Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies or substitutions for the meeting.

Apologies were received from Cllr Nick Fogg and from Cllr Paul Oatway QPC who was substituted for the meeting by Cllr James Sheppard.

To approve and sign as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 16 February 2017.

Cllr Mark Connolly, seconded by Cllr Peter Evans, moved that that the minutes of the Eastern Area Planning Committee held on 16 February 2017 be accepted as an accurate record.

Resolved:

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting of the Eastern Area Planning Committee on 16 February 2017 as an accurate record.

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

Cllr Charles Howard declared a non-pecuniary interest in respect of agenda item 7a (application 17/00605/FUL) due to his prior business arrangements with the applicant, and that he would retire from the Chair and leave the room for the duration of the item.

To receive any announcements through the Chair.

The Chairman had no announcements to make.

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 Tuesday 11 April 2017 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 Thursday 13 April 2017. 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 Chairman explained the rules of public participation and confirmed that no questions had been submitted from members of the public.

To receive details of the completed and pending appeals.

The written update on appeals was received.

To consider and determine the following planning applications.

Cllr Mark Connolly was in the chair.

Public Participation

Mr Aaron Smith, agent, spoke in support of the application

Mr Mike Giles, Ludgershall Town Council, spoke in objection to the application.

Mike Wilmott, Head of Development Management, introduced the report which outlined the application for the demolition of a single storey extension to Old Castle social club and the erection of 2 dwellings with associated car parking and landscaping. Key issues included that the site was within the acceptable limits of development; that it would have a positive impact on the conservation area when compared to the current site; that the impact on the local residential amenity was acceptable; and that previous arrangements for parking on the site had been informal and should not be considered in determining the application. The officer recommended that the application be approved for the reasons set out in the report.

Members of the Committee were invited to ask technical questions of the officer. There were none.

Members of the public were then invited to speak as detailed above.

The local unitary division member, Cllr Christopher Williams, spoke in regards to the application. He reported that he was pleased that the proposal had been revised to include two rather than three new dwellings, and that he felt the development would be likely to have an impact on local highway issues including parking.

Cllr Richard Gamble, seconded by Cllr Jerry Kunkler, moved that the application for planning permission be granted subject to the conditions outlined in the officer’s report.

In the debate that followed, the following points were discussed: the potential for parking and other highways issues to arise in the area; the impact on local businesses; the impact of the proposal on the conservation area and local amenity; and the history of the site and the conditioning for undertaking an archaeological study prior to work commencing.

At the conclusion of debate, it was

Resolved:

To grant planning permission, 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 The development hereby permitted shall be carried out in accordance with the following approved plans:

Ref: 160239-02 – Location Plan. Received 20.01.2017

Ref: 160239-03 Rev B – Design Scheme. Received – 09.03.2017

Ref: 160239-04 – As proposed. Received 04.04.2017

REASON: For the avoidance of doubt and in the interests of proper planning.

3 No development shall commence on site until the exact 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: The application contained insufficient information to enable this matter to be considered prior to granting planning permission and the matter is  ...  view the full minutes text for item 27.

Cllr Charles Howard returned to the chair

Public Participation

Mr Tom Taylor, applicant, spoke in support of the application.

Mr D Carpendale, agent, spoke in support of the application.

Mr Eric Clark, on behalf of Bishops Cannings Parish Council, spoke in objection to the application.

Morgan Jones, Senior Planning Officer, introduced the report which outlined the application for eight holiday lodges and associated external works. One late submission had been received from the Canal and River Trust in which their objection as consultee had been withdrawn and a request had been made for additional conditioning should the application be approved. In response to the consultee’s submission, the officer recommended that should the committee be minded to approve the application, an assessment be conditioned to determine the impact on the canal bank of the proposed development. The officer recommended that the application be approved for the reasons set out in the report.

Key issues were stated to include: the impact on the ecology, environment, and heritage of the area; the re-establishment of a 3metre landscaping buffer between the site and the canal bank; that a housing development had been approved on the neighbouring site; risk of flooding and consideration of drainage; and the impact on highway and pedestrian safety.

Members of the Committee were invited to ask technical questions of the officer and it was confirmed: that discussion was ongoing with the applicant regarding a temporary fence believed to encroach on a public right of way; that there was no public right of way between the site and the canal bank; that the lodges would be classified as caravans and temporary in nature; and that any mooring requirements or restrictions would be by agreement between the applicant and the Canal and River Trust.

Members of the public were then invited to speak as detailed above.

In response to comments raised during public participation, the planning officer clarified that the previous permission for the site included 6 lodges and a larger distance between the lodges and the canal bank but that the development site under consideration was larger than for the previous scheme.

Cllr Mark Connolly, seconded by Cllr Richard Gamble, moved that the application be approved for the reasons presented in the officer’s report, with the addition of the following conditioning:

No development shall commence until an assessment of the loading of the lodges, including and foundations or supports, on the embankment and underlying soils shall be submitted to and agreed in writing by the Local Planning Authority and thereafter implemented in accordance with the agreed details unless otherwise agreed in writing.

In the debate that followed, the following points were made: that the number of lodges was acceptable; that the design of the lodges was in keeping with the local environment; that the width of the buffer between the canal bank and the lodges was of a suitable size; that the development would aid the viability of the Marina; that the restrictions on time and type of residency conditioned  ...  view the full minutes text for item 28.

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.

Cllr Mark Connolly, on behalf of the committee, thanked Cllr Charles Howard for all his work during his time spent as Chairman, and wished him well for his retirement from Wiltshire Council.