Issue - meetings

Case number: 18/00565/FUL

The Head of Development Management referred Members to the Update Sheet which set out: amendments to Condition 9 and Condition 18; the receipt of a 217 signatory petition requesting that the application be deferred and a site visit be made by all voting Planning Committee Members, prior to the meeting.

The Chairman advised that a visit to the proposed application site had been arranged and was attended by Planning Committee Members and Ward Councillors on Monday, 4 June.

During public participation, Jane Parker and Mike Craske spoke in objection to the application and Paul Doswell and Justin Nicholas (Agents) spoke in support of the application and all answered Members’ questions thereon.

During their representation, the Agents confirmed that they would be content to undertake another survey to re-affirm the ground levels. In response, the Head of Development Management clarified that there was a requirement for details of the ground levels to be submitted to planning officers, which was set out in Condition 5 of the Report.

During public participation, Councillors Weir and Berry spoke on this item as  Ward Members.

In summary, Councillor Weir stated that the application no longer met the needs of Policy CP2 as there were no 2 bed dwellings on site, mainly 3 bedroomed properties, with only one dwelling lost from the previously refused application. Although density had reduced, overlooking and massing had increased. She stated that she welcomed the news that Permitted Development Rights had been removed. However, concerns still existed regarding sewerage and the extent of the run off from Stoney Court which she suggested required conditioning.

Councillor Weir referred to the need for a plan for Southern Water to access the site and queried why details of the pump station had been made available in the previous application but had not been made available in the revised proposal. She stated that existing traffic and parking on Stoney Lane was dangerous and problematic, with the proposal only adding to access and parking pressures in that particular part of the road.

In conclusion, Councillor Weir urged the Committee to consider refusing this application for a better design to be sought, which addressed the concerns of residents for an improved long term solution.

In summary, Councillor Berry stated that she had previously voted against this application and that the idea that the development and footprint had changed in this new proposed application was a myth. She expressed concerns that the materials to be used for the groundworks would not absorb all the surface water with existing drainage problems along Stoney Lane and flood risks in Weeke as a whole which would now be added to as a result of this development.

Councillor Berry was of the opinion that the site offered no benefit to the community and that the development was not of an urgent or important nature. However, the effect of the development on the environment was.

She stated that there was a tremendous pressure on the existing road network, with difficulty getting through the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7