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Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber - County Hall, Trowbridge BA14 8JN

Contact: Jessica Croman  Democratic Services Officer

Items
No. Item

10.

Apologies

To receive any apologies or substitutions for the meeting.

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from:

 

Cllr Jonathon Seed who was substituted by Cllr Jerry Wickham

 

Cllr Trevor Carbin who was substituted by Cllr Gordon King

 

Cllr Ernie Clark

 

11.

Minutes of the Previous Meeting

To approve and sign as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 6 March 2019.

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting held on 6 March 2019 were presented.

 

Resolved:

 

To approve as a correct record and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 6 March 2019.

 

 

12.

Declarations of Interest

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

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest.

13.

Chairman's Announcements

To receive any announcements through the Chair.

Minutes:

There were no Chairman’s Announcements.

 

The Chairman gave details of the exits to be used in the event of an emergency.

14.

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 (4 clear working days, e.g. Wednesday of week before a Wednesday meeting) 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 (2 clear working days, eg Friday of week before a Wednesday meeting). 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:

No questions had been received from councillors or members of the public.

 

The Chairman welcomed all present. He then explained the rules of public participation and the procedure to be followed at the meeting.

 

15.

Planning Appeals and Updates

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

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

Public Participation

Francis Morland

 

The Planning Appeals Update Report for 22/02/2019 and 22/03/2019 was received.

 

The Area Team Leader, responded to the criticisms raised during the public participation by apologising on behalf of the planning service for the lack of a response given to the aforementioned member of the public following a request he made at the previous meeting on 6 March pursuant to gaining public access to planning enforcement appeal documentation on the Council’s public portal.  As reported within the minutes for the 6 March meeting, the matter had been deferred to the planning enforcement team leader and technical support manager to resolve and on hearing that there remained a lack of access to what are public records, the officer apologised and reported again that he would escalate the matter.

 

Details were sought on two appeals which had been allowed with one having an award of costs made against the authority.

 

The Area Team Leader, in response, provided a summary of the appeal decisions and the committee was informed that the planning service had not received the relevant costs submission from the appellant.

 

Resolved:

 

To note the Planning Appeals Update Report for 22/02/2019 and 22/03/2019.

 

That the Committee supported urgent consideration of a legal challenge to the Inspector’s decision at Common Hill, Steeple Ashton (application 18/02867/VAR).

 

16.

Planning Applications

To consider and determine the following planning application.

Minutes:

The Committee considered the following applications:

 

17.

18-11871-FUL - Oxford House, 12 The Butts, Bratton

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

Public Participation

Steven Curtis spoke in objection to the application

Maurice Johnston spoke in objection to the application

Mr S Ellinger (applicant) spoke in support of the application

 

The Senior Planning Officer introduced the report which recommended approving the application subject to planning conditions. Members heard that the planning application was a material variation to 18/08346/FUL, that sought consent to construct a replacement dwelling (following the demolition of Oxford House) and to erect three new dwellings with associated landscaping. The principal revision set out within the reported application affected the development of plot 3 which benefitted from extant permission for one house and garaging; and for this to be materially revised to accommodate two properties as a semi-detached building of the same height and broadly comparable width and length as that which benefitted from planning permission.

 

Key issues included; The scale of the development; the visual impacts on the surrounding area; the relationships with adjoining properties; and, the design of the proposed development relating to the bulk, height and general appearance.

 

Members of the Committee had the opportunity to ask technical questions of the officer. Details were sought on: whether a decision would have an impact on a current pending appeal which related to a different four house scheme; questions were also asked about the exact size of the semi-detached building to be provided on plots 3 and 4; and confirmation was sought on the increase in hardstanding areas and tree planting.

 

The Area Team Leader, in response advised Members that the current appeal had reached an advanced stage, the deadline for statements to be made to the Inspectorate had passed; and officers were expecting decision from the planning inspector shortly.  To answer the detailed questions about how the proposed development compared with the previous consented scheme, the area team leader left the chamber to access and measure the documented plans for the previous scheme (leaving the case officer to answer member questions on landscaping and areas of hardstanding and ecology matters).

 

On his return to the Chamber, the area team leader provided confirmation on scaled plan measurement differences between what was now proposed and what benefitted from planning permission.

 

It was also confirmed that the proposed development would result in an increased area of hardstanding to accommodate additional parking space for plot 3 and that amendments had been made to the tree planting proposals.

 

Members of the public, as detailed above, had the opportunity to speak on the application. 

 

Following the public forum, Members requested further clarification on: the potential overlooking impacts and the scale of the development.

 

In response, Members were advised that there would be an 18 metre separation between the houses on plots 3 and 4 and the neighbouring property to the north which officers considered to be acceptable.  To the east, the neighbouring property would not be detrimentally affected and it was confirmed that the proposed window on the eastern gable would be an obscured glazed bathroom window, which would minimise neighbouring impacts.

 

Cllr Jerry  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17.

18.

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.