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Minutes of a meeting of the Planning Committee
held on Wednesday 6 March 2024 at 7.00 pm in Meeting Room 1, Abbey House, Abbey Close, Abingdon, OX14 3JE
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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: Max Thompson (Chair), Val Shaw (Vice-Chair), Ron Batstone, Katherine Foxhall, Jenny Hannaby, Robert Maddison, Mike Pighills, Jill Rayner and Scott Houghton |
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Officers: Emily Hamerton (Development Manager), Stuart Walker (Planning Officer) and Emily Barry (Democratic Services Officer). |
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Remote attendance: |
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Officers: Susie Royce (Broadcasting Officer) |
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82 Chair's announcements
The chair welcomed everyone to the meeting, outlined the procedure to be followed and advised on emergency evacuation arrangements.
83 Apologies for absence
Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Cheryl Briggs who was substituted for Councillor Katherine Foxhall.
84 Minutes
RESOLVED: to approve the minutes of the meeting held on the 13 February 2024 as a correct record and agree that the Chair sign these as such.
85 Declarations of interest
There were no declarations of interest.
86 Urgent business
The Development Manager noted that item 8, P23/V2226/FUL, from the agenda would no longer be considered at the meeting due to technical errors with the site area indicated on the application plans. Officers were working to resolve the errors and the committee was advised once a revised consultation had been carried out the application would come before committee.
The Development Manager went on to remind the committee that the council was in the process of preparing a joint local plan covering Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire District Councils. The plan was at regulation 18 stage the Joint Local Plan Preferred options which held limited weight and the starting point for any decisions of the committee was the policies in the adopted Local Plans.
87 Public participation
The committee noted the list of the members of the public who had registered to speak at the meeting.
88 P22/V0604/RM - Phase 1a Valley Park Land to the West of Great Western Park
The committee considered planning application P22/V0604/RM for reserved matters application for access, appearance, landscaping, layout and scale following consent granted under reference P14/V2873/O relating solely to Phase 1a of the overall allocation regarding infrastructure elements to enable works for Phase 1 and 2. An Environmental Impact Assessment was submitted as part of the approved outline permission.
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 the application sought permission for infrastructure works in relation to phase 1a of Valley Park, an allocated site within the adopted local plan.
The planning officer informed the committee that since the agenda had been published officers had received a further update from the highway authority confirming they had no objection to the application but requested additional conditions in relation to traffic calming measures and lighting.
The planning officer highlighted the location of the proposed pumping station, access road and attenuation basin. The planning officer highlighted the access which had already been constructed and was therefore outside of the application which was before the committee. He highlighted that the pumping station would be below ground.
The planning officer went on to inform the committee that the proposal had been designed to accord with the approved strategic design code and framework for the site. The appearance, landscape, layout and scale were acceptable for the reasons set out in the officer report. He further confirmed that the internal access road was acceptable as it accorded with the design specification set out in the legal agreement and approved design code. The planning officer confirmed that the proposed drainage scheme on site was acceptable, and the drainage engineer and Environment Agency had no objections.
The planning officer confirmed the application was recommended for approval subject to the conditions set out in the report and with the additional two conditions in relation to traffic calming and lighting as requested by the highway authority.
Aaron Wright (Taylor Wimpey) and Mark Davies (Persimmon Homes), representing the applicants, spoke in support of the application.
The committee asked as to officers understanding of the ability of the sewage works in Didcot to cope with the increase in homes which was forecast and the implications of the intervention by the Environment Agency at Bayswater Brook on the application before them. The planning officer confirmed that the site was an allocated site in the adopted local plan on which Thames Water will have been a consultee. Thames Water would have been required to take the allocation of sites on board and include this in their business forward planning. The outline permission had been granted in February 2022 as the accommodation of the flows from this development were already included in Thames Water’s business forward planning and investment. Were this not the case and Thames Water had confirmed an inability to cope with the development, a Grampian condition would have been applied to prevent occupation until the appropriate infrastructure had been secured.
The committee asked for confirmation as to which flood zone the site fell within. The planning officer advised that areas of flood zone 2 were just outside of the area for the proposed infrastructure works. He highlighted the Environment Agency response and went on to identify the brooks within the wider site.
The committee went on to enquire as to when the improvement works, as required under the proposed condition 6, would be implemented and if this condition would be relaxed. The planning officer advised he was unaware of the proposed programme of delivery for the improvement works. He went on to advise that any relaxation of the condition would be the subject of another planning application on which the Environment Agency would be consulted. The committee had concerns about ensuring that condition 6 was implemented and development works did not commence until the improvement works had been carried out.
A motion, moved and seconded, to approve the application was carried on being put to the vote.
The committee noted that all questions they had had about the proposal had been satisfactorily answered although it was unhappy about the reduced width of cycle lanes, but it understood the reasons why. The committee was satisfied that all technical consultees were in agreement and that it was confident drainage engineers had assessed the application thoroughly.
RESOLVED: to approve P22/V0604/RM, subject to the following conditions:
1. Approved plans
2. Tree protection
3. Tree 229 protection
4. LEMP update
5. POS provision
6. Watercourse works before development in flood zones 2 and 3
7. Boundary treatment to foul water pumping station
8. Vision splays
9. Street lighting details
10. Traffic calming details
89 P23/V2226/FUL - Gateways Harcourt Hill Oxford, OX2 9AS
APPLICATION WITHDRAWN FROM AGENDA.
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The meeting closed at 7.30 pm |