Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies or substitutions for the meeting.

Apologies were received from Councillors Ernie Clark, Sarah Gibson and James Sheppard.

Councillor Gibson was substituted by Councillor Stewart Palmen.

To approve and sign as a correct record the minutes of the meetings held on 22 February 2023 and 2 March 2023.

The minutes of the meetings held on 22 February 2023 and 2 March 2023 were received.

Subject to amending the minutes of 2 March 2023 to correct the spelling of Mr Francis Morland’s name, and to include the word ‘arable’ before ‘crops’ on line four of the second paragraph on page 52 of the agenda pack, and after consideration of a query to further clarify Minute 12 of the minutes of the meeting held on 22 February 2023 in respect of training on the housing land supply, it was,

Resolved:

1)    To approve and sign as a true and correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 2 March 2023.

2)    To approve and sign as a true and correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 22 February 2023, subject to amendment of Minute 12, to be delegated to the Head of Development Management after consultation with the Chairman.

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

There were no declarations.

To receive any announcements through the Chair.

It was announced that the meeting scheduled for 19 April 2023 had been moved to 25 April 2023.

The meeting would be followed by a training session in relation to the housing land supply and national planning policy framework.

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 no later than 10.20am on the day of the meeting. If it is on the day of the meeting registration should be done in person.

The rules on public participation in respect of planning applications are linked to 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. Representatives of Parish Councils are included separately in the speaking procedure, please contact the officer listed for details.

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 5pm on 15 March 2023 in order to be guaranteed of a written response. In order to receive a verbal response questions must be submitted no later than 5pm on 17 March 2023. 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 procedure for public participation was noted.

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

The planning appeals update was received as set out in the agenda. In response to a query it was stated details had not yet been received from the applicant in respect of costs claims in relation to application 20/6775/WCM, the Northacre Energy From Waste Facility.

It was also confirmed that a Section 106 agreement had not yet been signed in relation to the land south east of Trowbridge site, 15/04736/OUT.

Outline planning application for the erection of up to 90 dwellings, including 40% affordable housing with public open space, structural planting and landscaping and sustainable drainage system (SuDS) with vehicular access point. All matters reserved except for means of access.

Public Participation

Kate Learoyd spoke in objection to the application.

Paul Wickes spoke in objection to the application.

Paddy Latimer spoke in objection to the application.

Chris Lee, agent, spoke in support of the application.

Cllr Steve Siddall, Holt Parish Council, spoke in objection to the application.

David Cox, Senior Conservation/Planning Officer, presented a report on the application for outline planning application for the erection of up to 90 dwellings, including 40% affordable housing with public open space, structural planting and landscaping and sustainable drainage system with vehicular access point. The application was subject to an appeal for non-determination, as it had not been determined within the statutory timescales. A decision would therefore be made by a Planning Inspector

The report recommended the Committee delegate authority to the Head of Development Management to inform the Planning Inspectorate that had Wiltshire Council still been the decision-making authority then it would have refused planning permission for a single technical reason relating to the failure of the application to provide/complete a mechanism to deliver essential infrastructure made necessary by the development. The recommendation was to not present other reasons relating to the principle of the development or matters of planning detail.

Details were provided on late representations including relating to calculation of the current position of the council’s five year housing land supply, and updates to the presentation slides. The history of the site and previous applications was set out, along with key issues including on the principle of development, highway and traffic impacts, impact on the landscape, the views of statutory consultees and the application of the tilted balance and consideration of planning policies as a result of the lack of a demonstrated five year housing land supply.

Members of the Committee then had the opportunity to ask technical questions of officers. Details were sought on current and previous use of the land, and it was stated it had not been used agriculturally for some years. The current status of the Neighbourhood Plan was also queried.

Members of the public then addressed the Committee, as detailed above.

Councillor Trevor Carbin, local Unitary Member, then spoke in objection to the application and the recommendation. He provided detailed comments on the report, planning policy, recent planning appeals, the tilted balance and adverse impacts of the application, and requested the Committee include additional reasons in stating they would have recommended refusal had the council still been the decision making for the application.

The Committee then debated the application. They debated suggested adverse impacts from the application and the response of statutory consultees, the details of Holt village and the location site outside the settlement boundary, and the application of Core Policies and other policies with the current position of the housing land supply. The Committee discussed potential reasons for refusal, including delegation to officers to insert specific references from the Holt Neighbourhood Plan in any reason for refusal.

At the conclusion of debate, and on the motion of Councillors Tony Trotman and Pip Ridout, it  ...  view the full minutes text for item 37.

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.