Agenda and minutes

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

The chairman outlined the procedure for the meeting, asked attendees to switch off any mobile phones, and highlighted the emergency exit procedure. 

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.

None

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.

None

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

The list showing public speakers was tabled at the meeting. 

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

None

Construction of a new office building with associated car parking within landscape site. 

The officer presented the report on an application for an office building with conference facilities to act as headquarters for the Europen Space Agency on land at Fermi Avenue, Chilton.  Consultations, representations, policy and guidance and this site’s planning history were detailed in the officer’s report which formed part of the agenda pack for this meeting.  The officer had no updates to report. 

Public speakers

Paul Cannock, the head of facility management for the European Space Agency, spoke in favour of the application.  His points included:

·        The proposed facility would be the headquarters for the European Space Agency and would include conference facilities

·        This would bring benefits to the local economy

·        The proposed development was of high quality in an attractive environment and would be sustainable

·        The applicants would work with the local communities

Councillor Reg Waite, a ward councillor, supported to the application, his comments included:

·        There should be more than 20 additional car parking spaces at the site to cope with demand when the conference facility was in use

·        Would there be local buses to the site?

·        Would the conference centre be available for other local businesses to use, thereby integrating the European Space Agency into the local business community?  

Councillor Margaret Turner, another ward councillor, spoke in support of the application.  She believed:

·        Both Chilton and Harwell parish councils supported the application

·        The economic benefits of the proposal outweighed the impact on the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

·        There should be more car parking to accommodate conference delegates

·        There would be a traffic impact on Harwell village

·        Should there be a greater contribution to public transport? 

·        What was included in the transport statement and the travel plan?

The committee considered this application, with advice from officers where appropriate; the discussion covered the following points:

·        The parking provision would be sufficient as the offices would not be occupied fully all of the time

·        The county council had only sought contributions towards improved bus shelters

·        The design and materials proposed for the building had been chosen to blend in with the Sychrotron Diamond Light Source building on the adjacent site

·        There should be an additional condition restricting telecommunications apparatus on the building with prior planning permission

·        Native deciduous trees should be planted on the site

·        Care should be taken over the design elements of the building’s exterior and the local members should be consulted before the materials were approved

RESOLVED (by 14 votes to nil)

To grant planning permission subject to:

1: A legal agreement with Oxfordshire County Council or other mechanism to secure contributions towards a bus shelter on Fermi Avenue and other facilities to encourage the use of sustainable transport to and from the site; and

2: Conditions as follows:

1 : Time limit - full application

2 : Approved plans

3 : Slab and ridge levels to be agreed

4 : Samples of all materials to be agreed including plant cladding, and to be approved in consultation with the local members  ...  view the full minutes text for item 444.

None