Agenda item

Public Participation

Ms Iris Thompson spoke in objection to the application.

Mr Mike Stone spoke in objection to the application.

Mr Bruno Moore spoke in favour of the application.

Mrs Sue Wright spoke in favour of the application.

Mr Guy Perry spoke in favour of the application.

Councillor Kim Power spoke in objection to the application.

The area development manager presented a report which recommended planning permission be refused. He explained that each supermarket application would be considered in turn, however there were a number of common issues to consider, such as the size of the site, its location, the impact on the town centre, the prospect of linked trips, the non-food element of the proposal and the neighbourhood plan. The area development manager highlighted that the petrol filling station had been removed from the original Sainsbury’s application. This site was currently used as a garden centre and physically out of town, making the prospect of linked trips limited. A vehicular roundabout was proposed to improve the entrance to the site. The proposal was for a mixed-use development comprising a foodstore, relocated builder’s merchants and employment floor space.

The committee then had the opportunity to ask technical questions of the officer. The accident status of the junction was raised, fixing the non-food element to a specific number of square metres, and the movements of the large articulated vehicles using the existing builder’s merchants.      

Members of the public then had the opportunity to address the committee with their views, as stated above.

The local councillor, Councillor John Thompson, then spoke in favour of the application.

A discussion followed in which it was noted that the impact of the proposal on a single property was not sufficient grounds for a refusal. It was thought to be unfortunate the applications had not waited for the neighbourhood planning process. The difference in the non-food elements of the applications was considered to be small. Concern was raised regarding people travelling out of the Malmesbury community area at present for their food shopping.  

Resolved:             

For Application N/11/04092/FUL

That planning permission be REFUSED for the following reasons:

1.       “The proposed development will result in the creation of a food store in an out of town location some 1.2km from the existing Malmesbury shopping area.  The proposed foodstore is considered to have an adverse impact upon the vitality of the existing town centre.  The site is not sequentially preferable.  The application does not comply with Policy R4 (Proposals Outside Town Centre Primary and Town Centre Secondary Areas) of the North Wiltshire Local Plan 2011; the retail element of the National Planning Policy framework (in particular paragraph 27; Policy 38 of the pre-submission draft  Wiltshire Core Strategy and the policies in the draft Malmesbury Neighbourhood Plan.”

2.       “The 3.9 ha (approximate) site is allocated for B1 and B2 employment uses in the North Wiltshire Local plan and this allocation is continued in the pre-submission draft of the Wiltshire Core Strategy and is supported through the draft Malmesbury Neighbourhood Plan.  Around 2.4 ha of the site will be given over to non-employment based uses, namely retail.  A retail use does not comply with the long term aims of the current or emerging planning policies in local documents.  The application is contrary to the requirements of Policy BD1 (Employment Land) of the North Wiltshire Local Plan 2011; Core policies 13 and 35 of the pre-submission draft Wiltshire Core Strategy and the objectives of the draft Malmesbury Neighbourhood Plan”

Further advice regarding the impact on the landscape and visual appearance will be reported at the Northern Area Planning committee and may result in additional reasons for refusal.