Agenda item

P15/V2353/O - Land off Hobbyhorse Lane, Sutton Courtenay, Abingdon

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.

Minutes:

The committee considered outline application P15/V2353/O for up to 200 dwellings, including vehicular access, pedestrian and cycle links, public open space, car parking, landscaping, drainage and associated works on land off Hobbyhorse Lane, Sutton Courtenay, Abingdon.

 

Consultations, representations, policy and guidance and the site’s planning history were detailed in the officer’s report and which formed part of the agenda pack for this meeting. An addendum was circulated prior to the committee meeting to update the committee on any updates since publication of the agenda.

 

Sammy Spaine, a representative of WSP, was present to answer questions on drainage matters.

 

Ian Marshall, Principal Transport Engineer for Oxfordshire County Council, was also present to answer questions on highway matters.

 

As addressed in the officer’s report, the applicant has appealed against the non-determination of this application and therefore the committee did not have power to grant or refuse planning permission. The committee were therefore deciding whether they would have granted or refused the application if the council had been in a position to do so and whether they agreed to the reasons set out on page 8 of the committee papers which would form the basis of the grounds for the appeal.

 

Karl Gebhart, a representative of Sutton Courtenay Parish Council, spoke objecting to the application. 

 

Anne Morgan-Smith spoke in objection to the application:

 

David Bainbridge, the applicant’s agent, spoke in support of the application.

 

Gervase Duffield, the local ward councillor, spoke objecting to the application. 

 

In response to questions raised by the committee, the officers reported that:

·         Environmental Health are satisfied with the proposed mitigations for the health risks from contamination;

·         The loss of amenity is considered acceptable in policy terms; and

·         Highways are satisfied with the access arrangements.

·         Ian Marshall confirmed that Oxfordshire County Council’s objection to the application would not be withdrawn; without any further development in the area, if the signals are optimised the current situation would be acceptable until 2022 with projected car usage. If cumulative impact of this application and four others currently submitted are taken into account, there would be saturation of the junctions and therefore Highways strongly object on the basis of exit blocking and gridlock in the area.

·         Sammy Spaine confirmed that WSP’s objection would not be withdrawn in relation to this application as with the current proposals, the area, where there is a 75% risk of ground water emergence, would be more likely to flood than not. He confirmed that the proposed size of infiltration basin is big enough, but that the location is not practical due to the topography of the land.

·         The proposed mitigation for contamination of a permeable column to catch potential gas without blocking drainage is considered acceptable.

·         The proposed reasons for refusal were sufficiently robust due to the quality of technical support.

 

The committee were satisfied with the officer’s recommendations and a motion, moved and seconded, to refuse the application was declared carried on being put to the vote.

 

RESOLVED: If planning committee had been in a position to do so, it would refuse outline planning permission for application P15/V2353/O, for the following reasons and that the council resists the appeal against non-determination on the basis of these reasons:

 

1.    Drainage

The NPPF provides that development should not increase flood risk elsewhere and should be appropriately flood resilient and resistant (paragraph 103).

Core Policy 42 of the Local Plan 2031 Part One seeks to minimise the risk and impact of flooding through:

·         Directing new development to areas with the lowest probability of flooding.

·         Ensuring new development effectively manages all sources of flood risk.

·         Ensuring new development does not increase the risk of flooding elsewhere.

·         Ensuring wider environmental benefits of development in relation to flood risk.

In the opinion of the local planning authority the proposal fails to demonstrate

it is flood resilient and resistant whereby residual flood risk can be safely managed, including by emergency planning. Therefore, the proposal does not

amount to sustainable development and would be contrary to the National

Planning Policy Framework, Planning Practice Guidance, Core Policy 42 of

the Local Plan 2031 Part One and to advice contained in the council's

Strategic Flood Risk Assessment.

 

2.    Highways

Paragraph 32 of the National Planning Policy Framework states:

“Development should only be prevented or refused on transport grounds

where the residual cumulative impacts of development are severe.” Further,

saved Policy DC5 of the Local Plan 2011 requires safe and convenient access for developments and that the road network can accommodate the traffic arising from the development without causing safety or congestion problems.

 

Notwithstanding the fact that the application site is allocated in the adopted

Local Plan 2031 Part 1, based on the findings of the additional traffic surveys

and modelling carried out by the local highway authority, the impact of the

proposed development has now been confirmed to be severe.

 

As such, in the opinion of the local planning authority the proposal, does not

amount to sustainable development and would be contrary to the saved

policy DC5 of the Local Plan 2011, National Planning Policy Framework, and

Planning Practice Guidance.

 

Supporting documents:

 

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