Agenda item

Variation of condition 8 (Drainage Details (Foul Water) (Full) in application P23/V1805/S73

Erection of 22 dwellings together with replacement garage for 10 Halls Close.

The committee considered planning application P23/V2847/S73 for the variation of condition 8 (Drainage Details (Foul Water) (Full) in application P23/V1805/S73 Erection of 22 dwellings together with replacement garage for 10 Halls Close, on Land at 10 Halls Close Drayton Abingdon, OX14 4LU.

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

The planning officer introduced the report and highlighted that the application sought to vary a condition on a previously approved application for 22 dwellings. He informed the committee that the application was before them following it’s call in by the local ward member, Councillor Andy Cooke. He went on to inform the committee that the application sought to vary condition 8 in relation to foul water drainage. The condition required that the foul water drainage serving the development was fully implemented on the site prior to occupation of any of the new buildings. The application sought to amend this condition to allow for a phased handover of dwellings on the site and to do so it was proposed that the first five dwellings would be moved to a gravity fed foul drainage system. The planning officer advised the committee that the condition as proposed would still require that the foul drainage system relating to properties was complete prior to their occupation, just not that the drainage for the whole site was complete prior to occupation.

The planning officer informed the committee that the drainage engineer had no objections to the revised proposal. He also confirmed that Thames Water had no comments to make on the revised proposal. On the basis of the lack of concern or objection from any of the technical drainage consultees officers were of the view there was no technical reason to refuse the application, therefore the application was recommended for approval subject to the proposed conditions. The officer concluded by advising that the condition list had been revised to take account of the conditions which had already been discharged.

Councillor Andy Cooke, a local ward member, spoke objecting to the application.

The committee raised concerns that Thames Water had not raised no objections but instead had no comments to make on the application. The planning officer advised that this was a usual response from Thames Water on revised schemes where there was nothing further for them to assess. Thames Water had already accepted that the additional flow from the development into the system was acceptable. The application before the committee related to the onsite specifics of how the drainage would connect to the system as opposed to creating any additional flow beyond that already agreed.

The committee went on to enquire as to what the drainage engineer would have checked. The planning officer confirmed that they will have checked the technical aspects up to the connection with public sewer. The planning officer further confirmed that no work was anticipated on the part of Thames Water to accommodate the additional 22 dwellings.

The committee reflected that there were no technical objections and therefore grounds to refuse the application on.

The committee sympathised with residents on the basis of the concerns raised but were of the view there were no grounds for refusal.

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

RESOLVED: to approve planning application P23/V2847/S73, subject to the following conditions:

1.    Time Limit

2.    Approved Plans

3.    Access in accordance with approved plans

4.    Tree protection in accordance with approved details

5.    External lighting in accordance with approved details

6.    Materials in accordance with approved details

7.    Drainage details (surface water) in accordance with approved details

8.    Drainage details (foul water) in in accordance with approved details

9.    Boundary treatments in accordance with approved plans

10.Landscaping scheme in accordance with approved plans

11.Construction Traffic in accordance with approved details

12.Green Travel Plan in accordance with approved plans

13.Ecological Mitigation and Enhancement in accordance with approved plans.