Agenda item

Erection of 4 detached houses with separate double garages retaining existing access and visibility splays

Richard Greenwood spoke in support of the application.

The planning officer introduced the report which recommended to delegate authority to Director of Development Services to approve planning permission subject to a s106 legal agreement and conditions. Attention was drawn to the late items and photographs and plans for the site and existing access arrangement were shown. It was explained the development was to be on a narrow site next to, but not part of , the Longhedge development. Details of the neighbouring development were provided alongside the retention of landscaping to screen dwellings. The Officer advised that since the application was last considered by Committee the site had now been identified as a potential site for future development in the Council ‘potential site options’ document. The  Wiltshire Core Strategy had also been adopted and so policy details were updated.

The Committee then had the opportunity to ask technical and it was verified that the land was a potential development site. The Planning Officer explained that a footpath on the plan aimed to link to the Longhedge development could not stretch the entire length as the land between was owned by a third party. As part of the Longhedge development, landscaping would partly screen the houses from the road but houses would still be in close proximity to the road.

The local member, Cllr Ian McLennan, spoke in objection to the application and moved that it be refused for the same reasons given by Committee at determination of the original application: namely that uncertainty remained about the layout of the Longhedge development and the permission constituted development in the open countryside. The councillor suggested the site should go through the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA) process. Other key concerns were that the site could suffer from overdevelopment and that the residential amenity of occupants of the dwellings could be reduced by neighbouring commercial development, moreover permission on this site could restrict the development of commercial units in a major strategic site. Other members commented that commercial units were already located near dwellings as part of the Longhedge development and so did not consider this application to be a concern.

Further observations included that the proposed condition 6 could address highways safety but that permission could not be conditioned on the final agreement of the Longhedge development. Additional points were that shrubbery should be used for screening where possible and the proposed pathway was not useful until linked to the other development. Some councillors argued the development could tie in well with the Longhedge site and was low-density however the Committee agreed the application was premature.

Resolved:

To REFUSE planning permission for the following reason:

The proposed dwellings would be located on a site which is currently located in the open countryside, and is not specifically allocated for housing development in the adopted Wiltshire Core Strategy. The adjacent A345 road onto to which the dwellings would have a vehicular access is a very busy arterial road between Salisbury and Amesbury, where traffic speeds are very high.

A large area of land immediately adjacent the site has been allocated for a significant mixed development within the development plan, and planning permission has been granted. A new highway arrangement has been proposed as part of the adjacent development, which will help improve highway safety and reduce traffic speeds.

However, this adjacent permission is in outline form and development has yet to commence. Consequently, at the current time, the surrounding land remains of a rural character, and it may be some time before the land is actually developed, including the provision of a roundabout. As a result, there is no certainty that the final development will resemble the layout currently envisaged or that the future developments would not conflict.

Consequently, due to the lack of certainty that the development of the area would occur as currently envisaged, it is considered that the scheme would be likely to result in housing development within the open countryside also result in additional traffic generation onto a busy arterial road to the detriment of highway safety, contrary to policies CP1, CP2, CP45, CP48, CP51 & CP57 of the adopted Wiltshire Core Strategy.