Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies or substitutions for the meeting.

Apologies for absence were received from Cllr Christine Crisp who was substituted by Cllr Jacqui Lay.

To approve and sign as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 16 September 2015.

The minutes of the meeting held on 16 September 2015 were presented.

Resolved:

To confirm as a true and correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 16 September 2015.

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 Chairman.

The Chairman announced that, following the full Council meeting on 29 September 2015, Cllr Ernie Clark was now a full member of the Committee and Cllr Howard Marshall was no longer a member of the Committee.

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 2:50pm 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 Wednesday 30 September 2015. 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 Committee noted the rules on public participation.

To consider and determine planning applications as detailed below.

Terri Penny spoke in support of the application.

Colin Payne and Jeremy Du Toit spoke in opposition to the application.

The Planning Officer introduced the report which recommended that authority to grant planning permission be delegated to the Area Development Manager, subject to the signing of a Section 106 agreement and conditions. The application was for the erection of six semi-detached dwellings with associated garden, amenity space and parking, following the demolition of existing garages.

The Planning Officer drew attention to late items. Some of the concerns raised related to the ownership of the land. Following clarification with the applicant and the receipt of the title deeds, it was confirmed that the applicant did own the land.

It was explained that the existing garages had, until recently, provided rentable storage for local residents. The proposals were simple but well designed with detailing such as sills and lintels. The proposed materials were of a good quality and the application was to provide 30% affordable housing.

The Committee then had the opportunity to ask technical questions and it was confirmed that it was possible to add details of signage to Condition 4 of the officer recommendation. It was hoped that this would reduce some concern relating to the narrow street entrance. The Planning Officer clarified that any vehicle parking on the site would be at the discretion of the landowner and that any unauthorised parking would be a civil matter. It was explained that the parking provision for the site met Wiltshire Council standards.

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

The Planning Officer responded to comments from the public and confirmed that the Highways Authority had raised no objection to the circulation within the site. It was also confirmed that there were no objections from the Highways Safety Team and that local residents could submit an application for double yellow lines to prevent parking on the bend by approaching their local councillor or town council. It was explained that the Wiltshire Council parking requirements were met and that the applicant had provided evidence to show that a significant number of the rented garages were not in use. As the site was private land, there was no right to park and, as such, no displacement of vehicles in the area.

The Planning Officer also explained that concerns about refuse collection had been raised with the Waste Collection Team. It was noted that the refuse collection vehicles were not permitted to use the private road and that refuse should be collected from the front of the properties. It was highlighted that an area of hardstanding would be provided by the applicant fronting onto Queen’s Avenuefor refuse collection and that the Waste Collection Team consider the suggested refuse collection point to be appropriate.

The local member, Cllr Alan MacRae, explained that he had been contacted by a number of local residents regarding the safety of the proposal. It was highlighted that the main access for the estate was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 109.

David Pearce spoke in support of the application.

Suzanne Holdem spoke in opposition to the application.

Cllr David Kerr, Nettleton Parish Council, spoke in opposition to the application.

The Planning Officer introduced the report which recommended that planning permission be granted subject to conditions. The application was for the erection of a general purpose agricultural building. It was explained that the Committee had considered the application at the meeting on 5 August 2015 and that it had been deferred in order to obtain further information on highways movements, current and proposed agricultural works, and the cross-section of the bund and height of the building. This information had been provided to officers and there was no objection from Highways Officers at Wiltshire Council or South Gloucestershire Council.

Attention was drawn to the late items and it was also highlighted that the proposed access was considered appropriate by Highways and that there were no objections from the Cotswolds Conservation Board.

The Committee then had the opportunity to ask technical questions. It was noted that the applicant proposed to store grain on nearby land during the harvest period and the exact meaning of ‘nearby land’ was enquired. The Planning Officer explained that this reference was part of the applicant’s submission and was unable to confirm the exact meaning. However, it was clarified that the applicant had provided an idea of the loads and that no objection had been raised by Highways. 

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

The Planning Officer responded to comments from the public and it was confirmed that the reference to ‘nearby land’ could be removed from the officer report. It was highlighted that the Highways Teams from Wiltshire and South Gloucestershire considered the site access to be suitable.

Cllr Toby Sturgis spoke on behalf of the local member, Cllr Baroness Scott of Bybrook OBE, and highlighted that there would be increased traffic in the area during the construction phase. It was suggested that the effect of this traffic could be minimised if the applicant were required to submit a construction method statement. It was also highlighted that local highways issues could also be processed through Area Boards and the Community Area Transport Groups (CATGs). Concern was also expressed regarding the potential planting of silver birch trees in the area as these were not natural to the area. It was suggested that, should the Committee be minded to approve the application, it should encourage a more native tree to be considered by the applicant.

In the debate that followed, the Committee considered the suitability of the road and relevant junctions for agricultural vehicles. An additional condition was proposed and seconded requiring the applicant to submit a Construction Method Statement to the Local Planning Authority. An additional informative was also proposed and seconded to ask the applicant to ensure all employees and contractors using the barn were made aware of the sensitivity of the area and their responsibility to respect local residents and users of the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 110.

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.