Agenda item

Recommended for Approval.

Terry Collins addressed the Committee in objection to the application.  Leslie Foreman spoke for the application.

The Director of Neighbourhood Services recommended that, in respect of application 3/13/1934/FP, planning permission be granted subject to the conditions detailed in the report now submitted.

Councillor G Williamson, as the local ward Member, stated that this application might appear, at first glance, to be a modest proposal that had some merit in that it brought a disused building back into use and would create some limited employment.

He commented however, that the 31 letters of objection that had been received, plus the 20 signature petition, indicated a certain level of genuine local concern regarding the impact that a road sweeper hire base would cause in this location.

Councillor Williamson referred to the proximity of the proposed development to nearby homes.  He stated that both Millers Lane and South Street were narrow roads which were unsuitable for the type of vehicles used by the applicant’s business.  He further commented that there would inevitably be some noise disturbance for local residents.

Councillor Williamson concluded by stating that, whilst Hertfordshire Highways had not objected outright to the proposals, Officers were concerned over the effect of the application on the public highway.  He stated that Stanstead Abbotts Parish Council had objected to the application and he was concerned that this application would undermine recent efforts to ensure the safety of the road network in this area.

Councillors D Andrews, E Bedford, J Jones and P Moore all expressed concerns with the size of the vehicles and the disturbance these would cause for residents.

Councillor M Newman referred to inconsistencies in the report regarding the weight of the vehicles that would access the site.  He stated that a 3 tonne road sweeper transported on a 7.5 tonne lorry would exceed the 7.5 tonne weight limit of the roads leading to this site.  He sought clarification from Officers regarding the proportion of the 7.5 tonne vehicles that might be used if the road sweepers were to be transported under their own power for distances under 60 km or 40 miles.

The Director stated that the 7.5 tonne weight of the lorries referred to the maximum payload weight of the vehicle.  The unloaded weight of the lorries would be less than 7.5 tonnes to ensure that the weight limit on the local roads was not exceeded.

The Director stated that the impact of a single vehicle movement would be similar whether this was a small road sweeper or the same sweeper transported on the back of a lorry.  He stated that the access arrangements were not ideal and it was for Members to weigh up all the relevant issues when determining the application.

In response to comments from Councillor M Newman and the Chairman regarding the predicted numbers of vehicles movements per week, the Director advised that a limited number of vehicle movements would be impractical for any operator and Officers felt that 20 vehicle movements per day was acceptable.

Councillor D Andrews stated that he was concerned regarding the use of road sweepers travelling at speeds of 20 mph on the many trunk roads in East Herts.  The Director advised that Members should give little weight to the impact of the road sweepers once they were away from this site.  The key issue that Officers had taken into account was the impact of the application on the roads that were local to the site.

At this point (9.45 pm), the Committee passed a resolution that the meeting should continue until the completion of the remaining business on the agenda.

Councillor G Jones proposed and Councillor A Burlton seconded, a motion that application 3/13/1934/FP be refused on the grounds that the proposed development would result in unacceptable traffic generation on restricted residential access roads and would result in a harmful impact on residential amenity that was contrary to policies ENV1, EDE4, and ST5 of the East  Herts Local Plan Second Review April 2007.

After being put to the meeting and a vote taken, this motion was declared CARRIED. The Committee rejected the recommendation of the Director of Neighbourhood Services as now submitted.

RESOLVED – that, in respect of application 3/13/1934/FP, planning permission be refused for the following reasons:

1.           The proposed development by reason of the associated traffic generation on restricted residential access roads will result in a harmful impact on residential amenity, contrary to policies ENV1, EDE4, and ST5 of the East  Herts Local Plan Second Review April 2007.

Summary of Reasons for Decision

In accordance with the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2012 (as amended).  East Herts Council has considered, in a positive and proactive manner, whether the planning objections to this proposal could be satisfactorily resolved within the statutory period for determining the application. However, for the reasons set out in this decision notice, the proposal is not considered to achieve an acceptable and sustainable development in accordance with the Development Plan and the National Planning Policy Framework.