Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber, Wallfields, Hertford. View directions

Contact: Peter Mannings  Tel: (01279) 502174 Email:  peter.mannings@eastherts.gov.uk

Media

Items
No. Item

349.

Apologies

To receive apologies for absence.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were submitted on behalf of Councillors Andrews, R Buckmaster and Fernando. It was noted that Councillor Bull was substituting for Councillor Andrews, Councillor Devonshire was substituting for Councillor R Buckmaster and Councillor Huggins was substituting for Councillor Fernando.

350.

Chairman's Announcements

Additional documents:

Minutes:

There were no Chairman’s announcements.

351.

Declarations of Interest

To receive any Members' declarations of interest.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest.

352.

Planning Applications for Consideration by the Committee pdf icon PDF 62 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chairman said that concerns had been expressed to the Council by speakers that the allotted time of six minutes was insufficient. He reminded Members that the Committee had resolved to amend the speaking arrangements for this meeting on the 21 April 2021.

 

The Chairman said that he would like to consider the procedural implications of allowing additional time in the interest of fairness. The Legal Services Manager said that Part 3B of the constitution included a procedure for the Committee to depart from what was agreed by Members on 21 April 2021. She referred to paragraphs 2.8 and 2.9 of Part 3B of the constitution and said that Committee had the authority to depart from the agreed arrangements and determine specific arrangements for certain applications.

 

The Legal Services Manager explained that the suggestion from Officers was that the time allowed for objectors, the applicant and the Parish Councils be extended to eight minutes and this time would be split accordingly between the speakers.

 

Councillor Huggins proposed and Councillor Beckett seconded, a motion that in accordance with paragraph 2.9 of part 3B of the Constitution entitled committee functions and responsibilities, the Committee agree to depart from the speaking arrangements agreed on the 21 April 2021 in respect of applications 3/19/1046/FUL and 3/19/1051/FUL only, on the basis that the time allowed be increased to eight minutes objectors, the applicant and Parish Councils.

 

After being put to the meeting and a vote taken, the motion was declared CARRIED.

 

RESOLVED – that in accordance with paragraph 2.9 of part 3B of the Constitution entitled committee functions and responsibilities, the Committee agreed to depart from the speaking arrangements approved on the 21 April 2021 in respect of applications 3/19/1046/FUL and 3/19/1051/FUL only, on the basis that the time allowed be increased to eight minutes objectors, the applicant and Parish Councils.

 

The Principle Associate for Weightmans, advising the Committee on legal and related planning issues, said that there been late representations referring to predetermination. She outlined a few salient points and said that there was no legal impediment to the Committee determining these applications and then to go on and determine the housing applications at a later date.

 

The Chairman said that there had been some very late representations and bearing in mind the length of the representations, it would seem to be appropriate to have a short adjournment for 30 minutes for Members to consider this extra material and to consider the response of Officers to the issues that had been raised.

 

Councillor Newton proposed and Councillor Redfern seconded, a motion that there be a short adjournment for 30 minutes for Members to consider the extra material in the late representations and to consider the response of Officers to the issues that had been raised.

 

After being put to the meeting and a vote taken, this motion was declared CARRIED.

 

RESOLVED – that there be a short adjournment for 30 minutes for Members to consider the extra material in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 352.

353.

3/19/1046/FUL - Alterations to the existing Fifth Avenue road/rail bridge, and creation of new bridges to support the widened highway to west of the existing structure to create the Central Stort Crossing, including embankment works, pedestrian and cycle facilities, a pedestrian and cycle bridge over Eastwick Road, lighting and landscaping works and other associated works at Land Adjacent To Fifth Avenue Existing Eastwick Crossing Hertfordshire/Harlow pdf icon PDF 2 MB

Recommended for Approval

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Head of Planning and Building Control recommended that in respect to application 3/19/1046/FUL, planning permission be granted subject to the conditions and the reasons set out at the end of the report submitted.

 

The Head of Planning and Building Control also recommended that, delegated authority be given to the Head of Planning and Building Control at East Herts Council, in consultation with the Director of Strategic Growth and Regeneration at Harlow District Council and with the Chairs of their respect Development Management Committees, to finalise the detail of the conditions attached to their respect planning permissions. If any subsequent additions or changes to conditions post Development Management Committee are necessary, the matter would be referred back to them.

 

The Senior Project Officer summarised the planned development of the Harlow and Gilston and Garden Town. She said that the five Council’s involved had been working in partnership to bring about the transformative growth based on garden city principles. Members were advised that the documents produced for the garden town partnership had been endorsed as being material considerations in the determination of the applications by East Herts Council and Harlow Council.

 

The Senior Project Officer summarised the ambitious targets detailed in the transport strategy and said that the two crossing proposals had been identified as being essential items of infrastructure necessary to deliver the planned growth within the garden town. She said that section nine of the reports had listed the relevant sections of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) that were relevant to the planning matters being considered.

 

The Senior Project Officer listed the applications that had been submitted by Places for People. Members were advised that the main issues for the Committee to consider included the principle of the development, the design and layout, the mitigation of the impact on the transport network, climate change, flood risk and sustainable drainage, land contamination and pollution, impact on the natural environment, the impact on the historic environment and green belt issues.

 

The Senior Project Officer set out the policy context regarding this application and said that the Committee were being asked to determine the part of the application that fell within the East Herts administrative boundary. She said that Members should however be cognisant of the scheme as a whole.

 

The Senior Project Officer addressed the Committee in detail in respect of the Harlow Local Development Plan and spoke at length in respect of the geography of the site in the context of the surrounding area. Members were reminded that the applicant had to demonstrate that there were matters to which positive weight could be assigned such that any harm resulting from the proposed development in Green Belt and other planning terms was clearly outweighed and very special circumstances were therefore evident in accordance with the NPPF. Officers had acknowledged that the application would cause some harm to the openness of the green belt in this location.

 

Members were advised that the application proposals provide new essential transport infrastructure to enable  ...  view the full minutes text for item 353.

354.

3/19/1051/FUL - Erection of a New Road, Pedestrian and Cycle Bridge; Replacement of an Existing Rail Bridge at River Way; Alterations to the Existing Local Highway Network; Lighting and Landscaping Works; Listed Building Works to Fiddlers Brook Bridge; and Other Associated Works at Land to The South and East of Gilston Village and North of River Stort Gilston Hertfordshire/Harlow pdf icon PDF 3 MB

Recommended for Approval

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Head of Planning and Building Control recommended that in respect to application 3/19/1051/FUL, planning permission be granted subject to the conditions and the reasons set out at the end of the report submitted.

 

The Head of Planning and Building Control also recommended that, delegated authority be given to the Head of Planning and Building Control at East Herts Council, in consultation with the Director of Strategic Growth and Regeneration at Harlow District Council and with the Chairs of their respect Development Management Committees, to finalise the detail of the conditions attached to their respect planning permissions. If any subsequent additions or changes to conditions post Development Management Committee are necessary, the matter would be referred back to them.


The Senior Project Officer, on behalf of the Head of Planning and Building Control, set out the context of the site in respect of the Harlow and Gilston Garden Town (HGGT). She said that the five Council’s involved had been working in partnership to bring about the delivery of the transformative growth based on garden city principles.

 

The Senior Project Officer summarised the ambitious targets detailed in the transport strategy and said that the two crossing proposals had been identified as being essential items of infrastructure necessary to deliver the planned growth within the garden town. She said that section nine of the reports had listed the relevant sections of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) that were relevant to the planning matters being considered.

 

The Senior Project Officer detailed the applications that had been submitted by Places for People and Taylor Wimpey. She said the key considerations for the eastern stort crossing were the principle of the development, design and layout, impact on the transport network and mitigation, climate change, flood risk and sustainable drainage, land contamination and pollution, impact on the natural environment and the historic environment and the impact on the green belt.

 

The Senior Project Officer set out the policy context regarding the application and said that the Committee were being asked to determine the part of the application that fell within the East Herts administrative boundary. She said that Members should however be cognisant of the scheme as a whole.

 

The Senior Project Officer referred to the work undertaken with the applicants, the two Highway Authorities for Essex and Hertfordshire County Councils and Harlow Council regarding the plan making stages of the East Herts District Plan, in order to consider the options for both an eastern and western Stort crossing.

 

Members were advised that transport modelling had identified the need for a second stort crossing and this work had included a strategic highway model produced through a collaborative approach to technical evidence relating to highways and transportation matters within the Strategic Housing Market Area.

 

The Senior Project Officer said that modelling had identified parts of the Harlow area local road network including the A414 Fifth Avenue Eastwick Road junction which, without intervention, were likely to be adversely affected be the various development scenarios being tested.

 

Members  ...  view the full minutes text for item 354.

355.

3/19/1049/LBC - Repair works and replacement white post and 3-rail balustrade to bridge at Land To The South And East Of Gilston Village And North Of River Stort Hertfordshire/Harlow pdf icon PDF 97 KB

Recommended for Approval

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The meeting concluded at 00:19 and this application (3/19/1049/LBC) would now be adjourned and determined at the 2 March 2022 meeting of the Development Management Committee, in line with the rules set out in the Council’s constitution.