Agenda item

Proposed driveway / dropped kerb. (As amplified by additional information received 22 June 2023)

As the acting chair, Councillor Val Shaw, stood down from the committee for this item as she was the local ward member, the committee held an election for a chair.

RESOLVED: that in the absence of the chair and vice-chair, Councillor Mike Pighills be elected as chair.

The committee considered planning application P23/V1093/HH for the proposed driveway / dropped kerb, (as amplified by additional information received 22 June 2023), on land at 39 Wootton Village, Boars Hill, Oxford.  

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 that the application was called into the committee by the local ward member, Councillor Val Shaw.

The planning officer informed the committee that the application was for an additional access for one of the two detached dwellings approved in 2021 on the west side of Wootton Village Road.

In response to the original objection from Oxfordshire County Council highways, a vision splays plan was submitted. When reconsulted, highways removed their objection subject to conditions but noted that the nearby conifer tree would need to be regularly maintained.

The planning officer informed the committee that although the access would remove some greenspace, area of verge to the north and south would remain, as well as the recently planted tree. In addition, as she believed that the application would not harm the appearance of the area or neighbouring amenity, and that as highways had no objection, she recommended the application be approved.

Councillor Gerardine Quaghebeur spoke on behalf of Wootton Parish Council, objecting to the application. 

Councillor Val Shaw, a local ward councillor, spoke objecting to the application. 

The committee asked about the representations from Oxfordshire County Council highways and what the reasons were behind the change from their initial objection. In response, the planning officer confirmed that when the applicant submitted additional information around visibility splays, although it did not cover all the points raised, highways were no longer able to maintain an objection. Members noted the position of highways and that as the land of proposed driveway belonged to them, and as they had no objection, they had given permission for the application. However, the committee maintained concerned about some of the points detailed in highways first representation and felt that they were not addressed.

When asked about how many other driveways on the road had a similar access, the planning officer confirmed there were several such accesses in both directions along the road.

The committee also inquired into the potential loss of street parking for school pick up and drop off, but they accepted the input from the planning officer that street parking was not a material planning consideration for the application as there was no allocated parking for school pickup and drop off that would be affected by the application, so it could not be protected for that use.

Members discussed the area around the site and weighed up the planning balance between providing the access and the potential loss of amenity, greenspace, and the impact on pedestrians. They also noted that the site was unique from other points along the road due to the green verge and that only some of the verge to the north and south would be kept if the application were to be approved.

Members then inquired into how enforceable the turning area, noted in the current plan, would be and how the council could ensure that it would not be used as another parking space. In response, the planning officer confirmed that there were conditions on the application to ensure the use of the land as approved and that if this was not used as a turning space in practice it could be subject to enforcement action. However, it was also noted that this was not material to the current application.

Although some members believed that, as highways had no objection, the application should be approved, the committee maintained concerned that the application would have safety implications for the people walking from the school and that there would be a loss of green amenity space. For these reasons, members did not vote to approve the application.

A motion, moved and seconded, to approve the application was not carried on being put to the vote. 

Overall, the committee agreed that there was not enough information on the access, erosion of the greenspace, and about the loss of amenity to make a decision on the application. Therefore, they agreed that the application should be deferred in order for a site visit to take place where the highways officer could be present to walk members through the site.

A motion, moved and seconded, to defer the application in order to carry out a site visit with highways officers present was carried on being put to the vote. 

RESOLVED: to defer application P23/V1093/HH in order for a site visit to take place, with Oxfordshire County Council Highways officers present.