Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies or substitutions for the meeting.

An apology for absence was received from Cllr Sarah Gibson who was substituted by Cllr Stewart Palmen.

To approve and sign as a correct record the minutes of the meetings held on 19 and 20 June 2019.

Resolved:

To confirm and sign the minutes of the previous meetings held on 19 & 20 June 2019 as a correct record.

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

There were no declarations of interest made at the meeting.

To receive any announcements through the Chair.

There were no Chairman’s 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 10.20am 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 4 September 2019 in order to be guaranteed of a written response. In order to receive a verbal response questions must be submitted no later than 6 September 2019. 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.

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

An update on planning appeals and decisions was received.

Mr F Morland, a resident of Chapmanslade, referred to the Planning Inspector’s decision regarding Application No 17/01798/FULL – Valley View, Dean Road, East Grimstead for the change of use of land for the stationing of one mobile home, one touring caravan, and a day/utility room building for residential purposes and considered that Core Policy 47 – Meeting the Needs of Gypsies and Travellers should be reviewed, as he thought it to be too submissive and that there should be placed a limit or assessment of need.

The Head of Development Management stated his disappointment in that although this Committee refused planning permission against the planning officer’s advice, no committee member, Wiltshire Councillor, parish councillor or member of the public attended the hearing on 24 July 2019 to defend and support the reasons for refusal.

Resolved:

To note the contents of the update.

A report by the Case Officer is attached.

The Committee received a presentation from the Case Officer which set out the main issues in respect of the application.  He drew attention to late representations he had received. The Committee noted that the application followed an earlier application for a similar description of development which was refused by this Committee in June.  The new building now proposed was materially different in terms of its scale and design to that refused in the earlier application.

Members then had the opportunity to ask technical questions after which they heard statements from members of the public as follows:-

Mr Steve Fear, a local resident, who spoke against the proposal

Mr Ian Williams, the agent, who spoke in support of the proposal

Ms Amanda Foster, representing the Salisbury Chamber of Commerce, who spoke in support of the proposal

Cllr John Farquhar, Chair of Salisbury City Council’s Planning Committee, who spoke in support of the proposal

Cllr Toby Sturgis spoke on behalf of Cllr Pauline Church, Cabinet Member for South Wiltshire Recovery, in which he reported her full support for the proposal.  It was most important and critical for the recovery of Salisbury.

During discussion several Members stated that they considered that the current application was a considerable improvement on the previous one which was refused. On the proposal of the Chairman, which was seconded by the Vice-Chairman,

Resolved:

To grant planning permission, subject to the following conditions:-   

A report by the Case Officer is attached.

The Committee received a presentation from the Head of Development Management which set out the main issues in respect of the application. The purpose of the report was to assess the merits of the proposal against the policies of the development plan and other material considerations and to consider the recommendation that the application be approved subject to conditions.

Members then had the opportunity to ask technical questions after which they heard statements from members of the public as follows:-

Mr Mark Fisher, a local resident, who spoke against the proposal.

Mr Mike Drury, a local resident, who spoke against the proposal.

Mr Paul Wrathall, a local resident, who spoke against the proposal.

Cllr Robert Collis, Chairman of Lydiard Tregoze Parish Council, spoke against the proposal.

Members then heard the views of Cllr Mollie Groom, the local Member, who stated her objections to the application on account of the likely increase in size and volume of traffic on the road network, the potential for the flooding of adjacent gardens and the infringement of the human rights of the nearby neighbours.

In response, the Head of Development Planning informed the Committee that there was a 30mph speed limit on the road network and there had been no objections to the proposal received from the Highway Authority.  He also stated that regarding drainage, a technical report had been received and no objections had been raised by Wessex Water.

During discussion, Members expressed concern at the wording of Core Policy 47 – Meeting the Needs of Gypsies and Travellers and considered that the Policy should be reviewed so that such planning applications could be considered in a similar way as when examining other applications.

After further discussion, on the proposal of Cllr Tony Trotman, which was seconded by Cllr Christopher Newbury,

Resolved:

To refuse planning permission for the following reasons:-

Proposals for new gypsy and traveller pitches are assessed against the criteria set out for such sites in policy CP47 of the Wiltshire Core Strategy. In this case, the proposal does not satisfy the following criteria in CP47:

vi) The proposed development of the site for the four pitches would have an unacceptable impact on the character and appearance of the landscape, harming the appearance of the countryside by the introduction of this urbanising development extending into the rural landscape. The development would also have an unacceptable impact on the amenity of neighbouring properties, due to the increased level of disturbance through the use of the access and the proximity of the development to nearby residential properties.

viii) The development of the site for gypsy and traveller pitches is inappropriate in this location to the character of its surroundings, where the village is characterised by traditionally built permanent housing.

For the reasons set out in relation to vi) above, the development is also considered to conflict with Wiltshire Core Strategy policy CP57 (vii), due to the adverse impact on the amenities of neighbouring properties

A report by the Case Officer is attached.

The Committee received a presentation from the Case Officer which set out the main issues in respect of the application. The purpose of the report was to assess the merits of the proposals against the policies of the Development Plan and other material considerations and to consider the recommendation that planning permission be granted subject to conditions.

Members then had the opportunity to ask technical questions after which they heard a statement from Mr Keech, the agent, in support of the application.

Members then heard the views of Cllr Chuck Berry, the local Member, who objected to the proposal. He explained that he had received representations from neighbours to the site including the proprietors of a successful bed and breakfast establishment stating that they considered that their businesses would be adversely affected. Cllr Berry also questioned the need for an additional site for gypsies and travellers as there appeared to be several extant permissions that had not been taken up.

After some discussion, on the proposal of the Chairman, which was seconded by Cllr Fred Westmoreland,

Resolved:

To grant planning permission, subject to the following conditions:-

To note that the next scheduled meeting of this Committee is due to be held on Wednesday 16 October 2019 at County Hall, Trowbridge, starting at 10.30am.

Resolved:

To note that the next scheduled meeting of this Committee is due to take place on Wednesday 16 October 2019 at County Hall, Trowbridge, starting at 10.30am.

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.