Question 11: To what extent do you agree with the proposed policy for dayrooms and amenity blocks? Please provide comments to support your answer.
Q11 – Monitoring and Review Additional Comment • Annual review is good, but more frequent data collection is recommended to address emerging issues promptly.
Headcorn Parish Council is broadly comfortable with the wording of Policy TR9: Dayrooms and amenity blocks. However, it considers that TR9 Part 1.a would be improved if “single storey” were moved to the start of the paragraph, or were set out as a separate subclause. 10 The parts of the subclause before and after “single storey” are linked and should be read together, while the single storey requirement is a standalone requirement. Headcorn Parish Council does not support the proposed use of semi-detached amenity blocks proposed in the supporting text and accompanying diagrams. Headcorn Parish Council considers that semi-detached amenity blocks as envisaged are likely to become a source of tension within sites, which would be contrary to the requirements for sustainability from a social perspective. In addition, the suggested layout shown in the diagrams within the supporting text would also fail to support renewable energy options, as only one side of the building will be suitable for solar panels, and that side will also benefit from better access to natural light. The proposals would therefore be contrary to the requirement for sustainability from an environmental perspective. Headcorn Parish Council considers that the detriments experienced by one family in each semi-detached block (as shown) means that a terraced design for amenity blocks might be more effective, if a cost effective solution was needed. A terraced design would have several potential benefits over the illustrated semi-detached amenity blocks: all families would benefit from the same ability to capture solar energy and to benefit from natural daylight; it would reduce the span of any party walls, and with appropriate layout design could reduce potential sources of tension such as noise, as well as making it easier for individual families to repair and maintain their own section of the building (such as dealing with issues in the roof), without the need for joint agreement; the building would be narrower, reducing the roof height and therefore visual impact on the countryside; the building could be designed in a way that would mimic agricultural buildings, such as stables, rather than small squat buildings that are out of keeping with the built environment in the countryside around Maidstone and in particular within Headcorn Parish. Headcorn Parish Council notes that the diagrams for semi-detached amenity blocks are taken from Leeds Council. It notes that the built environment in Leeds is likely to be very different from Maidstone, and is a reason why the approach may be successful in Leeds, but not in Maidstone. In order for policy TR9 to be justified, Headcorn Parish Council therefore considers that changes to the proposed approach are needed.
We do not agree with the palatial approach to day room design. The mobile homes are often over 15 metres long with bedrooms, bathrooms and a kitchen. The Dayroom is just a day annex not a residential unit. So many day rooms have a footprint of a bungalow with playrooms, dining rooms, studies etc which in reality later become bedrooms of a residential dayroom, as we have experienced in Ulcombe. MBC needs to limit the size of a day room and to include just one room plus a small kitchen and toilet, because modern mobile homes usually have all the necessary living facilities. Rather than saying in policy TR8 that “Dayrooms and Amenity blocks should be appropriate in scale”, MBC should put a maximum size for such additional buildings to avoid usage abuse. This could reduce the size of the pitch. Should day rooms and amenity blocks even be necessary with such large well equipped mobile homes these days? We completely disagree with the day room designs. These designs are open to abuse and they could easily become residential units. Enforcement will not be able to control the unauthorised use of day rooms if they become residential.