Agenda and minutes

Venue: Online Viewing Only

Contact: Charles Hungwe 

Link: This meeting will be held by video call

Media

Items
No. Item

651.

Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

There were no apologies received at the meeting.

652.

Declarations of Interest pdf icon PDF 113 KB

To receive any declarations of interest. Members are advised to consider the advice contained within the Declaration of Interest advice attached to this Agenda. If a Member declares an interest, they should complete the Declaration of Interest Form

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest.

653.

Minutes of Previous Meeting pdf icon PDF 54 KB

To approve the summary of recommendations and decisions of the Cabinet meeting held on 12 March 2020, copy attached.

Minutes:

Councillor Everitt proposed, and Councillor Yates seconded and Members agreed the minutes as a correct record of the meeting held on 12 March 2020.

654.

Thanet Destination Management Framework pdf icon PDF 123 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Cabinet considered proposals for the Destination Management Framework set out shared key priorities for strengthening and growing Thanet’s visitor economy for the next five years. The Framework was focused on key things that would make the biggest difference to growing the local visitor economy, making it more sustainable and building on the work achieved through the first Destination Management Plan, which was developed in 2012/13.

 

The meeting was advised that Blue Sail, a leading destination consultancy firm was commissioned by the Council last autumn to develop the Framework, which drew on views of local stakeholders. These views were gathered through one to one meetings, interviews, an interactive workshop with more than 50 people attending, and via an online survey. Blue Sail also used recent research both at a local level, including volume and value data, the results of visitor surveys carried out face to face, and perception research as well as national research on holiday trends and coast perceptions.

 

The priorities and actions in the Framework include

 

·  Making Thanet’s town centres more attractive to visitors and providing more of the right kind of accommodation. Thanet also has the benefit of bidding into the Future High Street Fund for Ramsgate, and has been allocated a Town Deal opportunity for Margate.

 

·  Looking at year-round experiences, activities and facilities at key sites along the coast, including reviewing the opportunity of assets in the Council’s ownership and taking advantage of the growth interest in wellbeing experiences and outdoor activities.

 

·  Using strong themes which provide a distinctive and authentic welcome that encompasses visitor experience. The Tourism team will support the private sector to develop experiences via the Interreg funded Experience project working with Visit Kent.

 

Partnership working and collaboration will be a key factor to moving the local tourism industry forward after the COVID-19 crisis. It would also help to retain the £319 million that tourism was worth to the local economy, 7,950 jobs (20% of jobs in Thanet) and the local services that it supported.

 

The following Members spoke under Council Procedure Rule 20.1:

 

Councillor Campbell;

Councillor Bailey;

Councillor Hart;

Councillor Bayford.

 

Councillor Duckworth proposed, Councillor Everitt seconded and Cabinet formally adopted the Thanet Destination Management Framework.

655.

Thanet Local Plan - Inspectors’ Report (Reg 25) And Adoption (Reg 26) pdf icon PDF 165 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Cabinet acknowledged that the Council was now at the final stages of the work towards the adoption of a new Local Plan for Thanet. The Plan was part of the council’s policy framework and was therefore required to be adopted by a meeting of the full council. This was currently scheduled for 9 July 2020.

 

Members were also advised that there would also be an opportunity for the final draft plan to be discussed at the Overview and Scrutiny Panel on 26 May 2020. The draft Thanet Local Plan was submitted for independent Examination in October 2018. Examination hearings commenced on 2 April 2019 and were completed on 18 July 2019.

 

Following the examination, the Planning Inspector recommended a number of modifications to the draft plan. These proposed modifications were subject to a public consultation.

 

The Inspectors considered the representations made during the consultation and then submitted their report to the council, which was attached to the Cabinet report as annex 1. On this issue, the Inspector was required to make a judgement about the “soundness” of the draft plan. The overall conclusion of the Inspectors report was that the draft plan was “sound”, subject to the adoption of the modifications recommended within their report. A summary of the modifications was attached at annex 2 to the Cabinet report.

 

The final draft of the Local Plan, incorporating the inspectors recommended modifications was attached to the Cabinet report as annex 3. Cabinet agreed that this report together with the Inspectors’ modifications be recommended to full council for adoption.

 

The report also recommended that the Landscape Character Assessment be adopted as a Supplementary Planning Document.

 

The following Members spoke under Council Procedure Rule 20.1:

 

Councillor Bailey;

Councillor Pugh;

Councillor Game;

Councillor Dexter.

 

Councillor Everitt proposed, Councillor Albon seconded and Cabinet recommended to Council the following, to:

 

1.  Adopt the Thanet Local Plan, subject to the modifications set out in the Inspectors’ Report; and

 

2.  Adopt the Landscape Character Assessment as a Supplementary Planning Document.