Agenda and draft minutes

SWT Planning Committee
Thursday, 17th March, 2022 1.00 pm

Venue: The John Meikle Room - The Deane House. View directions

Contact: Tracey Meadows Email: t.meadows@somersetwestandtaunton.gov.uk 

Webcast: View the webcast

Items
No. Item

114.

Apologies

115.

Minutes of the previous meeting of the Planning Committee pdf icon PDF 140 KB

    To approve the minutes of the previous meeting of the Committee.

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    (Minutes of the meeting of the Planning Committee held on 24 February circulated with the agenda)

     

    Resolved that the minutes of the Planning Committee held on 24 February be confirmed as a correct record.

     

    Proposed by Councillor Habgood seconded by Councillor Tully

     

    The Motion was carried.

116.

Declarations of Interest or Lobbying

    To receive and note any declarations of disclosable pecuniary or prejudicial or personal interests or lobbying in respect of any matters included on the agenda for consideration at this meeting.

     

    (The personal interests of Councillors and Clerks of Somerset County Council, Town or Parish Councils and other Local Authorities will automatically be recorded in the minutes.)

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Members present at the meeting declared the following personal interests in their capacity as a Councillor or Clerk of a County, Town or Parish Council or any other Local Authority:-

     

    Name

    Description of Interest

    Reason

    Action Taken

    Cllr S Coles

    SCC & Taunton Charter Trustee

    Personal

    Spoke and Voted

    Cllr M Lithgow

    Wellington

    Personal

    Spoke and Voted

    Cllr C Morgan

    Stogursey

    Personal

    Spoke and Voted

    Cllr R Tully

    West Monkton

    Personal

    Spoke and Voted

    Cllr B Weston

    Taunton Charter Trustee

    Personal

    Spoke and Voted

    Cllr S Wakefield

    Item 8, Ward Member

    Personal

    Spoke and did not vote

    Cllr L Whetlor

    Watchet

    Personal

    Spoke and Voted

     

117.

Public Participation

    The Chair to advise the Committee of any items on which members of the public have requested to speak and advise those members of the public present of the details of the Council’s public participation scheme.

     

    For those members of the public who have submitted any questions or statements, please note, a three minute time limit applies to each speaker and you will be asked to speak before Councillors debate the issue.

     

    We are now live webcasting most of our committee meetings and you are welcome to view and listen to the discussion. The link to each webcast will be available on the meeting webpage, but you can also access them on the Somerset West and Taunton webcasting website.

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Application No.

    Name

    Position

    Stance

    30/21/0022

    David Bolle-Jones

     

    In favour

     

    Robin Upton

    Agent

    In Favour

     

118.

38/21/0440 - Demolition of Auction House and site clearance with temporary diversion of cycle and pedestrian route through the site, raising of ground to create platform formation levels, ground remediation, flood mitigation, primary foul and surface water drainage networks and connections for future sites/developments surrounding the site at Firepool, Taunton. pdf icon PDF 406 KB

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Comments from Members included:

    (summarised)

     

    ·       Measures to separate cyclists and pedestrians needed to be incorporated into the plans of the site;

    ·       Landscaping in Canal Road should be completed on the onset of the development;

    ·       Highway concerns with traffic movement of HGV’s to and from the site;

    ·       Concerns with the start time of construction lorries starting on site at 7am, this was to early and would have an impact on neighbouring residents. Times should be changed to 7.30am to lesson this impact;

    ·       Concerns with the lack of information regarding materials coming onto the site;

    ·       Concerns for safe access routes to the site for the disabled;

    ·       Concerns with clear water being drained into the Tone causing problems down river;

    ·       Concerns with the flood and dust mitigation criteria;

    ·       The site was a key priority for Taunton and pleased that it was finally being brought forward;

     

    Councillor Habgood proposed and Councillor Tully seconded a motion for planning permission to be GRANTED subject to Conditions and a note to the applicant that the proposed temporary footway, cycleway should be segregated by means of a white painted line through the centre of it.

     

    The motion was carried

119.

38/21/0436 - Erection of an office building with ancillary ground floor commercial use (Class E), conversion and erection of extension to the GWR building to form restaurant (Class E), public realm, landscaping and associated infrastructure works on land to the south of Trenchard Way, (Block 3), Firepool, Taunton pdf icon PDF 491 KB

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    At this point in the meeting a 10-minute break was called for and Councillor Morgan left the meeting.

     

    Comments from Members included;

    (summarised)

     

    ·       Better solutions for securely storage for cycles should be provided;

    ·       Concerns for people with mobility issue getting from Trenchard Way to Canal Road. This would be through the same throughfare as the cyclists;

    ·       The development provided a striking contrast to the Innovation Centre;

    ·       Car parking would need to be factored in as not everyone would come to Taunton by train or bicycle;  

    ·       Great development and would bring huge benefit to Taunton;

    ·       Delighted that we have managed to keep the GWR building for the future;

     

     

    Councillor Habgood proposed and Councillor Wheatley seconded a motion for Planning permission to be GRANTED subject to Conditions below;

     

    Block 3:

     

    Amend condition 02

     

    Change stated date to 16/03/2022.

     

    Additional condition 23

     

    Notwithstanding the provisions of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 or any order revoking and re-enacting the 2015 Order with or without modification), no extensions shall be added or alterations made to the new office building or GWR building without the further grant of planning permission.

     

    Reason: To safeguard the skyline of Taunton and local designated/non-designated heritage assets.

     

    Additional condition 24

     

    A scheme shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority which details the provision of secure and covered cycle parking. The agreed scheme shall be carried out, in full, prior to the first use of any building and retained thereafter.

     

    Reason: To ensure cycles can be securely stored to encourage sustainable modes of transport.

     

    The motion was carried

     

120.

22/21/0012 - Change of use from Class B8 to Class E(g) of existing Old Cheese Factory and erection of an additional Class E(g) unit at The Old Cheese Factory, Deans Cross to Broad Oak, Lydeard St Lawrence pdf icon PDF 204 KB

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Comments from Members included;

    (summarised)

     

    ·       Satisfied that the parking spaces had been increased;

    ·       The application would benefit the community;

    ·       Concerns with the status of the road through the lane;

     

    Councillor Lithgow proposed and Councillor Whetlor seconded a motion for Conditional Approval to be APPROVED with the following conditions:-

     

    1.     The wording of Condition 2 amended to remove superseded by drawings. The amended condition to read:- (e.g. Drg No. 84_3_7 rev A Proposed Shop Elevations) have been also listed in the Condition and so the list of recommended approved plans should be corrected according to the update sheet;

     

    2. Wording of Condition No.3 amended to add “without the prior express                    grant of planning permission”. to the end to make it clear that it does not fetter a decision on a future planning application. The amended condition reads:-

     

    The premises hereby approved shall be used for offices (Class E (g)(ii), research and development of products and processes (Class E(g)(ii) and/or light industrial processes (Class E (g)(ii) and for no other purpose (including any other purpose within the Class E of the Schedule to the Town and Country Planning (Uses Classes) Order 1987 or any provision equivalent to that Class in any statutory instrument revoking and re enaction that Order with or without modification) without the prior express grant of planning permission;

     

    Reason: The Local Planning Authority wishes to ensure that any future change of use, including changes with Use Class E, do not adversely affect the highway network;

     

    3. The figure of 25 parking spaces quoted in the report is incorrect. This was the number originally proposed. It was amended to 36 parking spaces, which is the number now proposed:

     

    The motion was carried

     

     

121.

30/21/0022 - Erection of 1 No. detached bungalow with detached double garage and alteration to access arrangement, on land adjacent to Matthews Farm, Blagdon Hill Road, Blagdon Hill pdf icon PDF 180 KB

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Comments by members of the public included;

     

    ·       The previous planning application was refused in 2018 on Highway concerns, these had now being resolved;

    ·       This application was the first application to have a Phosphate Mitigation solution which has been approved and fully supported by Natural England and the Somerset Ecology Services. This mitigation showed other builders that there was a blueprint to follow;

    ·       Tree planning on the site had huge biodiversity gains and benefits to wildlife which also helped towards the climate Ecology emergencies before us today;

    ·       Concerns with the lack of planning application being approved in the area due to the current phosphate problem;

    ·       Concerns with the lack of housing being built and the lack of supply chains;

    ·       The application was now set back to it provided the required visibility splay;

    ·       A management plan was in place for the long term to maintain the orchard;  

     

    Comments by Members included:

     

    ·       Back land development outside of the village envelope;

    ·       Intensification of use of a farm access which has not been used for a very long time;

    ·       Dangerous exit where you could not see around the bends due to the stone walls;

    ·       The planting of trees for phosphate mitigation would block other peoples views;

    ·       Concerns with access issues;

    ·       Pleased that the developer had addressed the phosphate issue with a phosphate mitigation strategy;

     

    At this point in the meeting a 30-minute extension was approved by Councillor Habgood and seconded by Councillor Lithgow

     

    ·       Concerns with Highways standing advice;

    ·       Concerns with the aggregate risk;

    ·       Matthews House has not been a working farm for many years so the access had not being used for farm vehicles;

     

    Councillor Habgood proposed and Councillor Lithgow seconded a motion for the application to be DEFERRED for clarity from the Highway Department on highway safety and access issues for an additional dwelling;

     

    The motion was carried

122.

Latest appeal decisions received pdf icon PDF 420 KB