Agenda item

(Councillors Jerry Patterson and Tony de Vere both declared personal interests in this item and in accordance with Standing Order 34 they remained in the meeting during its consideration.) 

The Committee was advised that:

• Two further letters of objection had been received, expressing concerns at two properties, rather than one, being planned to front onto Tullis Close 
• A third letter from SPAB called for a condition to prohibit sandblasting of the wood on the Listed Building.  The officers supported this

Honorary Alderman Margaret MacKenzie made a statement on behalf of the Parish Council.  She believed that over the past few years, the Parish Council had been increasingly ignored by the District Council in its comments on planning applications and felt that it was paying lip service to the concept of consultation.  On this occasion, the Parish Council supported the application, subject to two provisos.  The ListedBuilding, Sutton Mill, should be protected from conversion to a residential property at a later date.  There should also only be one dwelling fronting Tullis Close. 

Mr Eastwood made a statement objecting to the application.  He represented the views of twenty households in the area in believing that there should only be one dwelling fronting Tullis Close.  Two houses in that position would dominate the street scene and be out of character with the surrounding area.  One dwelling in this location, designed to fit in with the street scene, would be acceptable. 

Mr Lyzba, the applicant's agent, spoke in favour of the application.  He believed that it had been well designed, respecting the setting of its surroundings in relation to the Mill and Tullis Close and complied with the Council's design standards.  The Mill would be an ancillary building to one of the new dwellings on the site but would not be a separate residential property. 

In response to the comments made by the Parish Council, the Chair reminded the meeting that the Committee always listened to and took into account views expressed by Town and Parish Councils but had to make its decisions based on planning law, the Local Plan and planning guidance.  Members always took Parish Council comments into account but might not always agree. 

The local Member did not oppose the application but expressed concern at two houses fronting Tullis Close.  He believed this was too cramped and would destroy the street scene; it should be just one dwelling.  He also felt these houses were shown too far forward on the plans, breaching the building line.  He also expressed concern that two healthy trees had been removed from the site and he did not wish for more to be disturbed.  He also asked whether the hedges adjacent to the site frontage on Tullis Close could be protected by a planning condition.  Officers advised that the hedges and shrubs fronting Tullis Close were not worthy of preservation and would be likely to be removed to provide access to the dwellings.  However, a landscaping scheme would be required by condition. 

Some members supported the application but asked that the Listed Building, Sutton Mill, should be protected from conversion to a residential property at a later date.  Others disagreed, believing that the two houses fronting Tullis Close would be too cramped, as shown on the plans submitted.  It was suggested that two smaller dwellings would be better. 

RESOLVED    (by 9 votes to 6)

(a)        that authority to approve application SUT/19506 be delegated to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Chair and/or Vice Chair of the Development Control Committee, subject to the conditions set out in the report and a further condition requiring the retention of Sutton Mill as an ancillary building to one of the new dwellings; and

(b)        thatauthority to approve application SUT/19506/1-LB be delegated to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Chair and/or Vice Chair of the Development Control Committee, subject to the conditions set out in the report and subject to an additional condition preventing sandblasting to clean the wood.