Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence

Apologies for the meeting were received from Cllr Nick Fogg.

To approve and sign as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 24 October 2013.

The Minutes of the previous meeting held 24 October 2013 were presented. It was;

Resolved:

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting held 24 October 2013, as a true and accurate record.

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

There were no declarations of interest.

To receive any announcements from the chairman.

The Chairman outlined the procedures for the meeting. There were no further 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 in person no later than 5.50pm on the day of the meeting.

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. The rules on public participation in respect of planning applications are detailed in the Council’s Planning Code of Good Practice.

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 Thursday 28 November 2013. 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 Chairman outlined the procedure for public participation. No questions had been submitted from the public or Councillors.

To consider and determine the following planning applications.

Public Participation

Mr Dennis Seeley spoke in objection to the application.

Mr Wayne Crabbe spoke in support of the application.

Mr D. Woolley, Fyfield and West Overton Parish Council, spoke in objection to the application.

Local member Cllr Jemima Milton spoke in objection to the application.

The Development Control Team Leader outlined the report which recommended the application be granted planning permission. No late items had been submitted. The Development Control Team Leader outlined the details of the site, noting that the site was currently allocated for B1 – Business, and B8 - Storage and Distribution uses.

The key planning policy considerations were noted as being: Kennet Local Plan 2011: PD1 – General development principles and ED12 – Protecting employment and tourism within villages.  The Wiltshire Core Strategy Pre- Submission Document contains emerging planning policy and  will eventually replace the Kennet Local Plan. It is not expected to be adopted until 2014 and therefore would not carry full weight. Members did, however, consider that some weight should be attached to its policies and in particular Core Policy 35 which would afford no protection to the employment use.  The National Planning Policy Framework also has some relevance.

The Committee were then invited to ask technical questions of the application. It was confirmed that the conditions attached to the site under its previous planning permission  (K/51093/F) were broadly similar to those included on the current application.

Members of the public (above) were then invited to speak on the application.

Local Member Cllr Jemima Milton spoke in objection to the application stating the impact on local residents’  amenity, and stated the highways objection as a consideration for the Committee. Cllr Milton also drew attention to the current operating hours and requested that the Committee consider conditions to restrict the usage of the site.

Members then entered into debate on the application, of which the main concerns were the traffic increase, and usage of the site outside standard operating hours. Members discussed an amendment to condition 3 to further limit the opening hours of the site. The Committee encouraged a robust approach to enforcing the operating hours of the site.

Resolved:

To GRANT planning permission for the application subject to the following conditions:

1.     The development hereby permitted shall be begun before the expiration of three years from the date of this permission.

REASON:  To comply with the provisions of Section 91 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 as amended by the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004.

2.     No loudspeakers, public address system, or other amplified sound equipment shall be used on the site which would be audible outside the building.

REASON:  In order to protect the amenities of nearby residential properties.

3.     The use hereby permitted shall only take place between the hours of 0800 and 1800 from Mondays to Saturdays (inclusive).  The use shall not take place at any other time or on Bank Holidays. Deliveries shall not be taken or despatched from the site outside the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 100.

Public Participation

Mr Steve Wright spoke in support of the application.

Local member Cllr Jemima Milton spoke in support of the application.

The Development Control Team Leader outlined the report which recommended the application be refused planning permission. No late items had been submitted. The Development Control Team Leader outlined the details of the application, noting in particular the proposed design and materials.

The key planning policy considerations were noted as being: Kennet Local Plan 2011: PD1 – General development principles and NR7 – Protection of the landscape.  The Wiltshire Core Strategy Pre- Submission Document contains emerging planning policy and  will eventually replace the Kennet Local Plan. It is not expected to be adopted until 2014 and therefore would not carry full weight, however the committee were minded to consider CP51 -Landscape and CP57 – Ensuring high quality design. The National Planning Policy Framework Section 7 – Requirement for good design, and Section 11 – Conserving and enhancing the natural environment, were also considerations for the Committee.

The key areas for consideration were therefore noted as being the design of the proposed development and the impact on the AONB and local amenity.

The Committee were then invited to ask technical questions of the application, of which there were none.

Members of the public (above) were then invited to speak on the application.

Local Member Cllr Jemima Milton spoke in support of the application, stating that the development could enhance the cottage and make a real difference to the local area.

Members then entered into debate on the application, of which the main areas for discussion were the scale and design of the proposed development, and the impact on the surrounding landscape.

Resolved:

To REFUSE planning permission for the application for the following reason:

1.     The extension, by reason of its height, scale and design, would appear as an overly dominant and incongruous addition to the host dwelling, to the detriment of its character and appearance. Furthermore, by virtue of this fact, the proposed development would also have a materially harmful impact upon the landscape character and visual qualities of the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.  It would therefore be contrary to saved policies PD1 and NR7 of the Kennet Local Plan 2011 and Core Policies 51 and 57 of the Wiltshire Core Strategy Pre-Submission Document, February 2012.

There were no urgent items.