Issue - meetings

Recommended for Approval.

The Director for Place recommended that in respect of application 3/25/0950/FUL, planning permission be granted subject to the conditions set out at the end of the report.

The Principal Planning Officer referred to the late representations summary and set out the late representation from the lead local flood authority. She said that condition 10 had been revised following that late representation.

Members were advised that condition 11 had been removed, and subsequent conditions had been renumbered. They were all advised that a number of documents had been added to the approved documents section of the report.

The Principal Planning Officer said that the site was part of a wider agricultural holding, and she highlighted the area that was earmarked for the PV panels. She summarised the convoluted access arrangements to the site for the purposes of construction, which made used of the existing agricultural tracks which were already being used.

Members were advised that the PV panels would be connected directly into the national grid via the overhead power lines that ran through the site. The electricity could also by the applicant for the land use activities on the site, and to offset the carbon emissions from the use on the site. It was the proposed that the use of the site for solar panels would cease after 30 years.

The Principal Planning Officer summarised in detail the location of the proposed development. She set out the delivery point adjoining Brookfield Lane in what was a highly rural location with a lot of established field boundaries. Members were advised that there were no other designations on the site beyond the green belt.

The Principal Planning Officer set out the context of the site in relation to public rights, the extensive field boundaries and the heritage assets including the Grade 2 listed Lords Farmhouse. She said that there were a number of modern buildings around that listed building and there was no heritage impact from the proposed development.

The Principal Planning Officer set out the detail of the proposed solar panels and summarised the modest dimensions of the PV Panels and the details of the inverters. She set out some imagery of the panels and summarised the proposed landscape plan, as well as details of native hedgerows and details of the 55.49% biodiversity net gain.

Members were advised that the construction and traffic management plan had been agreed with Hertfordshire County Council. A condition had been requested to be imposed to require a plan with some more details.

The Principal Planning Officer set out details of the planned maximum journeys for the delivery of the PV panels. She said that unloading would happen on some hardstanding, and that no HGVs would be used in the delivery of the panels. Members were advised that these details would be secured in the construction management plan, subject to a condition requiring a plan with more details included.

The Principal Planning Officer presented a series of plans showing the views around the site and the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 390