates and inward and outward migration to and from the district being stagnant.

We seem to be continually chasing these housing targets but never actually achieving them. Windfall sites, outside the local plan, are given permissions across Thanet, including building on our BMV farmland.

How are these windfall sites ‘contributing’ to the diminishing of our housing targets?

Response:

To follow.