1. Mote Road as identified on the Policies Map, is allocated for the development of approximately 172 dwellings, and approximately 1,250m2 new employment floorspace. The following conditions are considered appropriate to be met before development is permitted.

Design and Layout

2. An ‘Opportunity Site’ Brief has been prepared for the site, to guide development. The following principles should guide the overall scheme.

3. Development shall be of a high quality, creating a contemporary landmark building.

4. Development shall create a strong built frontage to Mote Road/Wat Tyler Way, whilst also enabling the enhancement of the public realm to the frontage, incorporating new tree planting.

5. The height and massing of buildings shall be informed by a townscape assessment which assess the potential impacts and benefits of the wider town centre skyline.

6. The development shall demonstrate that the massing and form preserves the setting of the listed properties in Romney Place plus other nearby heritage assets.

7. The scheme shall incorporate measures to mitigate climate change, including air source heat pumps, renewable energy, heating, and cooling.

Uses

8. The development should seek to optimise the level of commercial floorspace that can be achieved on site with the aspiration to achieve a minimum of 2,000m2 of office floorspace. Any scheme which includes a lesser amount of office floorspace should be accompanied by a viability assessment that considers alternative delivery and management approaches and their impact on viability. It should clearly set out the sales and build costs assumptions used and demonstrate that the amount of office floorspace is the maximum which could be provided as part of a viable development.

9. The residential elements of the scheme shall be sited where they are not adversely impacted by the site’s wider environmental conditions.

Landscape/Ecology

10. A phase 1 habitat survey will be required, which may as a result require on and/or-off site mitigation for the existing habitat of local fauna/ flora.

11. Any detailed design shall incorporate measures to enable the greening of the site, for example, the introduction of living walls.

12. Should site characteristics limit the potential for on-site biodiversity benefits, it may be appropriate to make contributions to wider townscape enhancement schemes.

Access/Highways and Transportation

13. Town centre locations benefit from lower trip rates and lower car ownership levels, reducing the level of mitigation necessary.

14. If a car free development or reduced level of parking is proposed, the application shall be accompanied by a parking management and impact assessment to demonstrate that optimal use is made of the site’s capacity and to ensure no adverse impacts on surrounding residential streets. Where necessary, proportionate contributions will be required to sustainable transport improvements within the town centre.

15. Secure cycle parking for residents to be provided.

16. The development should provide improved pedestrian crossing facilities in the vicinity of the site to be agreed with the council and the Highway Authority.

Noise

17. Development will be subject to a noise survey to determine any necessary measures in respect of its town centre location with particular regard to the impacts of vehicular traffic, service traffic to adjacent sites and the activity associated with the site’s town centre location.

18. The scheme shall be designed with adequate noise insulation for future residents in order that the ongoing viability of surrounding commercial uses is not compromised.

Air Quality

19. The site lies within an area of poor air quality. Appropriate air quality mitigation measures are to be agreed with the council will be implemented at an early stage of design development. These shall ensure that new residents are not exposed to unacceptable conditions and to also ensure that the development does not adversely impact upon existing air quality levels.

Open Space

20. Notwithstanding the site’s central urban location, the development shall provide a range of amenity areas for residents.

21. Appropriate residential amenity space may take the form of balconies and/or terraces, subject to their ability to provide an acceptable level of amenity having regard to noise, air quality and adjacency of other uses.

22. Where it is not feasible, due to site characteristics, to provide an appropriate level of on-site amenity space for residents in accordance with policies LPRSP13 and LPRINF1, the scheme shall make appropriate financial contributions towards off-site provision/ public realm improvements within the wider town centre.

Utilities Infrastructure

23. Connections to the nearest points of the network (with adequate capacity) will be required for all utilities.

Land Contamination

24. The submission of a land contamination report and appropriate mitigation measures to be implemented prior to development commencing.

For more information, please visit Maidstone’s Local Plan Maidstone Borough Council Local Plan 2021-2038