Issue - meetings

Background:

This report provided details of the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) Management Plan, which was attached at Appendix 2 to the report.

Medway had a proportion of the Kent Downs AONB within its jurisdiction, located to the south of Medway around Halling and Cuxton, Nashenden and south of the M2 near Parkwood. The Management Plan set out the policies for the conservation and enhancement of this protected landscape, and supported the social and economic wellbeing of its communities. It was noted that the policies in the plan were not land use planning policies but were for the wider management of the AONB.

The report provided details of the review process and the content of the Management Plan. It was considered that the Kent Downs AONB Management Plan (Second Revision) had been prepared appropriately and fulfilled the requirements of the statutory obligations placed on the Council under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act. This had been confirmed by Natural England.

The Regeneration, Community and Culture Overview and Scrutiny Committee had considered the issue on 14 August 2013 and its comments were set out in paragraph 6 of the report.

A Diversity Impact Assessment screening, as set out in Appendix 3 to the report, had been carried out on the management plan. It was found that the plan did not favour any particular social groups and that there were no differential impacts on local communities.

It was noted that the plan was going forward for adoption to al local authorities within the administrative areas in the Kent Downs AONB, with a mutually agreed adoption date of 14 Mach 2014.

Reasons:

To fulfil the statutory requirements on the authority to produce and revise a management plan for the AONB.