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Present: Councillor D Callahan (Chairman), Councillors, B Fletcher, J
Heasman, N Hilditch, G Hodgson, T Hutt, R Lawford, D Monk and G Ward
Apologies for Absence: District Councillor D Godfrey
Officer Present: Mrs Tina Wiles (Clerk) Peter Setterfield (Assistant
Clerk)
981. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
Councillor Councillor R Lawford declared a personal interest in minute
984, Hawkinge Community Football and Sports Trust as he is the Chairman
of Hawkinge Youth Football Club. He did not take part in the discussion
or voting on this item. Councillor G Hodgson declared a prejudicial
interest in minute 984, Hawkinge Community Football and Sports Trust and
was absent for the discussion and voting.
982. PLANNING APPLICATION Y10/0711/SH HAWKINGE COMMUNITY CENTRE
(LAND NORTH OF) HERON FORSTAL AVENUE HAWKINGE.
Erection of a 640 sqm supermarket, together with associated 75 space car
park (to be shared with Community Centre) and access and landscaping.
The Chairman presented the application.
Proposed by Councillor T Hutt
Seconded by Councillor B Fletcher and
RESOLVED: To adjourn the meeting to allow members of the public
to give their views.
The members of the public then gave their views.
The meeting then re-convened.
The Council considered the application in detail and raised strong
objections.
Proposed by Councillor T Hutt
Seconded by B Fetcher and
RESOLVED: To raise strong objections to the application on
grounds of safety and inadequate car parking and which are detailed in
full on appendix 1 to these minutes.
(Voting: For 8; Against 0; Abstentions 1)
983. TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS
REPORT HPC/11/08 sets out proposals for the use of Section 106 funding
from Hawkinge Developments for spending on Highway and Transportation
improvements.
Proposed by Councillor D D Monk
Seconded by Councillor J Heasman and
RESOLVED :
1. To receive and note report HPC/11/08
To release the sum of £35,000 currently held by Kent County Council to
progress the schemes set out in paragraph 2 of Report HPC/11/08.
To receive a further report on proposals utilising the £73,000.
(Voting: For 9;Against 0; Abstentions 0)
984. HAWKINGE COMMUNITY FOOTBALL AND SPORTS TRUST
The Council was asked to nominate a replacement Trustee for the Vice
Chairman who wished to stand down as Trustee.
Proposed by Councillor D Monk
Seconded by Councillor G Ward
To nominate Councillor B Fletcher to the vacancy.
Proposed by Councillor D Callahan
Seconded by Councillor T Hutt
To nominate Councillor J Heasman
(Voting: 3 votes for Councillor Fletcher; 2 votes for Councillor Heasman)
and it was
RESOLVED: That Councillor B Fletcher be appointed as Trustee on
the Hawkinge Community Football and Sports Trust.
HAWKINGE PARISH COUNCIL.
OBJECTIONS TO Y10/0711/SH
HAWKINGE COMMUNITY CENTRE (LAND NORTH OF) HERON FORSTAL AVENUE HAWKINGE.
For the attention of Ben Geering.
The Parish Council Strongly Object to the above planning application on
the grounds of inadequate parking contrary to policy and inadequate
safety.
The visibility splays in place are inadequate for large goods vehicles
as they need greater visibility. No lorries will be able to negotiate
the mini roundabouts in Heron Forstal Avenue posing a great danger to
cars at the entrance to the site.
Parking Spaces do not comply with Shepway District Council Cabinet
decision of Report C/06/136 in that the development would put the
Community Centre in breach of its planning conditions.
Planning policy guideline 13, Transportation, gives a figure of 1
parking space per 14m² for a retail store which equates to 48 spaces.
Disabled spaces are in addition. The plan shows 75 spaces including 15
owned by Hawkinge Community Centre, who are not under any obligation to
share, which leaves 60 of which 2 are designated motorcycles and 5
disabled therefore a car park of 53 spaces. Given that the Community
Centre operates during the same hours as the store this potentially
leaves 5 spaces for the Community Centre a clear breach of its planning
consent. It should also be noted that the Hawkinge Baptist Church is
located on the first floor of the Community Centre and allowance needs
to be made for their usage of the car park. Using the aforementioned
guidelines a car park of at least 120 spaces would be required if the
development were to be permitted.
There is a serious potential danger to the public as delivery vehicles
will be driving through the Customer parking area with people standing
behind vehicles loading their shopping.
Whilst the unloading area has been increased to allow delivery vehicles
to carry out a seven point turn, this is assumes that delivery vehicles
will be rigid, articulated vehicles would have difficulty. Delivery
vehicles carrying out a seven point turn would create a noise nuisance
via the constant high engine revs required and the constant bleeping of
reversing horns (compulsory) creating a nuisance to neighbouring
domestic properties and businesses.
There is no provision for multiple deliveries. No delivery vehicle will
have knowledge of any other vehicle occupying the delivery bay,
resulting in the second vehicle finding the delivery area in use and
having to reverse back past parked cars, pedestrians and cyclists, to
the Community Centre area and driving forward out of the site to park
elsewhere. This is assuming that
There is somewhere to park
That no other large van or delivery vehicle has entered the site.
There is no parking area shown for delivery vehicles waiting to unload.
The potential danger to the public is immense.
The proposed acoustic barrier is only 3m high delivery vehicles with
refrigeration units are also approximately this height. Whilst willow
has been proposed as the barrier has research been carried out to ensure
that this is the right species for the site? Who is going to be
responsible for the future maintenance of this barrier and how will the
householder’s side of the barrier be accessed?
What provision is being made for out of hours deliveries? Are delivery
vehicles going to be allowed access or are they going to find a
convenient place to park in nearby roads and wait till the following
morning.
There appears to be no provision for access to the Hawkinge Community
Centre car park during the building phase nor for the provision of car
parking for the use of users of that facility which includes the Baptist
Church and the Post Office and Parish Council Offices.
No statistical evidence has been provided with regard to the usage of
the proposed store compared with the Community Centre which regularly
hosts events with up to 300 people in attendance. No mention has been
made of the Hawkinge Baptist Church when calculating use of the
Community Centre, it cannot be assumed that they only use the premises
on a Sunday. Overlapping of peak times will result in parking problems
where users of all the facilities will be unable to access a parking
space therefore parking in Heron Forstal Avenue resulting in delivery
lorries becoming stuck in narrow residential streets as a result traffic
will back up onto Spitfire Way resulting in the A260 becoming blocked in
both directions.
The proposed pedestrian/cycle crossing from the store to the Community
Centre crosses in front of the unloading bay of the Community Centre
which is not shown on the plan. The area is shown as paved the unloading
bay is in frequent use throughout the day. The siting of this crossing
is totally unacceptable as it puts the Public, especially young
children, at risk of serious injury.
Despite amendments to the plans Policy QL1 Safe and Secure environment
and Policy QL2 Safety and ambience of the public realm still have not
been met.
The lack of sufficient parking for the Community Centre will have an
adverse effect on its financial viability, and the Parish Council having
spent almost £2million on the building sense that the public firmly
believe that no building should take place that puts the Community
Centre in jeopardy.
At the Hawkinge Parish Council meeting to consider the application over
80 people attended and voiced their opposition to this application. The
Parish Council has received no communication in favour. At the Annual
Parish Meeting residents passed a unanimous resolution that they were
totally against the building of any store or supermarket on the land
behind the Community Centre.
This area of land is designated in the Local Plan as being for Social or
Community facility use not as a retail unit.
Shepway District Council, as applicant, applied for and was granted
outline planning permission under application Y01/1079/SH for a
Community Centre and convenience store with associated parking. The
Officer’s report quotes the Highways Manager “I have no objection in
principle to this application based upon the limited information on
possible uses for the centre. The servicing arrangements look difficult
for manoeuvring within the space available and must be shown to avoid
any vehicles reversing onto the highway” Reasons 5 and 6 highlighted on
the grant again relate to parking and delivery vehicles. The access for
the application was to be from Canterbury Road through the area occupied
by the Village Hall owned by Hawkinge Parish Council.
This was not followed through when the Community Centre was built. The
only vehicular access for this current application being via Heron
Forstal Avenue which was not designed for this type of usage.
If approved this application could create serious parking problems on
the surrounding roads and put immense pressure on the Village Hall car
park, which is not a Public Car Park, but provided to allow parking for
events at the Village Hall and should parking overspill from the
Store/Community Centre site causing parking problems for the Village
Hall the Parish Council would have to consider limiting the Village Hall
Car Park for Village Hall users only.
Hawkinge Gazette and Channel Coast News
2011© |
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