Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies for absence.

To approve and sign as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 21 June 2012 (copy herewith).

The minutes of the meeting held on 21 June 2012 were presented.

Resolved:

To approve as a correct record and sign the minutes.

There were no Declarations of Interest.

The Chairman explained the meeting procedure to the members of the public.

The Chairman also reminded members of the committee that future meetings would be held at City Hall, Salisbury.

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 5 July 2012. 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 committee received details of the following appeal decisions:

S/2011/1456 - Co-Op, Bulford Road, Durrington – Delegated – Dismissed

S/2011/0735 – Shiralee, Tytherley Road, Winterslow - Delegated – Dismissed

S/2011/0708 – Hillbilly Acre, Clarendon – Committee – Dismissed

S/2011/1412 – Evergreen, Shepherds Close, Odstock – Delegated – Allowed

S/2011/1504 – White Cottage, Fore Street, Wylye – Enforcement Appeal - Dismissed

Resolved:

To defer the application to enable members of the committee to attend a site visit.

Mr Leo Randall spoke in objection to the application

Mr Ian Ellis, agent, spoke in support of the application

Mr Trevor King, Chairman of Whiteparish Parish Council, spoke in objection to the application

The Planning Officer introduced the report, which was recommended for approval, and drew attention to late correspondence regarding the landscape management plan and the deletion of condition 2 in the report and an amendment to condition 9.  During the debate members raised concerns regarding the scale of the development.

RESOLVED

That planning permission be REFUSED

For the following reasons:

The site is located in the open countryside, which is designated as Special Landscape Area by the Salisbury District Local Plan. The wider landscape character is also covered by the Landford Forest Heath Mosaic landscape character area. In the absence of a comprehensive landscape impact assessment (which takes account of views into the site from the surrounding countryside and the A27) the proposed equestrian development is considered to have an adverse impact on the visual quality of the Special Landscape Area by virtue of its scale, height and siting.

Notwithstanding the visual impacts of the proposal, it appears from the applicants own evidence that thirteen horses are already accommodated on the site using the existing stables, and therefore, the Local Planning Authority considers that the need for a large new stable building in the countryside has not been sufficiently demonstrated.

Furthermore, whilst it appears that the close board fence is “permitted development,” it appears to have replaced a mature hedgerow and no evidence has been provided to prove that the feature was not of ancient origins, and hence appears to have been removed without prior notification to the Local Planning Authority. The close board fence is an incongruous feature within the landscape and coupled with the proposed equestrian development and area of hard paving, the resultant site would appear as an unsympathetic form of development within the countryside.

The proposal would therefore be contrary to saved Salisbury District Local Plan Policy C6 (Special Landscape Area), C2 (Development in the Countryside), C8 (Loss of Hedgerows) and R1C (Countryside Recreation) which are also saved policies in Appendix C of the South Wiltshire Core Strategy. The proposal would also be contrary to Policy CP22 (Green Infrastructure and Habitat Networks) of the South Wiltshire Core Strategy and the policies in the National Planning Policy Framework. 

Mr David Randall spoke in objection to the application.

Mr Tony Allen, agent, spoke in support of the application.

Mr Crawford Stoddard, on behalf of Cholderton Parish Meeting, spoke in objection to the application.

The Planning Officer introduced the report, which was recommended for approval.

A debate ensued during which issues such as the fact that various temporary permissions had been granted to the site and some had not been renewed at the appropriate time, the balance between encouraging tourism and protecting the environment, the total amount of staff accommodation to be available on site were raised.

With the inclusion of additional conditions regarding the removal of the existing log cabins and the ground to be reverted to agricultural use, it was

Resolved:

Planning permission be GRANTED for the following reason:

The removal of the two dilapidated Log Cabins together with the proposed temporary retention and location on the site of the mobile homes for staff accommodation, are considered to represent a significant visual improvement resulting in no demonstrable harm to the immediate site, neighbours and the wider surrounding countryside. As such the proposal is considered to be in general accordance with the aims and objectives of saved policies G1, C2 and T2 of the adopted Salisbury District Local Plan which are contained within Appendix C of the adopted South Wiltshire Core Strategy, and with the Local Planning Policy Framework (LPPF) parts:  3 Supporting a Prosperous Rural Economy.

Subject to the following conditions:

1 The occupation of the mobile homes shall be limited to a person solely or mainly employed in the business occupying the site.

REASON: The site lies within an area where planning permission would not normally be granted for development unrelated to the essential needs of the established business.

POLICY – G1 – General principles for development, C2 – Development in the Countryside, T2 – Tourist attractions in the countryside.

2. The mobile homes hereby permitted and any ancillary works or structures shall be removed and the land restored to its former condition on or before the 30th June 2014 in accordance with a scheme to be submitted to and approved by the Local Planning Authority.

REASON: Permission has been granted on a temporary basis to establish whether there is a functional need for permanent on site residential accommodation in relation to the agricultural tourism enterprise on the site.

POLICY – G1 – General principles for development, C2 – Development in the Countryside, T2 – Tourist attractions in the countryside.

3.  This decision relates to documents/plans submitted with the application, listed below. No variation from the approved documents should be made without the prior approval of this Council. Amendments may require the submission of a further application.  Failure to comply with this advice may lead to enforcement action which may require alterations and/or demolition of any unauthorised buildings or structures and may also lead to prosecution.

Drawing ref.no. APL/01 Site Location Plan

Drawing ref.no. CFc/p01a Site Plan as Proposed

Drawing ref.no. CFc/p/10  ...  view the full minutes text for item 50c

There were no urgent items