Agenda item

To receive and consider report 27/06 of the Deputy Director (Planning and Community Strategy) and the recommendations of the Strategic and Local Planning Advisory Group meeting held on 26 June 2006. 

This report has been printed as a supplementary document, separately stapled.  Members are requested to retain these papers for the meeting of the Executive to be held on Friday 7 July 2006. 

(Councillors Richard Farrell and Matthew Barber declared a personal interest in this item and in accordance with Standing Order 34 they remained in the meeting during its consideration.) 

The Committee received and considered report 27/06 of the Deputy Director (Planning and Community Strategy), which set out comments received on the revised draft Supplementary Planning Guidance to the Local Plan.  The report recommended changes to parts of the Guidance as a result of the comments received.  The Strategic and Local Planning Advisory Group had given careful consideration to the comments and agreed with the majority of the recommendations.  However, the Advisory Group had suggested several changes to the recommendations.  These changes were set out in a briefing note tabled at the meeting.  Also tabled was a draft version of the Guidance relating to Affordable Housing.  This showed the text in its amended form, if all of the recommended changes were agreed. 

The Development Control Committee had listened to two statements from members of the public, both representing the Faringdon Area Project, targeting their comments at Appendix 11 relating to the land between the A420 and Faringdon, to the north of Park Road.  They had suggested amendments to the Supplementary Planning Guidance as part of the statutory consultation and made further suggestions to Members at the Committee meeting.  The Planning Officer responded to these as follows:

·         There had been extensive consultation on the Supplementary Planning Guidance, including an exhibition in July 2004 and re-consultation in March/April 2006

·         Faringdon Town Council and the Faringdon Area Project had responded, as well as many other community groups.  As much as the officers would like to have met all consultees, there was not time to do this in the timescale available

·         Gene Webb's response had been included in the schedule of comments received, under the name of Faringdon Area Project

·         There was no specific proposal for a performance venue so the Council could not ask for funding towards it

·         The requirement for contributions towards a crèche and car parking at the Leisure Centre were included following a request by the Council's Leisure Service

·         The Community College could not be asked to provide car parking for the Faringdon area generally

·         The Council would be seeking a contribution from developers towards the Faringdon Community Bus but could not demand specific pick up points

·         The officers would look at the cycle routes identified in the Faringdon cycleway map to check whether appropriate linkages to them were shown in the Guidance

·         A coach stop and turning point could not be required to be funded by the development.  The town centre was thought to be the most appropriate location - the Town Council was understood to be discussing this further with National Express

·         Community art on the site would be the subject of extensive community consultation in accordance with the Guidance on Planning and Public Art

·         The location of the proposed skate park was considered to be better closer to some housing where there could be some casual supervision of the facility, rather than on an isolated site at the Folly Park

The local Member for Faringdon wanted it clarified that point 9 of the Advisory Group's recommendations should refer to the youth centre facilities on a different line to 'pump rooms' in paragraph 7.6 in Appendix 11 of the Guidance.  He also suggested that the reference to the Pump Rooms should be preceded by the words "performance venue including the".  The Committee agreed to these suggestions. 

Some concern was expressed by the local Member for Grove at the description of the Grove Airfield site set out in the Guidance for the proposed development, and how the slope would affect the drainage of the site.  She felt that as the majority of the area planned for housing sloped to the north, towards the railway line, where there would be no outflow.  She believed that an expensive drainage scheme would be required, leaving less funding for infrastructure or resulting in higher house prices.  It was agreed that the officer would check the description of the site as defined by the developers' recent detailed topographical study and, if necessary, amend the description in Appendix 12.  The officers assured the Local Member that surface water drainage issues had been taken into account and the requirement for appropriate measures to be put in place to ensure that surface water run off was dealt with appropriately, was set out in section 5 of the Guidance. 

RESOLVED

that the Executive be recommended to recommend the Council to:

(i)         note the comments received on the revised draft Supplementary Planning Guidance;

(ii)        adopt the Supplementary Planning Guidance with effect from 20 July 2006 for:      (each by fifteen votes to nil)

§         House Extensions Design Guide - Appendix 1

§         Parking Standards - Appendix 2

§         Timbmet Site, Cumnor Hill - Appendix 3

§         Land West of Timbmet Timber Yard, Cumnor Hill - Appendix 4

§         GroveTechnologyPark, Grove  - Appendix 5

§         KingstonBusinessPark, Kingston Bagpuize - Appendix 6

§         WhiteHorseBusinessPark, Stanford in the Vale - Appendix 7

§         Curtis Industrial Estate and Hinksey Business Centre, Botley - Appendix 8

§         Planning and Public Art - Appendix 9

§         Flood Zone Maps and Flood Risk - Appendix 10

§         Land between A420 and Faringdon, North of Park Road, Faringdon - Appendix 11

§         Former Airfield West of Grove, Development Principles and Guidelines - Appendix 12

§         Affordable Housing - Appendix 13

subject to the changes proposed in each Appendix and to the following changes recommended by the Strategic and Local Planning Advisory Group:

1.                  in Appendix 1 relating to permitted development rights being withdrawn to allow integral garages to be converted, change the second sentence of the response to read 'if on-street parking provision is tight, particularly in high density development, permitted development will be removed in appropriate circumstances';

2.                  in Appendix 3 relating to the Timbmet Site at Cumnor Hill, the Supplementary Planning Guidance be amended in para. 2.5 by adding 'in the Local Plan' to the end of the last sentence;

3.                  in Appendix 3 relating to the Timbmet Site at Cumnor Hill, the Supplementary Planning Guidance be amended in para. 2.29 by adding 'Any developer is advised to make early contact with Thames Water' to the end of the last sentence.  The paragraph to be clarified to set out the responsibilities for funding works to provide water supply and waste water/sewage disposal.  The guidance shall also refer to an energy strategy being submitted, similar to the guidance for housing at Faringdon;

4.                  in Appendix 5, the Supplementary Planning Guidance relating to GroveTechnologyPark be amended in para. 5.1 to include a contribution being required from developers to the Wantage Relief Road, as referred to in the Local Plan;

5.                  in Appendix 9 relating to Planning and Public Art, para. 5.1 of the Supplementary Planning Guidance be amended by deleting the last bullet point and replacing it with 'installation of stone sculptures at LetcombePark, Wantage;

6.                  in Appendix 10 relating to Flood Zones Maps and Flood Risk, para. 5.3 of the Supplementary Planning Guidance be amended in the first sentence to delete 'prevent' and insert 'present';

7.                  in Appendix 11 relating to land between the A420 and Faringdon, north of Park Road, explicit reference be made to no floodlights being allowed at the proposed location for the rugby ground at Folly Park;

8.                  in Appendix 11 relating to land between the A420 and Faringdon, north of Park Road, cycle tracks identified in the Faringdon cycleway map be included in the Guidance;

9.                  in Appendix 11, the Supplementary Planning Guidance relating to Faringdon be amended in para. 7.6 to read "A performance venue, including the Pump Rooms - (disabled lift)" with "improvements to youth centre facilities" on a separate line;  

10.              in Appendix 11 relating to land between the A420 and Faringdon, north of Park Road, the proposed explanation of the requirements for infrastructure improvements to be in accordance with Circular 05/2005 be deleted from Appendix 11 but included in an introduction to all Supplementary Planning Guidance;

11.              in Appendix 12 relating to Grove Airfield, the description of the Grove Airfield site be amended, if necessary, to be consistent with the developers' recent detailed topographical study;

12.              in Appendix 12 relating to Grove Airfield, paragraphs 1.5 and 4.7 of the Supplementary Planning Guidance be amended to clarify that the Grove Development Forum will continue to operate until the development is complete and thereafter could take on a different form, such as a residents' association;

13.              in Appendix 12 relating to Grove Airfield, the Supplementary Planning Guidance to include the standard paragraph suggested by Thames Water about funding for foul and surface water drainage systems;

14.              in Appendix 12 relating to Grove Airfield, the Supplementary Planning Guidance, para. 6.4 be amended to read "…The Council may therefore require the developers…";

15.              in Appendix 12 relating to Grove Airfield, the Supplementary Planning Guidance, para. 6.8, the County Council's suggested wording on Special Education Needs be re-written;

16.              Annexe A and para 6.5 to Appendix 12 be amended to refer to shared ownership and intermediate housing;

17.              in Appendix 13 relating to Affordable Housing, the Supplementary Planning Guidance, the change proposed to para. 4.2 may need changing when legal advice on option arrangements is taken;

18.              in Appendix 13 relating to Affordable Housing, the addition to para. 6.4 be amended further to read "…the Housing Corporation through the social housing grant will secure additional affordable housing…";

19.              define Botley in the Supplementary Planning Guidance;

20.              throughout the Guidance, references to 'section 106 obligations' be replaced by 'legal agreements';

(iii)       make available a copy of the consultation undertaken, the representations received and the Council's response, along with the Supplementary Planning Guidance; and

(iv)       delegate authority to the Deputy Director (Planning and Community Strategy) to make any minor editorial changes and any substantive changes to be made in consultation with the Chair of the Strategic and Local Planning Advisory Group.