Agenda and minutes

1)    To note the Membership of the Committee, as detailed on the front of the Agenda, as appointed at the meeting of Council on 14 May 2013, and,

2)    To receive any apologies or substitutions for the meeting.

1)    The membership of the Committee was noted.

2)    An apology for absence was received from Councillor Horace Prickett. Councillor Prickett was substituted by Councillor Graham Payne.

To approve the minutes of the last meeting held on 17 April 2013.

The minutes of the meeting held on 17 April 2013 were presented for consideration. It was,

Resolved:

To APPROVE as a correct record and sign the minutes.

To receive any announcements through the Chair.

The Chairman announced, with the consent of the Committee, that the order of the two applications to be determined would be reversed from their order in the agenda, in order to allow time for the arrival of a Wiltshire Council Drainage Engineer for application W/12/02235/FUL: 19 St Mary’s Lane, Dilton Marsh as requested by the Committee at its last meeting.

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

Councillor Jonathon Seed declared a non-pecuniary interest in application W/13/00152/FUL - Land North West of 6 Holmeleaze, Steeple Ashton - by virtue of an acquaintance of the applicant registering a complaint against him for calling in the application to Committee. Councillor Seed stated that he would consider the application with an open mind and on its merits.

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 Wednesday 15 May 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.

There were no questions or statements submitted.

The Committee noted the rules of public participation.

To consider and determine the following planning applications:

Public Participation

Mr Robert William Lane spoke in objection to the application.

Mr Geoffrey Hyatt, Steeple Ashton Parish Council, spoke in objection to the application.

Mr George Menzies, agent, spoke in support of the application.

The Area Team Leader introduced a report which recommended that permission be granted. The key issues were stated to include the scale of the proposed development, visual impact upon the surrounding area and highways impacts. It was also noted that there were permitted development rights in relation to the site, which would not require planning permission, unlike the current proposal.

The Committee then had the opportunity to ask technical questions of the officer. Details were sought about the extent of the application site, and the current lack of access arrangements from the site.

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

The Local Member, Councillor Jonathon Seed, then spoke in objection to the application.

A debate followed, where the issue of ‘garden grabbing’ and potential harm to the amenity and character of the area was raised, along with issues in relation to access and highways safety. It was noted in response that Highways officers had raised no objections. Whether the application constituted overdevelopment was also discussed.

At the conclusion of debate, it was,

Resolution:

That Planning Permission be GRANTED for the following reason:

The proposed windfall development is located within the defined Village Policy Limits of Steeple Ashton and as a consequence is considered a sustainable development proposal with good access to village amenities and services, including public transport links. The proposal would not demonstrably cause any harm to the street scene, character of the area and nor would it detrimentally harm third party amenities or privacy levels. The one-house development would make a modest contribution to meeting local housing need. 

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 development shall commence on site until details and samples of the materials to be used for the external walls and roofs have been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. Development shall be carried out in accordance with the approved details.

          REASON: In the interests of visual amenity and the character and appearance of the area.

          West Wiltshire District Plan 1st Alteration 2004 - POLICY: C31a.

3       No development shall commence on site until a scheme of hard and soft landscaping has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority, the details of which shall include:-

          Location and current canopy spread of all existing trees and hedgerows on the land;

          Full details of all trees and hedgerows to be retained;

          Where the existing hedgerows are to be retained and where there  ...  view the full minutes text for item 40.

Public Participation

Mrs Paula Carr spoke in objection to the application.

Mr Nigel Paine spoke in objection to the application.

Mr Alan Verity, applicant, spoke in support of the application.

The Area Team Leader introduced a report which recommended approval. It was noted the item had previously come to the Committee on 17 April 2013, and had been deferred for completion of a drainage report, to which attention was drawn, and the attendance of a Wiltshire Council Drainage Engineer.

It was stated the main issues to consider remained the principle of the development, impact upon the character and appearance of the area, and flooding and drainage, which the Engineer’s report stated were satisfactory given the conditions proposed in the report.

The Committee then had the opportunity to ask technical questions of the officers. The lack of contours on the provided maps was noted with regret, and details were also sought regarding blockages to the watercourse in the area that were contributing to difficulties, and it was stated Council officers now had greater powers to access and order alterations be made where necessary, and would work with the local community to resolve concerns. It was further confirmed that no additional conditions had been proposed since the last committee meeting.

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

The Local Member, Councillor Linda Conley, then spoke in objection to the application.

A debate followed, where the interference in the watercourse in the area was noted, and it was requested officers take note and action investigation and resolution of the issue as soon as was practical. The contents of the Drainage report were considered, and the possibility of a sprinkler system to be included on the site was raised.

At the conclusion of debate, it was,

Resolved:

That Planning Permission be GRANTED for the following reason:

The decision to grant planning permission has been taken on the grounds that the proposed development would not cause any significant harm to interests of acknowledged importance and having regard to the National Planning Policy Framework and the following policies and proposals in the West Wiltshire District Plan 1st Alteration 2004 namely Saved Policies C31A, C38, H1A, H17, H24, U2 and U1A.

In accordance with paragraph 187 of the National Planning Policy Framework, Wiltshire Council has worked proactively with the applicant to secure this development to ensure that there would be no harm to the character and appearance of the area and no harm to neighbouring amenity.

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 development shall commence on site until details and samples of the materials to be used for the external walls and roofs have been submitted to and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 41.

The Committee briefly considered the issue of the appropriateness of the meeting location, given difficulty for some members resulting from glare on the presentation screens from the transparent roof.

A number of possible solutions and future options was discussed, and it was agreed to attempt these for future meetings and review their success at a future date.