Agenda item

Question A – Neil Davies, of Chatham, asked the Portfolio Holder for Climate Change and Strategic Regeneration, Councillor Curry, the following:

“Can the Council confirm that they have reviewed all the current house building plans laid out in the Medway Local Plan and are satisfied that the water infrastructure is in place to accommodate that level of building works given the recent water shortages across Kent?

In giving your answer, you should advise what plans the Council has in place to deal with such a situation if it does arise.”

In response, Councillor Curry said that he recognised the concerns raised based on the experience that other authorities in Kent had in relation to water infrastructure and South East Water.

Medway was covered by Southern Water and the Council had involved and consulted them throughout the entire Local Plan process. They had been kept fully informed of the housing/development need and the specific sites allocated within the emerging Local Plan.

Comments from Southern Water had been reflected in the Plan; for instance in the case for a stepped trajectory in housing delivery to allow time for network reinforcement.

Strategic infrastructure like wastewater treatment works was funded through the water industry’s five-yearly investment plans, while the needs set out in Southern Water’s current investment period for 2020 to 2030 for wastewater, water supply and measures to reduce storm overflow were included within the Council’s Infrastructure Delivery Plan, which informs the infrastructure needs/asks in relation to the Local Plan.

There was nothing from Southern Water that would indicate or suggest a lack of network capacity that would negatively impact the scale and growth proposed in the Local Plan.

The Council’s Planning Service would continue to engage with Southern Water as the Local Plan went through examination and on to adoption.

Neil Davies asked the following supplementary question:

“Great to hear that the Council is confident with water. Is there any infrastructure that the Council does have concerns around the housebuilding?”

Councillor Curry said that at this stage he was not aware of any concerns. The Local Plan process was extremely complex and the infrastructure required for the process included schools, roads and electricity supply, amongst other things. These factors were considered in detail by the Planning Team. There were water problems associated with farming on the Hoo Peninsula which needed to be addressed.

Question B – Iain Childs, of Chatham, asked the Portfolio Holder for Climate Change and Strategic Regeneration, Councillor Curry,the following:

“Does the Portfolio Holder agree with me that although the Draft Local Plan, which is due for examination shortly, makes excellent strides on the issue of public transport, that there is more that could be done, particularly on routes 151 and 170 to improve the lives of people in Cuxton, Halling and Riverside wards?”

In response, Councillor Curry said that he agreed that high-quality public transport played a vital role in connecting communities and improving access to jobs, education, healthcare and other services. This was particularly important for residents in Cuxton, Halling and the Riverside ward.

He was pleased that the draft Local Plan placed a strong emphasis on sustainable transport and supported measures that would help improve public transport accessibility across Medway.

With regard to bus routes 151 and 170, those services were operated commercially by Arriva and decisions on routes, frequencies and timetables were ultimately matters for the operator. However, Councillor Curry recognised the importance of these services for local communities and welcomed any opportunities to improve public transport provision where this was supported by passenger demand and available funding.

Through the Enhanced Partnership with bus operators, the Council worked closely with the bus industry and neighbouring authorities to identify opportunities to maintain and enhance services across Medway. Councillor Curry regularly met with the bus operators to discuss issues around service delivery and investment in Medway. The Council looked forward to proposed changes in regulation of services to give more local control and the Council would continue to listen to residents and local Members as part of those discussions.

Iain Childs asked the following supplementary question:

“Would he not also agree that there is potential for Medway and future local authorities to take advantage of new powers that were coming in the Bus Services Act that would allow local authorities to franchise and define services, rather than relying on operators to take a profit risk or demand significant subsidies for running the services that we require?”

Councillor Curry said that the answer was yes and that the Council had written to the Secretary of State to express support for bus franchising. As and when it arrived in Medway, efforts would be made to take forward arrangements.