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Minutes of a meeting of the Planning Committee
held on Wednesday, 21 October 2020 at 6.00 pm in virtual meeting
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Open to the public, including the press
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Present in the meeting room: |
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Councillors: , Val Shaw (Vice-Chair), Ron Batstone, Eric Batts, Jenny Hannaby, Diana Lugova, Mike Pighills and Janet Shelley |
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Officers: Holly Bates and Martin Deans |
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Guests:
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Remote attendance: |
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Councillors: |
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Officers: |
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Guests:
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162 Chair's announcements
Councillor Val Shaw was acting Chair for the meeting, as Councillor Thompson was joint applicant for items nine and ten and was absent from the meeting. Councillor Pighills would stand down for item eight.
163 Apologies for absence
Councillor Max Thompson gave his apologies.
164 Declarations of interest
Councillor Pighills would stand down from item eight due to a member of his family being the ward councillor on this item.
Committee Chair, Councillor Shaw, would stand down for item seven, as she was speaking in her capacity as ward councillor. Councillor Batstone to stand in as committee chair for this item.
165 Urgent business
None.
166 P20/V0658/RM - Land south of Highworth Road, Faringdon
The democratic services officer confirmed that a statement of objection from Faringdon Town Council had been sent to the committee before the meeting.
P20/V0658/RM: Land south of Highworth Road, Faringdon.
The planning officer introduced the report. The application was seeking approval of reserved matters following the grant of outline planning permission for up to 190 dwellings in 2018 under P16/V0775/O. The matters to be considered were layout, scale, appearance and landscaping.
Councillor Wise spoke on behalf of Faringdon Town Council, objecting to the proposal.
Kiera Bentley, a local resident, spoke objecting to the proposal.
Angus Cook of Bewley Homes spoke in support of the proposal.
Councillor Grant spoke in his capacity as Ward Councillor, objecting to the proposal.
The committee asked questions of the speakers and concluded that the proposal had been improved and reassessed as far as it could be. After comments from technical officers, amended plans had been submitted to improve the affordable housing layout and landscaping, resulting in reversal of some objections. The application had been assessed against the development plan, including Faringdon Neighbourhood Plan, the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and all other material planning considerations. In considering the application, due regard was given to the representations received from statutory and other consultees. These had been taken in account in assessing the overall scheme.
A view was expressed that there should be further consideration of cycle routes and sustainable design features on the development.
A motion to accept the officer’s recommendation was moved and councillors voted in favour.
RECOMMENDATION
It was recommended that reserved matters, and condition 16 (Biodiversity
Enhancement Plan) of the outline permission P16/V0775/O, are approved
subject to the following conditions:
1. In accordance with approved RM plans
Pre-Occupancy or Other Stage Conditions
2. Implementation of parking spaces / turning areas / garages
3. Implementation of landscaping, in accordance with plans
4. Surface treatment, in accordance with plans
5. External materials, in accordance with plans
6. Detailed scheme for LEAP (play space) to be submitted
7. Details of boundary treatment to be submitted
8. Landscape strategy – hedge replacement planting to be submitted
9. Landscape strategy – open space planting to be submitted
10.Waste management strategy and plans to be submitted
11.Street lighting
Post Occupancy Monitoring and Management Conditions
12.Retention of garages – no conversion to accommodation
13.PD rights removal – no outbuildings, extensions etc on specified
plots
167 P20/V0214/FUL - Ripon Lodge, Woodland Walk, Jarn Way, Boars Hill, Oxford, OX1 5JF
The democratic services officer confirmed that a statement of objection from the Friends of Boars Hill had been sent to the committee before the meeting.
The application presented to committee had been called in by the local ward councillor, Councillor Shaw. As chair of the committee, Councillor Shaw stood down for this item, with Councillor Batstone chairing for this item.
Planning officers introduced the report. A significant number of local residents objected to the proposal. The application site comprised a large detached house, Ripon Lodge, located on a sizeable plot on the northern side of Jarn Way, opposite the site of Foxcombe Hall, in Boars Hill. The site lay within Boars Hill, in the Oxford Green Belt.
The application sought planning permission to change the use of Ripon Lodge to bed and breakfast accommodation for academics visiting Peking University, which in 2016 secured ownership of the Foxcombe Hall site opposite, from its former owners, the Open University. The accommodation would be able to house a maximum of nine guests as well as the owner/manager. No structural changes or external alterations were proposed to the house.
Andy Bateson spoke on behalf of Friends of Boars Hill, objecting to the proposal.
Councillor Val Shaw, the local ward councillor, spoke objecting to the proposal.
The committee asked questions of the speakers and discussed the following:
· Whether commercial operations are suitable in the Green Belt
· Concern that the operation was actually a hostel, with visitors sharing rooms.
· The committee felt that this is linked to the future Foxcombe Hall development and could be deferred to that application.
The committee concluded that refusal rather than deferral was the best course of action.
A motion was moved:
Due to uncertainty, the recommendation to approve this proposal was rejected. The reasons for refusal were;
1. the impact on the character of the area and
2. inappropriate commercial activity for the Green Belt area.
The motion was voted on and the committee voted in favour.
168 P20/V1413/FUL - 40 Bath Street, Abingdon, OX14 3QH
The committee voted in favour to extend the meeting in order to finish considering this item.
The planning offcier introduced the report for application P20/V1413/FUL: 40 Bath Street, Abingdon, OX14 3QH. The proposal was a change of use from A1 (retail) to C3 (residential) by converting an existing shop to form a self-contained one-bedroom ground floor flat.
Councillor Jim Halliday, a representative for Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council, spoke objecting the proposal.
Councillor Helen Pighills, a local ward councillor, spoke objecting to the proposal.
Applicant Mrs Cartlidge spoke in support of the application.
The committee questioned the speakers and discussed the change of use, reflecting on the current economic situation and impact of Covid-19 on retail.
The committee motioned to support the officer’s recommendation, as follows, and voted in favour:
RECOMMENDATION Planning Permission is granted, subject to the following conditions:
Standard
1. Commencement of development within three years
2. Development in accordance with approved plans
Pre-commencement
3. Boundary details to be submitted
Pre-occupation
4. Car parking in accordance with approved plan
Compliance
5. Materials in accordance with details submitted
169 P20/V1847/LB - 133 Ock Street, Abingdon, OX14 5DL
Due to the expiration of the meeting, this item was not considered.
170 P20/V2173/HH - 133 Ock Street, Abingdon, OX14 5DL
Due to the expiration of the meeting, this item was not considered.
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The meeting closed at 8.33 pm |