Agenda and minutes

To receive any announcements from the chair, and general housekeeping matters.

The chair ran through housekeeping arrangements appropriate to an in-person meeting which was being simultaneously broadcast.

To record apologies for absence and the attendance of substitute members. 

Apologies for absence were received from the chair, Councillor Max Thompson, and from Councillor Ron Batstone and Councillor Cheryl Briggs. Councillor Robert Maddison substituted for Councillor Thompson.

To adopt and sign as a correct record the Planning Committee minutes of the meeting held on Thursday 13 January 2022.

RESOLVED: to approve the minutes of the meeting held on Thursday 13 January 2022 as a correct record and agree that the chair signs them as such.

To receive any declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests in respect of items on the agenda for this meeting.  

There were no declarations of interest.

To receive notification of any matters which the chairman determines should be considered as urgent business and the special circumstances which have made the matters urgent. 

There was no urgent business.

To receive any statements from members of the public that have registered to speak on planning applications which are being presented to this committee meeting. 

The committee noted the list of members of the public registered to speak at the meeting. The committee had received, prior to the meeting, copies of any statements which had been made.

Full planning permission for 82 dwellings with associated access, roads, infrastructure, open space and landscaping (as per amended plans and documents received 12 January 2022 and 8 March 2022).

The committee considered planning application P21/V2334/FUL which sought

full planning permission for 82 dwellings with associated access, roads, infrastructure, open space and landscaping (as per amended plans and documents received 12 January 2022 and 8 March 2022) at the former Seven Acres Nursery site, Faringdon Road, Stanford in the Vale.

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 reported that since the publication of the agenda, Stanford in the Vale Parish Council had made further comments of objection regarding the housing mix (allegedly not Strategic Housing Market Assessment, SHMA, compliant), sustainability and requirement for detailed plans of the play areas.  The parish council’s previous comments had been summarised in the report.

The planning officer reported that to the south and east of the application site 78 dwellings were consented in 2018 and to the north 100 dwellings were also consented in 2018. Both schemes formed part of the same strategic allocation and were currently under construction. This application was effectively the third phase. Vehicular access would be taken from Faringdon Road and through the consented scheme for 100 dwellings to the north. Since submission of the application in August 2021, there had been several amendments submitted by the applicant to address technical issues raised by the landscape architect, drainage engineer, environmental protection officers, countryside officer, forestry officer, waste team and the Stanford in the Vale Parish Council.

As a result of these amendments, the number of the proposed houses had been reduced from 87 to 82 and changes to the proposed layout and design had been made.

The planning officer referred to the parish council’s objection that further detail in respect of the play areas was required and displayed to the committee a slide depicting the location of the kickabout area. The area would be relatively natural and open and would incorporate a hedgerow and would not pose a risk to the safety of young children near to the public road.  The planning officer also displayed slides of the materials and architectural features of the dwellings in the other phases presently being built and advised the committee that the area, delivered by the same developer, would be a prestigious project, giving a blended, quality, appearance. The principle of the housing development accorded with local plan policies and the affordable housing proposals were compliant with core policy 24.  The proposed market housing mix agreed with the SHMA and an estimate of the mix of units was provided in tables at paragraphs 5.8 and 5.12.

Councillor Kevin Middleton, Chair of Stanford in the Vale Parish Council, spoke objecting to the application.

Ms. Rebecca Bacon, the agent, spoke in support of the application.

Ms. Georgina Naish, the applicant, spoke in support of the application.

In response to a question regarding the parish council’s concern that ‘home office’ spaces were actually re-named bedrooms, thereby having an impact on SHMA calculation, the agent responded  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17.