Agenda and draft minutes

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:

Webcast for 134.

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	Minute No.	Description of Interest	Reason	Action Taken
Cllr M Blaker	All Items	Wiveliscombe	Personal	Spoke and Voted
Cllr S Coles	All Items	SCC & Taunton Charter Trustee	Personal	Spoke and Voted
Cllr Mrs Hill	All Items	Taunton Charter Trustee	Personal	Spoke and Voted
Cllr M Lithgow	All Items	Wellington	Personal	Spoke and Voted
Cllr R Tully	All Items	West Monkton	Personal	Spoke and Voted
Cllr S Wakefield	Item 6	Ward Member. Item discussed at the PC meeting and spoken to villagers. Discretion not ‘fettered’.	Personal	Spoke and Voted
Cllr B Weston	All Items	Taunton Charter Trustee	Personal	Spoke and Voted
Cllr L Whetlor	All Items	Watchet	Personal	Spoke and Voted

135.

Public Participation

Share this item
Share this item

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 requested to speak, please note, a three minute time limit applies to each speaker and you will be asked to speak before Councillors debate the issue.

Temporary measures during the Coronavirus Pandemic

Due to the temporary legislation (within the Coronavirus Act 2020, which allowed for use of virtual meetings) coming to an end on 6 May 2021, the council’s committee meetings will now take place in the office buildings within the John Meikle Meeting Room at the Deane House, Belvedere Road, Taunton. Unfortunately due to capacity requirements, the Chamber at West Somerset House is not able to be used at this current moment.

Following the Government guidance on measures to reduce the transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19), the council meeting rooms will have very limited capacity. With this in mind, we will only be allowing those members of the public who have registered to speak to attend the meetings in person in the office buildings, if they wish (we will still be offering to those members of the public that are not comfortable in attending, for their statements to be read out by a Governance and Democracy Case Manager). Please can we urge all members of the public who are only interested in listening to the debate to view our live webcasts from the safety of their own home to help prevent the transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19).

Additional documents:

Webcast for 135.

Minutes:

Application	Name	Position	Stance
30/21/0022	Mr Lehner	Applicant	In favour

136.

3/26/19/016 - Erection of 9 No. dwellings with associated access, landscaping, public open space, drainage and footpath works. Former Nursery Site, A39, Washford, Watchet, TA23 0NT PDF 236 KB

Share this item
Share this item

Additional documents:

Webcast for 136.

Minutes:

Comments from Members included;

(summarised)

· Concerns with the management of green spaces;

· Concerns with the site due to the proximity of the A39;

· A general management plan was needed to maintain the buffer;

· Concerns that there was no Affordable Housing on the site;

· Satisfied that there were no concerns raised by Highways or the Ecologist;

Councillor Hill proposed and Councillor Habgood seconded a motion for the amendments to be APPROVED as per Officer recommendation below and the update sheet which states;

The consideration here is only regarding access alterations and a change to an ecology condition. SCC comments have been incorporated and the decision to approve the proposals already made, last in April 2021 by committee. The concerns about the long term maintenance of the public open space and wildlife buffer are shared by officers and this will be incorporated in the S106 by enlisting the services of the proposed management company who can be held to task in the future.

Recommendation;

1. That the Committee agrees to the revised access layout;

2. That the Committee agrees the revised bat corridor layout and the related

revision to the wording of Condition 15;

3. Subject to the above revisions, that delegated authority be given to Officers

to grant planning permission subject to the conditions set out in the

Committee report dated 21 April 2021 and the prior completion of a Section

106 legal agreement to secure the planning obligations described in that

report.

The motion was carried.

137.

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 247 KB

Share this item
Share this item

Additional documents:

Webcast for 137.

Minutes:

Comments from a member of the public included;

(summarised)

· There were no Highway concerns with this application;

· This was the first application with a Phosphate Mitigation strategy proposed;

· Concerns from local residents that the proposed Orchard would be commercial were false;

Comments from Members included;

(summarised)

· Highway concerns for emerging vehicles on the site;

· Concerns that the access was substandard due to the width;

· Concerns with the cumulative effect on the site due to there already being three properties on the site;

· Concerns with how the Phosphate Mitigation strategy would be sustained on site;

· Concerns with the amount of traffic and speeding vehicles in the village therefore signs to reduce speeding were needed;

· Pleased to see that this was the first application to come before the Committee with a Phosphate Mitigation strategy;

Councillor Hill proposed and Councillor Habgood seconded a motion for Conditional Approval to be APPROVED subject to prior completion of a Section 106 legal agreement to ensure nutrient neutrality;

This motion was lost, 5-6;

Councillor Aldridge proposed and Councillor Lithgow seconded a motion for the application to be refused on Highway grounds;

This motion was a tie, 6-6;

Councillor Hill proposed and Councillor Habgood seconded a motion for Conditional Approval to be APPROVED subject to prior completion of a Section 106 legal agreement to ensure nutrient neutrality;

The motion was carried 6-7 with the Chair casting his vote. The Committee supported the Officer Recommendation, however concerns were raised with the intensification of the access to the site regardless of Highway comments’

Agenda and draft minutes

SWT Planning CommitteeThursday, 28th April, 2022 1.00 pm

SWT Planning Committee
Thursday, 28th April, 2022 1.00 pm