Agenda and draft minutes

This session is limited to 30 minutes.

1.    From Mr C Deane to Councillor Wimble, Cabinet Member for the District Economy

In light of F&HDC's recent acquisitions would the Council consider the purchase the old ALDI store in Hythe for community use as a potential library; IT centre; town offices; Civic centre 'outpost', tourist information, gallery, and more besides? It may add significantly to the wellbeing of the High Street and the cost may be offset by the sale of other premises.

1.    From Mr C Deane to Councillor Wimble, Cabinet Member for the District Economy (in Councillor Wimble’s absence, Councillor Monk, Leader of the Council gave the response to this question)

In light of F&HDC's recent acquisitions would the Council consider the purchase the old ALDI store in Hythe for community use as a potential library; IT centre; town offices; Civic centre 'outpost', tourist information, gallery, and more besides? It may add significantly to the wellbeing of the High Street and the cost may be offset by the sale of other premises.

ANSWER:

Thanks for your question Mr Deane.

The Council is not seeking to provide a facility of this nature in Hythe although it may be that a community led project would be of interest to other stakeholders in relation to the wide range of uses you have outlined. I would encourage you to raise this with Hythe Town Council and local groups who may keen to take this forward.

This session is limited to 45 minutes.

1.    From Councillor Keen to Councillor Peall, Cabinet Member for Enforcement, Regulatory Services, Waste and Building Control

The building in Cheriton High St formally known as the White Lion Public House has been derelict since 2006, 15 years.  The building has fallen into a state of disrepair and local residents in the area  report issues with rats and are concerned that since the roof was removed that the building is open to the elements and the building is unsafe it is also not secure which could lead to it being broken in to and set on fire.

The Building Act of 1925 sections 77 & 78 states that a Local Authority can take steps and order the owner to make the building safe or take emergency action to make said building safe.

Can this issue please be dealt with as a matter of urgency haven`t we as the Local Authority got a duty of care to the residents in the nearby properties/area to take such action?

2.    From Councillor Keen to Councillor Monk, Leader of the Council

Now that we have finally left the EU and we are in the early stages of what was known as the oven ready deal coupled with the chaos that was caused when France closed it boarders to UK traffic due to a new strain of the Covid being discovered.  Although freight is now moving freely and COVID testing in place for drivers the stress and anxiety it caused for local people who have to commute out of the district for work was huge and local roads and the motor way were strewn with rubbish left by the freight traffic.

Can I please ask what contingency plans do we have in place is something like the events leading up to the 1 January happen again?  Had there been a major incident during that period where the M20 and local roads were impassable the outcome could have had a devastating outcome.  A 45-minute trip from Maidstone to Folkestone took over 3 hours.  Please advise what will be done to safeguard residents.

3.    From Councillor Whybrow to Councillor Wimble, Cabinet Member for the District Economy

Can you please let me know the total cost of the council being represented by a QC at the Examination in Public of the Core Strategy Review?

4.    From Councillor Treloar to Councillor Peall, Cabinet Member for Enforcement, Regulatory Services, Waste and Building Control

Considering the noise pollution and disturbance to people and wildlife that jet skis can cause on our otherwise peaceful shoreline, is there any scope in our bye-laws relating to leisure craft to further reduce the speed limit or distance from the shore at which jet-skiers can operate their craft?

5.    From Councillor Meade to Councillor Field, Cabinet Member for Digital Transformation

With the further roll out of Residents parking in the area and also the update of our council website would it be possible to simplify the process for booking  ...  view the full agenda text for item 2.

1.    From Councillor Keen to Councillor Peall, Cabinet Member for  Enforcement, Regulatory Services, Waste and Building Control (in Councillor Peall’s absence, Councillor Monk, Leader of the Council gave the response to this question)

The building in Cheriton High St formally known as the White Lion Public House has been derelict since 2006, 15 years.  The building has fallen into a state of disrepair and local residents in the area  report issues with rats and are concerned that since the roof was removed that the building is open to the elements and the building is unsafe it is also not secure which could lead to it being broken in to and set on fire.

The Building Act of 1925 sections 77 & 78 states that a Local Authority can take steps and order the owner to make the building safe or take emergency action to make said building safe.

Can this issue please be dealt with as a matter of urgency haven`t we as the Local Authority got a duty of care to the residents in the nearby properties/area to take such action?

ANSWER:

Thank you for your question.

A former complaint about waste accumulating at this location was registered where an Environmental Protection Officer investigated the matter and met the developer onsite. They discovered it was mostly material from inside the former pub which had been left outside, which the majority was later cleared. We are not aware of any reports about rats at this location and we would ask that any residents affected by this should report their experience via the council’s website Report It function so this can be investigated accordingly.

Building Control have inspected the building and have not deemed it dangerous to the public. A gap in the security fencing was found and this was re-secured and closed by our officer. The Architect has stated that the client is keen to proceed with the works as the relevant planning matters are  finalised.

I believe the property was purchased by developers and we do have an initial notice on file from a private Building Control Body for its renovation. I further note we had a report of two dislodged security lights hanging by their wires in January last year which were re-secured at the time.

We carry out inspections throughout the District most weeks under Sections 77 and 78 of the Building Act 1984. They are mostly following sudden events such as storm damage, fire, flooding and vehicle impacts and are requested by the emergency services attending. We also inspect buildings reported by members of the public as suffering from decay. In all cases, the building is assessed for the presence of a clear and present danger to the public.

Often, in the case of decay and with long-term empty buildings that have become an eyesore or nuisance, where renovation/repair works are sought to improve the amenities of the area, notices under Section 215 of the Town and Country Planning Act are more appropriate. These are served by  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.