Agenda item

Public Participation

Mr Ted East spoke in objection to the application.

Mr Rick Roland (Devizes Neighbourhood Area Planning Group) spoke in objection to the application.

Mr Tony Sedgwick (Devizes Community Area Partnership) spoke in objection to the application.

Mr Chris Simkins, agent, spoke in support of the application.

Mr John Kirkman, (Campaign for the Protection of Rural England) spoke in objection to the application.

Cllr Chris Callow, Roundway Parish Council, spoke in objection to the application.

The Area Development Manager presented a report which recommended that planning permission be refused. It was clarified that the application was for up to 350 houses across a 20 hectare site that abutted but did not fall within the local Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and that currently contained only one structure, which was derelict, and that the application was outline only, with all detailed matters of design and other matters except the means of  access reserved for a future application if approved. Details of a late representation concerned about medical services being overstretched in Devizes should the application be approved were given, although it was stated that there had been no comment from Public Health bodies on the matter.

It was further stated that the Limits of Development as identified in the Kennet Local Plan were still relevant, and that the site lay outside that limit. It was also noted that the emerging Core Strategy did not identify Devizes as a primary settlement for housing growth, and the site itself had not received any other allocated use within the plan and no local community led plan had been created which proposed such a use. It was stated that the National Planning Policy Framework would, however, support a development in such circumstances if the council’s land bank for the local Housing Market Area had less than five years supply of land for housing development. In this case, this consideration did not arise as it was confirmed the current extent of the land bank for the area was a 5.7 year housing supply.

Other key issues for the Committee to consider included the impact on the character of the area highways issues, drainage, affordable housing and archaeology. It was noted that officers were satisfied with the arrangements for those issues except for the completion of an archaeological assessment, but that the policy reasons for refusal outlined above outweighed those issues.

Members of the Committee then had the opportunity to ask technical questions of the officers. Details were sought regarding the Council’s land bank for the Eastern Housing Market Area and the county as a whole, and it was stated officers were confident the council was in a secure position on maintaining an appropriate land bank across the council area and the eastern area specifically as time progressed.

Members of the public then had the opportunity to present their views to the Committee, as detailed above.

The Local Member, Councillor Laura Mayes, then spoke in objection to the application, noting that there was no objection in principle to new housing being developed in the Devizes area, but highlighting the significant extent of the application in an area not identified through policy for such development.

A discussion followed where the policy reasons for refusal were regarded as strong, noting the proposed site lay outside of the limits of development for the area with no community led plan supporting such a use, and the existing pressures on infrastructure in the area were also  raised.

At the conclusion of discussion, it was,

Resolved

To REFUSE the application for the following reasons:

1)    The site lies outside of the limits of Development defined for Devizes in the Kennet Local Plan 2011. In this location, new development is restricted to that which is of benefit to the rural economy or the social well-being of the community. The Council does not consider that a housing development of this scale would support the rural economy or benefit the social well-being of the rural economy. The proposal would therefore conflict with policy NR6 of the KLP.

2)    The Draft Wiltshire Core Strategy, through CP2, requires development outside of the Limits of Development for Devizes to be identified through community-led planning policy documents including neighbourhood plans, or a subsequent development plan document which identifies specific sites for development. This site has not been identified through this process and it would therefore conflict with policy CP2 if planning permission were to be granted.

3)    The Council is satisfied that there is no overriding need to bring forward this site outside the Limits of Development for residential development at this stage as it is satisfied that there is adequate land available to meet the Government requirement expressed in the NPPF for a 5 year land supply.

4)    The site includes within its boundaries potential heritage assets with archaeological interest, including a number of earthworks recorded on the Historic Environment Record.  The Council considers that in these circumstances, and in accordance with paragraph 128 of the NPPF, an archaeological field evaluation is required to properly inform the Council of the impact of the development on archaeological remains. No such evaluation has been undertaken on the site and the proposal is therefore considered to be premature as the Council is unable to assess properly the impact on any potential archaeological heritage asset on the site.

INFORMATIVE: The applicant is advised that it may be possible to overcome the 4th reason for refusal by undertaking the necessary archaeological field evaluation conducted by a professional qualified archaeologist following discussion with the Council’s County Archaeologist.