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Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber - Council Offices, Monkton Park, Chippenham, SN15 1ER

Contact: Craig Player  Email: craig.player@wiltshire.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies

To receive any apologies or substitutions for the meeting.

Minutes:

Apologies were received from Cllr Mollie Groom and Cllr Bob Jones MBE.

 

Cllr Groom was substituted by Cllr Philip Whalley.

2.

Minutes of the Previous Meeting

To approve and sign as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 06 November 2019.

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting held on 06 November 2019 were presented.

 

The Chairman drew the Committee’s attention to a letter received from Paul Kavanagh regarding the accuracy of the minutes.

 

Resolved:

 

To approve as a true and correct record and sign the minutes.

 

3.

Declarations of Interest

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

Minutes:

Cllr Tony Trotman declared an interest in agenda item no. 7a (his family had owned a business in the town centre but the freehold had been sold 11 years ago and he is a member of Calne Town Council. He had been at meetings when this application had been discussed but had not made comment other than to consider what others had said at the meetings). He declared he would participate in the debate and vote for each item with an open mind.

4.

Chairman's Announcements

To receive any announcements through the Chair.

Minutes:

There were no Chairman’s announcements.

5.

Public Participation

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 2.50pm 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 5pm on 22 January 2020 in order to be guaranteed of a written response. In order to receive a verbal response questions must be submitted no later than 5pm on24 January 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 Committee members prior to the meeting and made available at the meeting and on the Council’s website.

Minutes:

The Committee noted the rules on public participation.

 

6.

Planning Appeals and Updates

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

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The Committee noted the contents of the appeals update.

7.

Planning Applications

To consider and determine the following planning applications:

Minutes:

The Committee considered the following applications:

8.

19/03435/FUL - Land rear of 8-13 High St, Calne

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

Public participation

 

Kevin Wells, local resident, spoke in objection to the application.

 

Andrew Jones, Calne Our Place, spoke in objection to the application.

 

John Boaler, local resident, spoke in objection to the application.

 

Matthew Shellum, the agent, spoke in support of the application.

 

Glenis Ansell, Calne Town Council, spoke in objection to the application.

 

Attention was drawn to the late list of observations provided at the meeting and attached to these minutes. It was noted that the waste contribution had been scaled down to £2,324.

 

The Planning Officer, Paul Galpin, introduced a report which recommended granting planning permission, subject to conditions, for 39 apartments for older people, a guest apartment, communal facilities, car parking, landscaping and four retail units.

 

Key issues highlighted included: principle of development; design and appearance of the development; town centre vibrancy; impact of the development on Listed Buildings and the Calne Conservation Area; impact on residential amenity; highways/parking; ecology; planning contributions and infrastructure and archaeology.

 

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

of the officer which focused on: loss of retail and the imbalance of retail and residential use; building height and size; the harm to setting of the Zion chapel and conservation area; the lack of servicing to commercial units and the pedestrian access to the retail units in the Pippin.

 

Members of the public then had the opportunity to address the Committee, as

detailed above.

 

Cllr Ian Thorn, Division Member, spoke regarding the application with the main points focusing on: the Calne Community Neighbourhood Plan; elderly housing not being suited to boosting the vibrancy of the town centre; the current state of the site; the imbalance of retail and residential use; the Spatial Planning Officer conclusion that the proposals are in conflict with the Calne Community Neighbourhood Plan and Calne Town Centre Masterplan; the community’s clear disapproval of the application and the applicant failure to engage with members of the public and in particular those who live in close proximity to the site.

 

The Planning Officer addressed some of the issues raised by the public and Division Member. In response to a suggestion from the applicant’s agent that photovoltaics (PV) solar panels would be constructed in the development, it was confirmed that this had not been detailed by the applicant in its submission.

 

At the start of the debate a proposal was moved by Cllr Christine Crisp, seconded by Cllr Gavin Grant to refuse planning permission contrary to the officer recommendation as it would not comply with the requirements of Core Policy 8 of the Wiltshire Core Strategy and is contrary to the provisions of Core Policy 57 and 58 of the Wiltshire Core Strategy.

 

During the debate the main points raised were: loss of retail and the imbalance of retail and residential use; the lack of servicing to commercial units; the design and appearance of the development; highways concerns; confliction with the Calne Neighbourhood Plan; town centre vibrancy; impact on the Calne Conservation Area; the need for elderly  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

9.

19/07988/FUL - Barn at Sydney Farm, Bath Rd, Colerne, Chippenham

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

Public participation

 

Paul Oakley, the agent, spoke in support of the application.

 

The Planning Officer, Victoria Davis, introduced a report which recommended refusing planning permission for the conversion of a barn to dwelling and associated works.

 

Key issues highlighted included: principle of development; appropriateness of development in Green Belt and harm to the openness; impact on rural landscape and an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty; residential amenity; highways safety and ecology.

 

There were no technical questions.

 

Members of the public then had the opportunity to address the Committee, as

detailed above.

 

Cllr Brian Mathew, Division Member, spoke regarding the application with the main point focusing on consideration of the proposal in the context of another proposal for a barn in the area.

 

At the start of the debate a proposal was moved by Cllr Toby Sturgis, seconded by Cllr Christine Crisp to refuse planning permission as detailed in the report.

 

During the debate the main points raised were the importance of considering each application on individual merit, that the application goes beyond what could reasonably be considered a conversion and the principle of development.

 

Resolved

 

That planning permission is refused for the following reasons:

 

1.    The application fails to demonstrate that the proposal for a dwelling on the site meets the ‘conversion criteria’ of Core Policy 48 of the Wiltshire Core Strategy. The extent of works required to render the building capable of functioning as a dwelling goes beyond what could be reasonably considered as a conversion. As such the proposal amounts to a to a new dwelling in an unsustainable location in the open countryside, outside of any limits of development as defined by the Wiltshire Core Strategy. Accordingly, the proposal is considered to be contrary to the provisions and requirements of CP1, CP2 and CP48 of the Wiltshire Core Strategy and saved policy H4 of the North Wiltshire Local Plan 2011 as well as relevant sections of the NPPF including paragraph 79.

 

2.    The proposed new dwelling is inappropriate development within the Green Belt which is, by definition, harmful. The application fails to demonstrate that there are any material considerations or very special circumstances that exist to outweigh this harm and overcome the presumption against such development. The proposal is contrary to Section 13, paragraphs 143, 144, 145 & 146 of the National Planning Policy Framework.

 

9a

19/09234/FUL - 14 Keels, Cricklade, Swindon

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

Public participation

 

Alan Poole, local resident, spoke in objection to the application.

 

Linda Ridgway, on behalf of the applicant, spoke in support of the application.

 

Mark Clarke, Cricklade Parish Council, spoke in objection to the application.

 

The Planning Officer, Simon Smith, introduced a report which recommended granting planning permission, subject to conditions, for the retrospective removal of a hedge and the erection of 1.8m high featheredge fence.

 

Key issues highlighted included: principle of development; the scale, design and layout of the proposals and impact on character, appearance and visual amenity of the locality; impact on residential amenity and impact on highways and safety.

 

There were no technical questions.

 

Members of the public then had the opportunity to address the Committee, as

detailed above.

 

At the start of the debate a proposal was moved by Cllr Toby Sturgis, seconded by Cllr Howard Greenman to refuse planning permission contrary to the officer recommendation.

 

During the debate the main points raised were: the retrospective nature of the application; highways concerns; the height and design of the fence; retention and enhancement of natural landscape; safe access to the highway; the pattern of development and existing streetscene and the impact on residential amenity.

 

Resolved

 

That planning permission is refused for the following reason:

 

By reason of its height, design and siting hard up against the public highway, the proposed fencing would result in a boundary treatment which would fail to integrate into the existing context, pattern of development and streetscene which is not generally characterised by high fencing directly fronting the highway. Accordingly, the proposal is considered to contrary to Core Policy 57 of the Wiltshire Core Strategy (2015), as well as section 12 to the NPPF.

10.

Urgent Items

Any other items of business which, in the opinion of the Chairman, should be taken as a matter of urgency.

Minutes:

There were no urgent items.