Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies or substitutions for the meeting.

There were no apologies for absence.

To approve and sign as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 16 September 2020.

The minutes of the meeting held on 16 September 2020 were presented for consideration, and it was,

Resolved:

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 16 September 2020 as a true and correct record.

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

Councillor Ernie Clark declared a non-pecuniary interest in application 16/00672/OUT by virtue of being Chairman of Hilperton Parish Council.

To receive any announcements through the Chair.

There were no specific Chairman’s announcements.

The Council welcomes contributions from members of the public. During the

ongoing Covid-19 situation the Council is operating revised procedures and the public are able to participate in meetings online after registering with the officer named on this agenda, and in accordance with the deadlines below.

Guidance on how to participate in this meeting online

Access the online meeting here

Statements

Members of the public who wish to submit a statement in relation to an item on this agenda should submit this in writing to the officer named on this agenda no later than 5pm on 30 November 2020.

Submitted statements should:

·       State whom the statement is from (including if representing another person or organisation);

·       State clearly whether the statement is in objection to or support of the application;

·       Be readable aloud in approximately three minutes (for members of the public and statutory consultees) and in four minutes (for parish council representatives – 1 per parish council).

Up to three objectors and three supporters are normally allowed for each item on the agenda, plus statutory consultees and parish councils.

Those submitting statements would be expected to join the online meeting to read the statement themselves, or to provide a representative to read the statement on their behalf.

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 electronically to the officer named on the front of this agenda no later than 5pm on 25 November 2020in order to be guaranteed of a written response.

In order to receive a verbal response questions must be submitted no later than 5pm on 27 November 2020.

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 members prior to the meeting and made available at the meeting and on the Council’s website. Questions and answers will normally be taken as read at the meeting.

The procedure for public speaking was noted.

To consider and determine the following planning applications.

The following applications were considered.

Review of minerals planning conditions - Application for determination of conditions for mineral site.

Mike Wilmott, Head of Development Management, and Frank Cain, Head of Legal Services, provided an update that a late representation had been received in respect of the site which impacted applications 16/05464/WCM and 16/05708/OUT. This had raised issues of commercial sensitivity and openness and transparency, and it was stated further time was needed to consider any legal implications.

The Local Member, Councillor Christine Crisp, encouraged the Committee Members to visit the site ahead of its consideration at the next meeting.

On the motion of Councillor Fleur de Rhé-Phillipe, seconded by Councillor Christopher Newbury, it was therefore,

Resolved:

To defer 16/05464/WCM to a future meeting.

Construction of a quarry field conveyor to transport excavated soft sand from Freeth Farm Quarry to the existing Processing Plant at Sands Farm Quarry.

Mike Wilmott, Head of Development Management, and Frank Cain, Head of Legal Services, provided an update that a late representation had been received in respect of the site which impacted applications 16/05464/WCM and 16/05708/OUT. This had raised issues of commercial sensitivity and openness and transparency, and it was stated further time was needed to consider any legal implications.

The Local Member, Councillor Christine Crisp, encouraged the Committee Members to visit the site ahead of its consideration at the next meeting.

On the motion of Councillor Fleur de Rhé-Phillipe, seconded by Councillor Christopher Newbury, it was therefore,

Resolved:

To defer 16/0708/WCM to a future meeting.

Proposed development comprising up to 165 new homes with access from the newly constructed relief road, new open space and associated infrastructure (Amended information). (Outline application relating to principle and access).

Public Participation

Julie Thomas, agent, spoke in support of the application.

The Senior Planning Officer, Ruaridh O’Donoghue, presented the report which recommended to delegate to the Head of Development Management to grant outline planning permission subject to the conditions and to the prior completion of a Section 106 legal agreement, for a proposed development comprising up to 165 new homes with access to the relief road.

The key issues included the principle of development, impact on landscape and impact on highways. The present lack of a 5-year housing land supply was also a relevant consideration. It was also confirmed that a masterplan had been agreed across the wider area south of the relief road in respect of bat mitigation.

Members of the Committee then had the opportunity to ask technical questions of the officers. In response to a query it was stated the application was being considered by the Strategic Planning Committee not the Area Planning Committee as it formed part of a strategically allocated housing site, but that if the principle of development was approved in the outline application, the reserved matters would be considered by the Area Planning Committee.

Details were sought on the application and the housing site allocation, as it was noted that there were three application sites across the housing site allocation as the land was owned by several different applicants. The total number of dwellings to be allocated across the site was queried. In response it was stated the housing site was allocated for approximately 355 dwellings based on information available to the planning inspector who had approved the Wiltshire Housing Sites Allocation Plan. The applications across that site currently requested, in total, up to 423 dwellings. This might be permissible if detailed layouts and assessment of impacts and mitigations indicated the sites could encompass more dwellings as more information was available, but it could also be that the numbers reduced, as in some other sites, as a result of those assessments. It was noted that the application to be determined at the present meeting had originally requested over 200 dwellings.

Questions were also raised on the impact of the Hilperton Neighbourhood Plan, details on school place provision which was linked with development of the Ashton Park site to the south east of the town, and associated impact on highways and cycle tracks, construction times, speed limits in the area and bus stops.

A member of the public then addressed the committee with their views, as detailed above.

The local Unitary Member, Councillor Ernie Clark, then spoke regarding the application. He noted that although there had been past objection to any housing on the site it was accepted that as it was within the housing sites allocation plan there would be some housing. He raised issues relating to approval of reserved matters and potentially amending the recommendation for the application to return to committee for approval following completion of the s106 agreement.

Councillor Steve Oldrieve, an adjoining local Unitary Member, then spoke in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 49c

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.