Agenda and minutes

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.

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To receive any declarations of Personal or Personal and Prejudicial Interests in respect of items on the agenda for this meeting. 

In accordance with Part 2 of the Local Code of Conduct and the provisions of Standing Order 34, any Member with a personal interest must disclose the existence and nature of that interest to the meeting prior to the matter being debated.  Where that personal interest is also a prejudicial interest, then the Member must withdraw from the room in which the meeting is being held and not seek improperly to influence any decision about the matter unless he/she has obtained a dispensation from the Standards Committee.

Councillor Margaret Turner declared a personal interest in item 7, the planning application on land west of Didcot (the site lay in both Didcot and Harwell), as she was a member of Harwell Parish Council and knew most of the public speakers (minute DC.88 refers).   

To receive notification of any matters, which the Chair determines, should be considered as urgent business and the special circumstances, which have made the matters urgent, and to receive any announcements from the Chair.

The Chair asked everyone present to ensure their mobile phones were switched off during the meeting. 

He announced that he was suspending part of Standing Order 33 to allow members of the public longer to present their cases.  He agreed to allocate a total of thirty minutes for the parish councils, a total of thirty minutes for the objectors, and a total of thirty minutes for the applicants to present their cases. 

Any statements and/or petitions from the public under Standing Order 32 will be made or presented at the meeting.

None

Any questions from members of the public under Standing Order 32 will be asked at the meeting.

None

Any statements and/or petitions from members of the public under Standing Order 33, relating to planning applications, will be made or presented at the meeting.

It was noted that sixteen members of the public had each given notice that they wished to make statements at the meeting but two declined to do so. 

The Committee received and considered report 48/06 of the Deputy Director (Planning and Community Strategy), which detailed one application, the decision of which is recorded below. 

(Councillor Margaret Turner declared a personal interest in this item and in accordance with Standing Order 34, she remained in the meeting during its consideration.) 

Further to report 48/06, the Planning Officer updated the Committee:

• The principle of development at this site had been established through the development plan process
• The application site crossed the town/parish boundary between Didcot and Harwell and consequently crossed the boundary between South Oxfordshire and the Vale
• Duplicate applications were before the Committees of the two District Councils.  These were outline applications with all matters reserved apart from access
• There had been an appeal against the Council's non-determination of one of the applications.  The hearing was scheduled for 7 November 2006
• South Oxfordshire District Council's Planning Committee had considered the application on 19 July 2006 and had delegated authority to approve it, subject to the completion of a Section 106 agreement and other procedural matters
• Supplementary papers had been circulated to the Vale's Development Control Committee following South Oxfordshire's meeting.  This included a diagram showing the master plan for the site
• Development was expected to be carried out over a ten-year period
• Oak Tree Health Centre in Didcot had requested to be involved in the discussions on the Section 106 agreement
• A further letter of objection had been received from Maralyn Bartell raising matters set out in the report
• The County Council, as the Structure Plan authority, had removed its holding objection subject to securing the package of benefits as part of the Section 106 agreement
• The County Council, as highways authority, believed that the development on its own could not justify funding a Harwell by-pass - in addition, a further technical study would be needed
• The County Council had ring-fenced funds for improvements to the A34 Milton Interchange, a traffic light-controlled junction on the A4130 to access the northern part of the development, a traffic light junction on Wantage Road (B4493) to gain access to the northern and southern parts of the site, plus improvements to the junctions at Rowstock, Manor Bridge/A4130, and the Power Station junction
• The master plan layout design was considered to be an improvement over the previous design but further adjustments might be needed, including around Stephen Freeman Primary School
• Appendix 4 set out the draft heads of terms of the Section 106 Agreement
• Appendix 8 set out the reasons why 40% affordable housing could not be achieved on the site
• An additional condition was recommended stipulating that there must be no built development to the south of 155 Park Road, Didcot, except for small buildings related to the allotments or open space use of this land

The Planning Officer also read out a letter submitted by the Local Member, Councillor Richard Stone, who could not attend the meeting.  Firstly, Councillor Stone objected to the development on this site and called for protection of the nearby villages.  He asked that serious consideration was given to the road links necessary to accommodate this development both on  ...  view the full minutes text for item 88.

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