Agenda item

The meeting reconvened at 20:37 (8:37 pm).

The Director for Place recommended that in respect of application 3/24/0091/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 representations from Historic England and a letter from a local resident. She summarised the application in detail and set out the location of the site. She presented a series of slides, elevation drawings, parameter plans and visual representations of the proposed development.

The Principal Planning Officer set out the status of High Cross as a group two village and explained that the site was rural land beyond the green belt and that there were no landscape designations on the site - located in flood zone 1 with no protected trees on or around the site.

The Principal Planning Officer set out details of the proposed access, the public rights of way and the location of the bus stops. She set out the heritage constraints surrounding the site and presented some views of the site from various boundary viewing points.

The Principal Planning Officer set out the proposed building heights and the average densities in the context of the density dwellings on the High Road and Poplar Close. She said that the average density on site was 27 dwellings per hectare. Members were shown the location of SuDS features, the access road, the cycle and footways, allotment space, public open space and play spaces.

The Principal Planning Officer reminded Members that the application was in outline form for the principle of the proposed development and the access. She set out the proposed improvements to the High Road and provided some illustrative details of what was envisaged for the site.

Members were advised of the proposed upgrades to bus stops and upgrades to the existing footpaths. The Principal Planning Officer said that all of the improvements were included in the conditions and as part of the Section 106 legal agreement.

The Principal Planning Officer reminded Members that as the council could not currently demonstrate a 5-year supply of housing, this application should be determined under paragraph 11 of the NPPF. Members were referred to paragraph 10 of the report, and the planning balancing exercise concludes that the adverse effects of granting planning permission would not significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits.

The Principal Planning Officer said that applying the NPPF presumption in favour of sustainable development, it was recommended that planning permission is granted subject to the conditions and obligations within the Section 106 legal agreement.

Kim Saban addressed the committee in objection to the application. Richard Martin addressed the committee in support of the application. He was asked questions by the committee.

Jacqueline Veater addressed the committee on behalf of Thundridge Parish Council. She was asked questions by the committee.

Members asked for some clarity in terms of the access linking the development to the existing community. The Principal Planning Officer said that there would be one vehicular access. She said that the proposed access would now become a shared cycle and footpath and there would be linkages through to the footpath on the High Street.

Members were advised that in terms of the highway assessment, the site was policy compliant in terms of the NPPF and the site being sustainably accessible to the village. The Principal Planning Officer referred to the capacity assessment carried out by the highway’s authority.

Members were advised that the application included details of how footpaths would be improved by installing loose but hard material. The Principal Planning Officer confirmed that more work had been done, and the access had been widened to ensure it could accommodate emergency and refuse vehicles. Members were also advised that should the church not require the offered cemetery space, the likelihood is that this would revert to open space.

Members expressed a number of concerns regarding the proposed density and the sustainability credentials of the application. They referred in particular to the offered vouchers for public transport. The Principal Planning Officer said that the voucher system was a standard element of the travel plan by the highways’ authority. She said that the intention was to encourage this use from the outset of the occupation of the development.

Members commented on the access for agricultural vehicles to the farm site. Concerns were expressed regarding the access for increasingly larger tractors. The Principal Planning Officer set out the position of the highway authority as the technical consultee in terms of volume and the passage of agricultural traffic.

The Principal Planning Officer gave a detailed summary of the flood situation in that the site was in flood zone 1 with the lowest risk of flooding. She said that a small amount of surface water flooding occurred at the southern end of the site. The flooding and drainage scheme indicatively agreed by the lead local flood authority took account of this and a more detailed scheme was required by the conditions.

Members were further advised that, due to the Council’s lack of a demonstrable five?year housing land supply, the relevant local plan policies for the supply of housing were considered to be out of date. In those circumstances, the Council was expected to grant planning permission for residential development unless the adverse impacts of doing so would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits, when assessed against the policies in the Framework taken as a whole.

At this point in the meeting 21:50 (9:50 pm), Councillor Watson (Chair) proposed, and Councillor Thomas seconded, a motion that the meeting continue for 30 minutes past 10 pm, until 10:30 pm.

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

RESOLVED - that the meeting continue for 30 minutes past 10 pm, until 10:30 pm.

Members raised concerns about the sustainability of the site and the potential archaeological impact of the proposed development. In particular, they queried the degree of negative weight that should be applied in relation to heritage impacts.

In response, the Principal Planning Officer advised that the County Archaeologist had indicated the site may contain heritage assets of archaeological interest. However, a geophysical survey had not identified any significant subsurface remains. As such, no indicative substantial harm had been identified, and the consultee advised that any potential impacts could be appropriately managed through planning conditions.

The Legal Adviser set out the position regarding the titled balance and referred to the legal framework that Members should apply when determining applications. She said that the presumption in favour of sustainable development, as set out at paragraph 11 of the National Planning Policy Framework, meant that the local plan policies were out of date due to the lack of a 5-year housing land supply.

The Legal Adviser said that the council was expected to grant permission for residential schemes unless those adverse impacts would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits when assessed against the policies of the NPPF.

The Legal Adviser said that Officers had therefore advised that considerable weight must be afforded to the NPPF, the tilted balance considerations, and the acknowledged housing land supply shortfall when Members carried out the necessary weighting and balancing of the policy considerations.

Councillor Watson (Chair) proposed, and Councillor Dunlop seconded, a motion that application 3/24/0091/FUL be granted planning permission subject to the conditions set out at the end of the report, and subject to the following amendment regarding the wording condition 38:

38.     Prior to first occupation, provision of facilities for cycle storage should include details of how power would be provided to the location of that cycle storage provision.

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

RESOLVED – that application 3/24/0091/FUL be granted planning permission subject to the conditions set out at the end of the report, and subject to the following amendment regarding condition 38:

38.     Prior to first occupation, provision of facilities for cycle storage should include details of how power would be provided to the location of that cycle storage provision.