Agenda item

Recommended for Approval

Jane Orsborn addressed the Committee in support of the application.

The Head of Planning and Building Control recommended that in respect of application 3/16/1218/FUL, planning permission be granted subject to a legal agreement and the conditions detailed in the report now submitted.

The Head referred to the previous consideration of the proposals and reminded Members of the reasons for their deferral of planning permission in November 2016.  Members were advised that an overall transport and traffic assessment of the cumulative impact of applications in this area had been completed by consultants that had been engaged by Officers.

The Head emphasised that the view of the consultants was that even if all of the applications assessed were implemented, whilst there would be an impact, this would not be severe as defined by the wording detailed in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).

Members were advised that the perceived density of the proposed developments in and around this site were not as high as the numbers of proposed dwellings suggested.  Officers had taken all of the relevant considerations into account and judged the proposed density to be acceptable.

The Head reminded Members that funding was available to pursue options for the enhancement of bus stops in the vicinity of the site.  There were no new issues for Members to take into account when making their decision and Officers had recommended approval as any harm resulting from this development would not be significant and demonstrable.

Councillor D Andrews stated that the work carried out by the consultants was worthwhile and he was pleased in that their efforts would serve Members well in future decision making.  He stated that he had been more concerned with the safety of the Cambridge Road/A120 junction than its capacity.  He referred to the lack of recorded incidents and the need for recognition of work that needed to be done to mitigate the dangerous nature of the junction regarding future housing development in this area.  Also, he welcomed the work undertaken regarding sustainable drainage and reiterated his concerns regarding pedestrians safely crossing what was in effect a 3 lane highway with high vehicle speeds.

Councillor D Andrews reiterated his concern that funding for library and youth service contributions was geared towards Ware when young people gravitated towards Buntingford where there were some library and youth services.  He suggested a more equitable split between Ware and Buntingford. 

Councillor K Warnell referred to paragraph 10.12 of the report regarding highway safety with particular reference to varied abilities of drivers to react immediately to vehicles unable to progress into the westbound traffic lane.  He referred to the regular use of this area by HGVs and the regular abuse of the speed limits.

The Head referred to the standards applied by Highways engineers with particular reference to the measured average speed of 29.8 mph and the higher 85^th percentile speed of 38.4 mph.  The consultant had advised on the relatively slow speeds of vehicles exiting the A10 onto the eastbound A120.

Members were advised that Officers could liaise with the County Council regarding the allocation of funding for library and youth services and it could be redirected.  Councillor M Freeman acknowledged that the perceived safety issues already existed and stressed that Members should determine the application on its planning merits as the scheme would not aggravate the situation in terms of highways safety.

After being put to the meeting and a vote taken, the Committee accepted the recommendation of the Head of Planning and Building Control as now submitted.

RESOLVED – that in respect of application 3/16/1218/FUL, planning permission be granted subject to a legal agreement and the conditions detailed in the report.