The Portfolio Holder for Housing and Balanced Communities introduced a report outlining the work undertaken by the Council and Partners to improve community facilities in Dunton Green and Riverhead to mitigate the impact of the new Berkeley Homes development on the West Kent Cold Store site, in accordance with the Section 106 Agreement.  The report included the outcome of community consultations and details of potential projects which could be funded by the £1,234,894 Community Facilities Fund.

The Portfolio Holder for Housing and Balanced Communities informed the Cabinet that since the report had been published Riverhead Parish Council had secured additional funding for improvements to St Mary’s steps and it was therefore proposed to reduce the proposed allocation of funding in recommendation 5 by £6,000 to £59,000.  The Portfolio Holder proposed that this £6,000 should be diverted to the programme of activity to ensure that the improvement projects foster the use of the community buildings and that the amount allocated in recommendation 6 should be increased to £150,894 accordingly.

The Head of Community Development reported that there had been extensive consultation with all households in both parishes and that the Steering Group had developed the recommendations.  Referring to the two projects that had received no allocation of funding, the Head of Community development explained that the Steering Group had felt that the resurfacing of Donnington Hall’s car park was maintenance work that should have been undertaken over a number of years and that the project did not provide a community facility or mitigate the development.  The rules of Dunton Green’s Social Club restricted open access to the facility.  The Steering Group felt that the application should not be taken forward as the criteria for funding stipulating that community facilities should be provided had not been met.

Mindful that Kent County Council (KCC) were currently undertaking a review of library services, the Cabinet expressed the view that some form of library provision should be included in the proposed capital project to be developed by Dunton Green Parish Council on the site of the existing pavilion and recreation ground supported by the proposed allocation of funding contained in recommendation 1. It was recognised that this was a KCC function but the Head of Community Development was asked to pursue this with KCC as part of discussions concerning the review of library facilities, as part of number 1 on the recommendations table.

A Member queried whether the Donnington Hall application, where no allocation of s106 funding was proposed, could be eligible for funding from the Big Community Fund.  The Head of Community Development confirmed that an application could be eligible but an appraisal would be necessary to determine this.

Resolved: that the following recommendations be agreed: