Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies or substitutions for the meeting.

Apologies for absence were received from:

·       Cllr Stuart Wheeler

·       Cllr Sam Pearce-Kearney

To approve and sign as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 13 July 2023.

Cllr Iain Wallis clarified that when he made an additional declaration in relation to his employment at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, at the previous meeting that he was speaking in a personal capacity and not on behalf of the department.

On the proposal of the Chairman, seconded by the Vice-Chairman, it was resolved to make the:

Decision

To approve the minutes of the previous meeting, held on 13 July 2023 as a true and correct record, subject to an amendment to the additional declaration by Cllr Wallis to confirm that he was speaking in a personal capacity.

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

There were no declarations of interest.

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 no later than 10 minutes before the start 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.

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 Thursday 31 August 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 Monday 4 September 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.

There was no public participation.

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

Please Note: This item was omitted when this agenda was initially published online.

On the proposal of the Chairman, seconded by Cllr Tony Pickernell, it was:

Resolved

To note the report on completed and ending appeals for the period 30 June to 25 August 2023.

Demolition of existing buildings and the erection of a detached dwelling with associated parking, turning, landscaping, private amenity space and access.

Public Participation

·       Mr Tim Curran spoke in objection to the application.

·       Mr Mark Pettitt (Fowler Architecture and Planning) spoke in support of the application.

·       Dr Anna Moore spoke in support of the application.

·       Cllr Carolyn Wall, Chairman of Chute Parish Council, spoke in support of the application.

The Senior Conservation and Planning Officer, Lynda King, introduced a report that recommended that the application for the demolition of existing buildings and erection of a detached dwelling with associated parking, turning, landscaping, private amenity space and access, be refused. Key considerations were stated to include principle of development, ecology impacts, heritage and design.

It was explained that the proposed development site covered an area of approximately 0.3 hectares and was located within the conservation area of Upper Chute, a small village with no defined settlement boundary. The site was also located within the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

It was noted that there had been an attempt to list the former Cross Keys Inn, but that a decision was made by Historic England not to list the building in October 2019. Permission to change the use of the Cross Keys Inn from a public house to a single dwelling had been approved in December 2019, but a subsequent application for a new-build replacement dwelling had been refused.

The Planning Officer explained that the existing Cross Keys Inn was a non-designated heritage asset which made a positive contribution to the character of the Upper Chute Conservation Area. The applicant’s own heritage consultant had concluded that the existing building was not beyond economic repair.

Members of the Committee then had the opportunity to ask technical questions of the officer.

In response to technical questions by the Committee, the Planning Officer clarified that the public footpath (PROWCHUT18) crossed the front of the site on a diagonal route would not be impacted by proposals. She was unable to confirm whether it would be more sustainable environmentally to demolish the existing structures and replace them with a more energy efficient building or insulate the existing buildings to a high standard.

When asked about the designation of the existing property as a non-designated heritage asset, the Planning Officer advised that heritage assets could be non-designated if they had local associations and formed part of the historic fabric of the area. The Cross Keys Inn was understood to date from the eighteenth century and Wiltshire Council’s Conservation Officer had objected to the proposals for its demolition. It was noted that the planning statement which accompanied the 2019 application to convert building to a residential dwelling had noted that the proposals had a positive heritage impact and would benefit the conservation area. It was emphasised that Wiltshire Council had a

statutory duty under section 72 of the Planning (Listed buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 to pay special attention to the desirability of preserving or enhancing the character of a Conservation Area.

Replying to a query about a survey submitted by the applicant, which noted that it  ...  view the full minutes text for item 41.

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. However, the Chairman noted that if the Committee held a meeting on 5 October 2023, it would be held in the Assembly Room at Devizes Town Hall, SN10 1BN.