Agenda item

Councillor Bill Jones missed the beginning of the presentation and therefore took no part in the discussions or voting on this application.

 

The officer presented the report on application P14/V1810/FUL for planning permission to develop land for 90 new homes including private and affordable public open space and the protection of the existing route of the Wiltshire and Berkshire canal on land West of Stockham Farmhouse, Wantage.

 

Consultations, representations, policy and guidance and this site’s planning history are detailed in the officer’s report which forms part of the agenda pack for this meeting.

 

Updates from the report: An additional objection has been received and can be summarised as follows:

 

·         The upgrade works to the main access onto Denchworth Road (required for phase 1) have not been completed and until the required vision splays are in place, permission should be refused.

 

Officer’s Response: The objection raised is covered by a S278 agreement with the county council and construction is currently underway to complete the access upgrade works.  The county highways team raise no objection to the application, and a refusal based on this would therefore not be defendable on appeal as the required works will be completed shortly.

 

Amendment to report: Paragraph 3.6: Since writing the report, the planning agent and the county council have agreed a revised secondary school figure of £556,740.

All other figures are now agreed.

 

June Stock, a representative of Grove Parish Council, spoke objecting to the application. Her concerns included the following:

• The entrance to Phase 1 of the development is dangerous, especially for mothers and children;
• There is no slip road leaving the site;
• You already need to wait a while at the junction of Denchworth Road as there is no roundabout; and
• There is one regular town bus service which can take a long time, concerns that this will be axed in the future.

 

Julie Mabberley, a representative of Wantage and Grove Campaign Group, spoke objecting to the application. Her concerns included:

• Lack of compliance with Phase 1 conditions – specifically road access and noise;
• No bungalows are proposed despite 83% respondents of the Local Plan consultation expressing a need for bungalows; and
• Local infrastructure is already at capacity (GPs, roads, leisure centre, schools).

 

Andrew Wagstaff, the applicant, spoke in support of the application. His speech referred to the following:

• The application contributing to the 5 year housing land supply shortfall;
• The current Phase 1 access is temporary as works have been delayed;
• A condition can be added to delay occupation until phase 1 conditions are met; and
• The infrastructure contributions are deemed acceptable by the County and District Councils.

 

Jenny Hannaby, one of the local ward councillors, spoke objecting to the application. Her concerns were regarding:

• A lack of infrastructure, splitting the phases into three reduces contributions;
• The key traffic junctions are already at capacity and congested – the transport assessment was not robust; and
• There is a problem with the enforcement of conditions from Phase 1.

 

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

• Adding a condition to delay occupation until the highway works are complete;
• The capacity of the spine road of the site being already at capacity – despite a traffic assessment whereby Highways are satisfied, concerns will be fed back regarding congestion, traffic, pedestrian and highway safety;
• Whether the inclusion of bungalows could be included as a condition, however there is no planning policy basis nor housing needs survey evidence;
• Concern regarding the enforcement of Phase 1 conditions – the response being that enforcement officers make regular site visits and suggestion that a representative of the enforcement team attends committee in the future.

 

RESOLVED (for 8; against 4; abstentions 1)

 

To grant planning permission to approve application P14V1810/FUL subject to the following:

 

1. Completion of section 106 agreements for:

Vale / Town

 

County

·         Transport (Science Vale)

·         Transport (public transport)

·         Education (primary school)

·         Education (secondary schools + sixth form)

·         Education (special educational needs schools)

·         Property (libraries, waste management, museum, adult day care)

 

2. The following conditions, including the requirement for the commencement of development within two years from the date of the issue of planning permission to help address the immediate housing land shortfall:

1.    Time Limit – two year commencement date.

2.    Approved plans.

3.    MC2 - materials (samples).

4.    Landscape scheme including hard, soft and details of the proposed play area and associated management plan to be submitted and approved and retained for five years.

5.    Tree protection measures.

6.    Woodland management plan to be submitted and approved.

7.    Maintenance of open space/play areas to be submitted and approved.

8.    Boundaries in accordance with approved plans.

9.    Slab levels to be submitted and approved.

10.Development shall not begin until a sustainable water drainage scheme for the site based on the agreed flood risk assessment (FRA) Stuart Michael Associates' Flood Risk Assessment and Drainage Strategy of 30 June 2014 has been submitted to and approved in writing by the local planning authority. The scheme shall subsequently be implemented in accordance with the approved details before the development is completed. The scheme shall include:

·         Details of the drainage system outlined within the FRA, particularly the detailed design of the proposed filter drains;

·         Details which show that for all events up to and including the 1 in 100 chance of any year critical storm event, including an appropriate allowance for climate change, the site discharge will not exceed 19.92 l/s;

·         Details which show that the storage volume required to attenuate surface water run-off from the critical 1 in 100 chance of any year storm event, with an appropriate allowance for climate change, will be provided on site.

11.Development shall not begin until a scheme to dispose of surface water and foul drainage has been submitted to, and approved in writing by, the local planning authority. The principles of the scheme shall relate to the submitted FRA Stuart Michael Associates' Flood Risk Assessment and Drainage Strategy of 30 June 2014. The scheme shall be implemented as approved prior to any occupation of dwellings.

12.Access in accordance with specified plan.

13.Parking in accordance with specified plan.

14.Garage accommodation to be retained.

15.Construction traffic management plan to be submitted and approved.

16.Residential travel plan to be submitted and approved.

17.No development shall take place until details of the provisions to be made for the provision of 10 bat roosting sites have been submitted to and approved by the Council. These shall include at least 6 boxes of a variety of designs erected on retained trees along the Wilts and Berks Canal and on the western periphery of the site and 4 integrated bat boxes incorporated into suitable locations on buildings facing the former Wilts and Berks canal and on the western boundary of the site. The approved works shall be implemented in full before the development is first brought into use, unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Council.

18.The following works including site clearance, tree works, site access works for any vegetation clearance shall not in any circumstances commence unless the Local Planning Authority has been provided with either:

·         a licence issued by Natural England pursuant to the Regulation 53 of The Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010 authorising the specified activity to go ahead; or

·         a statement in writing from Natural England to the effect that it does not consider that the specified activity will require a licence.

19.No development shall commence until the ‘Western Newt Habitat Area’ which has been agreed as part of the mitigation for application P13/V1826/FUL has been completed.

20.Prior to the occupation of a dwelling, that dwelling shall be insulated against all sources of external noise in accordance with a scheme which shall first have been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The approved scheme may require the insulation of the walls and roofs, the fitting of double-glazed windows, the treatment of site boundaries and the provision of acoustic barriers/bunds.

21.Prior to any demolition and the commencement of the development a professional archaeological organisation acceptable to the Local Planning Authority shall prepare an Archaeological Written Scheme of Investigation, relating to the application site area, which shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.

22.Following the approval of the Written Scheme of Investigation referred to in condition 21, and prior to any demolition on the site and the commencement of the development (other than in accordance with the agreed Written Scheme of Investigation), a staged programme of archaeological evaluation and mitigation shall be carried out by the commissioned archaeological organisation in accordance with the approved Written Scheme of Investigation. The programme of work shall include all processing, research and analysis necessary to produce an accessible and useable archive and a full report for publication which shall be submitted to the Local Planning Authority.

23.Prior to commencement of development, full details of the proposed bridge across the canal shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the local planning authority. The approved bridge shall be constructed prior to occupation of any dwelling in accordance with the approved details and shall be available for use at all times thereafter.

24.The materials to be used, specification to be adopted and the timing of the improvement work to re-surface Public Footpath 196/7 (East Challow) shall all be approved in writing by the local planning authority in consultation with the local highway authority prior to commencement of the work.

25.The materials to be used, specification to be adopted and the timing of the improvement work to widen and improve Public Footpath 391/35 (Wantage) shall all be approved in writing by the local planning authority in consultation with the local highway authority prior to commencement of the work.

26.No materials, plant, temporary structures or excavations of any kind shall be deposited / undertaken on or adjacent to any Public Right of Way that may obstruct or dissuade the public from using the Public Right of Way whilst development takes place.

27.No construction / demolition vehicle access may be taken along or across a Public Right of Way without prior permission and appropriate safety/mitigation measures approved by the Countryside Access Team. Any damage to the surface of the Public Right of Way caused by such use will be the responsibility of the applicants or their contractors to put right / make good to a standard required by the Countryside Access Team.

28.No vehicle access may be taken along or across a Public Right of Way to residential or commercial sites without prior permission and appropriate safety and surfacing measures approved by the Countryside Access Team. Any damage to the surface of the Public Right of Way caused by such use will be the responsibility of the applicants, their contractors, or the occupier to put right/make good to a standard required by the Countryside Access Team.

29.There will be no occupation in Phase 3 until the road improvements to Denchworth Road have been completed for Phases 1 and 2.