Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies or substitutions for the meeting.

There were no apologies received.

To approve and sign as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 1 November 2018.

The minutes of the meeting held on 1 November 2018 were presented for consideration, and it was:

Resolved:

To approve and sign as a true and correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 1 November 2018.

To receive any declarations of disclosable interests or dispensations granted by the Standards Committee.

Cllr Peter Evans declared a non-pecuniary interest in agenda item 7b, application 18/03498/FUL, Sports Field, Green Lane, Devizes, as he was a member of Devizes Town Council. He declared he would consider the application on its merits with an open mind as he debated and voted on the item.

Cllr Mark Connolly declared a non-pecuniary interest in agenda item 7a, application 18/02400/FUL, Former Naafi, Station Road, Tidworth, Salisbury SP9 7NR, as he was the Mayor of Tidworth. He declared he would consider the application on its merits with an open mind as he debated and voted on the item.

To receive any announcements through the Chair.

There were no announcements.

The Council welcomes contributions from members of the public.

Statements

Members of the public who wish to speak either in favour or against an application or any other item on this agenda are asked to register by phone, email or in person no later than 2.50pm on the day of the meeting.

The rules on public participation in respect of planning applications are detailed in the Council’s Planning Code of Good Practice. The Chairman will allow up to 3 speakers in favour and up to 3 speakers against an application and up to 3 speakers on any other item on this agenda. Each speaker will be given up to 3 minutes and invited to speak immediately prior to the item being considered.

Members of the public will have had the opportunity to make representations on the planning applications and to contact and lobby their local member and any other members of the planning committee prior to the meeting. Lobbying once the debate has started at the meeting is not permitted, including the circulation of new information, written or photographic which have not been verified by planning officers.

Questions

To receive any questions from members of the public or members of the Council received in accordance with the constitution which excludes, in particular, questions on non-determined planning applications.

Those wishing to ask questions are required to give notice of any such questions in writing to the officer named on the front of this agenda no later than 5pm on 22 November 2018 in order to be guaranteed of a written response. In order to receive a verbal response questions must be submitted no later than 5pm on26 November 2018. Please contact the officer named on the front of this agenda for further advice. Questions may be asked without notice if the Chairman decides that the matter is urgent.

Details of any questions received will be circulated to Committee members prior to the meeting and made available at the meeting and on the Council’s website.

The rules on public participation were noted.

To receive details of the completed and pending appeals, and any other updates as appropriate.

The report on completed and pending appeals was presented for consideration.

Resolved:

To note the updates.

To consider and determine the following planning applications.

The following planning applications were considered.

Construction of hardware and DIY store (with associated warehousing and open storage) and 8 residential units, with associated landscaping and parking.

Public Participation

Mr David Wildman, spoke in objection to the application.

Mr Andrew Partridge, agent, spoke in support of the application.

Mr James Sherbourne, applicant, spoke in support of the application.

Adam Madge, Development Management Team Leader, presented a report which recommended that planning permission be granted, with conditions, for the construction of a hardware and DIY store (with associated warehousing and open storage) and 8 residential units, with associated landscaping and parking.

Key details were stated to include the following:

The site was located on the main commercial road in Tidworth. It was currently vacant and had been derelict for a number of years. The applicant controlled 28 spaces within the 43 space car park (accessed via Drummer Lane) located in the north west corner of the site. The residents of the proposed flats were to use some of these spaces for parking. The proposal was for an L shaped building which would front onto Station Road. This would comprise a ground floor DIY retail showroom with a connected double storey height warehouse; associated external storage and parking; with four one bedroom & four two bedroom flats above the retail element and fronting Station Road. Residents would have side access enabling them to enter the building from the Drummer Lane car park, whereas customers would access the site from the front. Vehicular access to the site would be from Station Road, there would also be a further 8 parking spaces at the back of the building accessed via this entrance. Concerns had been raised by local residents regarding the flat windows overlooking their properties, however this issue had been resolved as the windows on the side had been obscured. The proposal represented a significant investment by the applicant of approximately £2.5 million and the retail unit would create 8 to 10 jobs.

Members of the public then had the opportunity to present their views to the committee as detailed above.

The unitary division member, Councillor Mark Connolly, then spoke regarding the application. It was stated that it had been an aim of Tidworth Town Council to increase footfall along Station Road. However the site had been derelict for many years. Local residents had wanted a pub or cinema on the site, but Tidworth was too small for a viable cinema and no pubs had been willing to take on the site. Public opinion was fairly split regarding the application, with some residents thinking it was good and some thinking it was bad. As the local division member the Chairman stated he had called the application in due to overlooking issues and the fact that there was no shop entrance on Station Road. However, he felt that these issues had been addressed by the applicant. Although the Chairman had some concerns regarding parking he was relatively happy with the proposals. Wiltshire Council Highways had stated that although parking was a concern there were not enough grounds for refusal. It was stated that a mixed use development was reasonable as many  ...  view the full minutes text for item 69.

Provision of new football pavilion and changing facilities for Devizes Town Council and to form new headquarters for Wiltshire FA. Reconfiguration of car park and newly laid out football pitches.

Public Participation

Mr Stuart Hisop, local resident, spoke in objection to the application.

Mr Mark Young, Wiltshire Football Association, spoke in support of the application.

Mr Simon Fisher, Clerk, Devizes Town Council, spoke in support of the application.

Ruaridh O'Donoghue, Senior Conservation/Planning Officer, presented a report which recommended that planning permission be granted, with conditions, for the provision of a new football pavilion and changing facilities for Devizes Town Council and to form new headquarters for Wiltshire FA. Reconfiguration of car park and newly laid out football pitches.

Key details were stated to include the following:

The application proposed a new football pavilion and changing facilities for Devizes Town Council, a new headquarters for Wiltshire Football Association, along with a 3G pitch and associated floodlighting, with a reconfiguration of the car park. Pictures of the site were shown to the committee; the land was mainly playing fields, which were currently being used for football matches and for other leisure/recreation activities. The site would be accessed via Green Lane, utilising the existing entrance to the car park. The application proposed to resurface the car park, providing 105 spaces. It was confirmed that the site had an established D2 use (leisure and recreation), which was compatible with the current proposal. Whilst the application would result in the loss of some green infrastructure, this would be offset by better provision and so would be acceptable under NPPF paragraph 97. The application would not cause harm to the character of the landscape, it would be well contained within the boundaries of the site and further landscaping was proposed to help mitigate the visual impact. As such, the proposal adhered to the aims of core policy 51 of the Wiltshire Core Strategy.

The Highways Authority did not find any significant issues with access or parking, as the existing level of use was already quite high. The Public Protection Officer considered that there would be no detrimental impact to the amenity of nearby residents. Wiltshire Council’s Ecologist offered support for the proposal if conditions were imposed, namely the submission of a revised Landscape & Ecological Mitigation Plan and a robust Landscape and Ecological Management Plan prior to the commencement of works; works to be carried out in strict accordance with the recommendations made in the two reports by Eclipse Ecology; that there would be no lighting in the car park; and a requirement for the placement and maintenance of willow hurdles on the inside edge of the new hedge to ensure an instant light baffle while the hedgerow grows. These conditions were to minimise impact on bats and other local ecology.

Attention was drawn to some late correspondence received from Devizes Town Council in response to the Wiltshire Council Ecologist’s views. Concerns were raised regarding  the request to have a double hedge on the eastern boundary. It was felt that this would compromise the archery and grass pitches, would add additional cost to the project, would create safety issues and also that there was no  ...  view the full minutes text for item 70.

Change of use of redundant agricultural storage buildings into a flexible events space and associated development.

Public Participation

Mr Samuel Croft, agent, spoke in support of the application.

Mrs Shanne Boyd, applicant, spoke in support of the application.

Ruaridh O'Donoghue, Senior Conservation/Planning Officer, presented a report which recommended that planning permission be refused, for the change of use of redundant agricultural storage buildings into a flexible events space and associated development.

Key details were stated to include the following:

The application site was located in the open countryside, within the North Wessex Downs AONB. It was accessed via a single track that connects with the farm complex, which ultimately links to the A346. The two buildings being considered for a change of use were approximately 200m from the main farm complex. Pictures of the buildings, site and plans were shown to the committee. The main details to be considered were related to Wiltshire Core Strategy Core Policy 48, Supporting Rural Life, namely whether the buildings were structurally sound and capable of conversion; whether the use is acceptable in principle; and whether the proposal is considered to be in a sustainable location.

Attention was drawn to the late correspondence received from the applicants agent, detailing why they felt the application should be approved. Comments included the following: that the proposal was key to the viability of the current business on the site; a structural survey provided by a qualified professional stated that the buildings were in a satisfactory structural condition and were capable of conversion; paragraph 83 of the NPPF was supportive of a prosperous rural economy and that the Leader Programme run by the North Wessex Downs AONB had invited them to apply for funding.

In response to this late correspondence the officer stated that he had contacted the Leader Programme who clarified that it was not their purpose to help determine planning applications. The AONB unit’s comments on the application included that they did not feel the works required on the buildings could be categorised as repair work, but rather would be a new build which would harm the landscape. There may also be issues regarding the dark sky status of the AONB. Each planning application needed to be determined on its own merits.

Members of the committee then had the opportunity to ask technical questions of the officer. Details  were sought on what type of farming was undertaken on the holding. This was answered during public participation where it was stated that arable farming was undertaken by contractors. It had previously been a dairy farm, but due to TB was now completely arable. 

Members of the public then had the opportunity to present their views to the committee as detailed above.

The unitary division member, Councillor Jane Davies then spoke in support of the application. Cllr Davies stated that the application would be a creative reuse of buildings and that paragraph 83 of the NPPF supported rural development. There would be benefits to the community, including the creation of jobs and discounted usage for local people. It was felt that the benefit to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 71.

Any other items of business which, in the opinion of the Chairman, should be taken as a matter of urgency 

There were no urgent items.