Agenda and minutes

Venue: The Ridgeway, The Beacon, Portway, Wantage, OX12 9BY

Contact: Nicola Meurer, Democratic Services Officer 

Items
No. Item

180.

Notification of substitutes and apologies for absence

To record the attendance of substitute members, if any, who have been authorised to attend in accordance with the provisions of standing order 17(1), with notification having been given to the proper officer before the start of the meeting and to receive apologies for absence.

Minutes:

Councillor Chris Palmer tendered his apologies to the meeting and Councillor Yvonne Constance attended as his substitute.

181.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 117 KB

To adopt and sign as a correct record the minutes of the committee meeting held on 1 February 2017 (attached). 

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting held on 1 February 2017 were agreed by the committee and signed by the chairman as an accurate record of the meeting.

182.

Declarations of pecuniary interests and other declarations

To receive any declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests, and other declarations, in respect of items on the agenda for this meeting.  

Minutes:

There were no declarations of disclosable pecuniary interest.

183.

Chairman's announcements

To receive any announcements from the chairman, and general housekeeping matters.

Minutes:

The Chairman welcomed the public and members of the committee to the meeting.

 

The chairman gave information on the new constitution and on the changes for planning committee, including the guillotine arrangements, which are as follows:

 

No meeting shall exceed two and a half hours in duration unless the committee, prior to the expiry of the period, vote for the meeting to continue for a further period not exceeding 30 minutes. Remaining business will be considered at the next meeting.

 

The new constitution meant that cabinet members could no longer sit on planning committee. Therefore councillor Eric Batts was no longer on the committee and had been replaced by Councillor Chris Palmer.

184.

Urgent business pdf icon PDF 736 KB

To receive notification of any matters which the chairman determines should be considered as urgent business and the special circumstances which have made the matters urgent.

Minutes:

There were no items of urgent business.

185.

Statements and petitions from the public on planning applications

To receive any statements from members of the public that have registered to speak on planning applications which are being presented to this committee.

Minutes:

The registered speakers list was tabled at the meeting and each speaker would be heard with the relevant agenda item.

186.

P15/V2353/O Land off Hobbyhorse Lane, Sutton Courtenay, Abingdon pdf icon PDF 1 MB

Outline planning application for up to 200 dwellings, including vehicular access, pedestrian and cycle links, public open space, car parking, landscaping, drainage and associated works.  Including additional documentation submitted 31 January 2017.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

In addition to the planning officers, the following were in attendance at the meeting to respond to technical questions on the application:

 

Ian Marshall and Jason Sherwood from Oxfordshire County Council Highways Department

 

Charles Packham – Environment Officer

Ben Coleman -  Environmental Protection Team Leader 

 

David Baldwin -  Drainage Officer, Monson Engineering Ltd

 

 

The officer presented the report and addendum on application P15/V2353/O for outline planning permission for up to 200 dwellings, including vehicular access, pedestrian and cycle links, public open space, car parking, landscaping, drainage and associated works. Including additional documentation submitted 31 January 2017. She confirmed that the Sutton Courtenay Neighbourhood Plan is in draft form and does not carry any weight at this stage.

 

Councillors David Hignell and Karl Gebhart from Sutton Courtenay Parish council spoke in objection to the application, they raised the following concerns:

·           Highways issues;

·           Application site too close to the landfill site;

·           The protesters have commissioned their own hydrology expert who has produced a report showing, in his opinion, the lack of suitability of the site;

·           Impact on Frilsham Street, making access and egress to some of the driveways very difficult;

·           A difficult pinchpoint on Hobbyhorse Lane;

·           Impact on Village Hall users, cyclists, pedestrians and equestrians; and

·           Parish council and village hall have not been notified of changes to the footpath which runs across their land.

 

The committee asked questions of clarification of the speakers.

 

Anne Morgan Smith spoke on behalf of herself, Rita Twiston Davies and Rita Atkinson (trustee of Sutton Courtenay Village Hall) and Stuart Findlay also spoke in objection to the application. They raised the following concerns:

·           Industrial waste water and chemical waste very close to the site;

·           Ground water levels very high on the site;

·           Drainage issues: flawed drainage scheme;

·           Flies dust and rats may be on the site;

·           Potential negative impact on local amenities; and

·           Undeliverability: the ownership of the by-way from where it ceases to be a public highway. The applicant needs the consent from the landowners and this has not been demonstrated.

 

The committee asked questions of clarification of the speakers.

 

The chairman reminded the committee that this application was for outline planning permission and access details only.

 

David Bainbridge, the agent for the application, Matt Russell and Alan Brackley (on behalf of the developer) spoke in favour of the application:

·           The developer has worked with the council and other organisations/ stakeholders over two years and the technical consultees do not have any outstanding objections to this application; and

·           Works will be subject to conditions and technical considerations.

 

The committee asked questions to the speakers:

·           An explanation was requested as to why the developer’s opinion on drainage issues was at odds with the opinion of Doctor Rodders, the drainage expert commissioned by the objectors. In response, the developers stated that their methodology was different and that they had used more bore holes. They had undertaken their monitoring in March 2016, but they took into account the worst case scenario: February 2014, and their drainage  ...  view the full minutes text for item 186.

187.

P16/V2433/FUL - 1 Larch Close, Southmoor, Abingdon pdf icon PDF 235 KB

Erection of a new two-bedroom dwelling adjoining 1 Larch Close (retrospective).  Additional plan showing curtilages and highways access received 15 December 2016.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Emma Turner, planning enforcement team leader, and Ian Price, senior litigation and planning lawyer, were present for this item to answer questions from the committee.

 

The officer introduced the report on a retrospective application P16/V2433/FUL for the erection of a new two-bedroom dwelling adjoining 1 Larch Close at 1 Larch Close, Southmoor, Abingdon.

 

Consultations, presentations, policy and guidance and the site’s planning history were detailed in the officer’s report, supplementary guidance and addendum report which formed part of the agenda pack for this meeting.

 

Ian Price gave guidance to the committee on making a decision based on substantive planning issues and substantive merits.

 

Brian Foster representative of the parish council spoke in objection to the application:

·           He believed that there had been a deliberate attempt by the applicant to create a separate dwelling;

·           He did not consider that sufficient enforcement had been carried out by Vale to stop development of this building.

 

Ian Jones, on behalf of Southmoor residents spoke in objection to the application:

·           He believed that the applicant had practiced deception in connection with this application.

 

The committee asked questions to the objector.

·           The objector believed that this application is being investigated by the police for fraud.

 

Gareth Bertram, agent for the applicant spoke in favour of this application:

·           He believes that in order for his company to remain viable, it is important for him to retain options in relation to development.

 

The committee asked questions to the agent.

 

Councillor Eric Batts spoke as the ward member for this application

·           All of the properties in this close are semi-detached and this has now created an out of character terracing effect;

·           The application was not submitted for what the intention was;

·           Amenity space is not satisfactory and there is no third bedroom.

 

The committee asked questions for the officers

Paragraphs 5.6 to 5.9 cover the internal conversion of the property.

 

An additional condition was requested to restrict Permitted Development Rights on turning these properties into a House in Multiple Occupation.

 

Parking and impact on neighbours are all adequate;

Drainage issues are being supervised by building control officers.

 

A motion, moved and seconded, to approve the application with additional conditions, was declared carried on being put to the vote.

 

 

RESOLVED

To grant planning permission subject to conditions as follows:

1.    Approved plans;

2.    Matching materials;

3.    Access in accordance with plan;

4.    Car parking in accordance with plan;

5.    No drainage to the highway;

6.    Restriction of permitted development rights for extensions and outbuildings for both properties;

7.    Restriction of permitted development rights for walls and fences from both properties;

8.    Landscaping scheme to be submitted;

9.    Landscaping scheme to be implemented;

10.Boundary details to be submitted;

11.Surface water and foul drainage details to be submitted;

12.Removal of permitted development rights for Houses in Multiple Occupation from both properties.

 

 

188.

Eastwest, All Saints Lane, Sutton Courtenay, Abingdon pdf icon PDF 2 MB

Part retrospective application for the retention and construction of earth bunds and the change of use of land to private recreational use.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

This is a part retrospective application for the retention and construction of earth bunds and the change of use of land to private recreational use at Eastwest, All Saints Lane, Sutton Courtenay, Abingdon. Application P16/V0254 FUL.

 

The committee were in the guillotine extension period at the start of this application and there was not time to consider it. It has, therefore been deferred.

 

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