Agenda and draft minutes

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

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Items
No. Item

48.

Apologies

49.

Minutes of the previous meetings of the Planning Committee pdf icon PDF 146 KB

50.

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

    Application No.

    Description of Interest

    Reason

    Action Taken

    Cllr I Aldridge

    27/19/0029

     

    Personal

    Spoke and Voted

    Cllr S Buller

    31/19/0024

    23/19/0047

    23/19/0048/LB

    Ward Member

    Email from Cllr Wren

    Personal

    Spoke and Voted

    Cllr S Coles

    All items

    Lobbied. Discretion not Fettered

    Personal

    Spoke and Voted

    Cllr D Darch

    27/18/0002

    27/19/0029

    23/19/0047

    23/19/0048/LB

    Correspondences received. Discretion not fettered

    Personal

    Spoke and Voted

    Cllr R Habgood

    27/18/0002

    27/19/0029

    23/19/0047

    23/19/0048/LB

    Lobbied. Previous Oake Cllr. Not fettered

    Personal

    Spoke and Voted

    Cllr B Weston

    27/18/0002

    27/19/0029

    23/19/0047

    23/19/0048/LB

    Correspondences received. Discretion not fettered

     

     

    Cllr L Whetlor

    27/18/0002

    Knows Applicant

    Personal

    Spoke and Voted

     

     

     

     

     

     

51.

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 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 Government guidance on measures to reduce the transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19), we will holding meetings in a virtual manner which will be live webcast on our website. Members of the public will still be able to register to speak and ask questions, which will then be read out by the Governance and Democracy Case Manager during Public Question Time and will either be answered by the Chair of the Committee, or the relevant Portfolio Holder, or be followed up with a written response.

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Application No.

    Name

    Position

    Stance

    27/18/0002

    Mr R Gully

    Sue Davies

    Rebecca Randell

    Mitchell Partners

    Local Resident

    Chair, Oake PC

    WYG

     

    Objecting

    Objecting

    In favour

    In favour

    27/19/0029

    Mr & Mrs Hand

    Mr & Mrs Harrison

    Kate Capell

    Petition from Residents of Oake

    Local Resident

     

    Local Resident

    Local Resident

     

    Local Residents

     

    Objecting

     

    Objecting

    Objecting

     

    Objecting

    23/19/0047

    Mr T Reading

    Mr C Wilson

    Cllr G Wren

    Local Resident

    Applicant

    Ward Member

     

    In favour

    In favour

    In favour

    23/19/0048/LB

     

     

     

    31/19/0024

    Ruishton PC

     

    Objecting

    3/31/20/011

    Sally Hawkins

    Cllr P Pilkington

    Applicant

    Ward Member

    In favour

    In favour

     

     

52.

27/18/0002 pdf icon PDF 96 KB

    Erection of 18 No. dwellings (9 No. affordable) with pumping station, car parking, landscaping and formation of vehicular access on land to the east of Oake as amended revisions to Plot 18; increase in parking provision,revised visibility splays; provision of motorcycle parking; parking bay for the pumping station

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Erection of 18 No. dwellings (9 No. affordable) with pumping station, car parking, landscaping and formation of vehicular access on land to the east of Oake as amended revisions to Plot 18; increase in parking provision, revised visibility splays; provision of motorcycle parking; parking bay for the pumping station

     

    Application 27/18/0002 and 27/19/0029 were presented together and voted on separately

     

    Comment from members of the public included:

     

    ·       First Step Homes does not meet the identified affordable housing need in Oake;

    ·       The scheme provides the wrong housing mix;

    ·       The Mitchell Partners scheme provides a majority of affordable housing design and meets 100% of the identified need;

    ·       The First Step Homes scheme is the furthers possible site from public transport, is not connected to the school by a footway and is furthest from all other facilities;

    ·       The PC remain unconvinced of the stated level of need for affordable housing in Oake;

    ·       Oake PC need to determine the best way forward for its Parish;

    ·        Legal agreements for S106 monies would be better allocated to benefit the Parish not the off-site play provisions;

    ·       The development will have an impact on the Oake Plantation, a woodland Priority Habitat;

    ·       The NPPF confirms that outline permissions cannot be delivered within 5 years and therefore Land adjacent to Oake School cannot deliver upon the local housing need. This application can;

    ·       This application represents the only deliverable scheme which is fully evidenced by the housing needs assessment;

     

    Comments from Members included:

     

    ·       The development was ready with a good mix of housing;

    ·       A detailed comparison had been carried out with both of the sites in Oake;

    ·       Concerns that both site were outside of the settlement limit;

    ·       Concerns that the housing need was not satisfied;

    ·       Concerns that the S106 was earmarked for something that Oake did not need;

    ·       Both schemes address the housing need;

    ·       Highway concerns;

    ·       Housing in Oake would relieve pressure in other communities;

    ·        

     

    Councillor Buller proposed and Councillor Hill seconded a motion for the application to be APPROVED subject to the conditions set out in the Officers report and a S106 legal agreement to secure:

     

    ·       Affordable housing; and

    ·       A financial contribution of £53,248 toward offsite play provision;

     

    The motion was carried.

53.

27/19/0029 pdf icon PDF 190 KB

    Outline application with some matters reserved, except for access, for the erection of 17 No. dwellings (9 affordable) with associated works, formation of access road, parking area and pedestrian footway on land adjacent to Oake Primary School, Oake

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Outline application with some matters reserved, except for access, for the erection of 17 No. dwellings (9 affordable) with associated works, formation of access road, parking area and pedestrian footway on land adjacent to Oake Primary School, Oake

     

    Comments made by members of the public included:

     

    ·       The only gain for this development to be approve is monetary gain for the applicant;

    ·       There is already an approved application to build in the village;

    ·       The addition of private dwellings in the village will add pressure to an already struggling transport route via Bradford Road;

    ·       Increase traffic concerns;

    ·       The open countryside is a haven for wildlife and a place for families to explore and exercise safely;

    ·       The development is of no benefit to the local residents and the village of Oake;

    ·       People who are supporting this application do not live in or near the village;

    ·       The development falls beyond the village boundaries;

    ·       There is no affordable housing need in Oake;

    ·       Concerns that Highways consider it safe to have an unmanned pedestrian crossing in the neck of a roundabout before the traffic calming measures;

    ·       The planned development will ruin the aspect towards the Oake Plantation which is the main feature of the village;

    ·       Concerns with flooding issues;

     

    Petition from Local Residents citing;

     

    ·       The pedestrian footway not suitable for small children as prone to flooding;

    ·       Unkempt nettles, weeds and dog faeces;

    ·       Concerns with the entrance/exit onto Oake main road as vehicles are known to speed and is overtly engineered;

    ·       Visibility concerns for vehicles exiting Saxon Close and turning right;

    ·       Concerns that children will have to cross the road twice;

    ·       Loss of habitat from the Copse adjacent to the proposed site;

    ·        This development is proposed on wonderful countryside for many to walk and play and should be enjoyed for many years;

    ·       If there was a need for a development with affordable housing it should be application no. 27/18/0002 which has already been approved;

     

    Councillor Coles proposed and Councillor Hill seconded a motion for the application to be REFUSED as per Officer Recommendation.

     

    The motion was carried

     

    At this point in the meeting there was a 10 minute comfort break and Cllr Morgan left the meeting.

     

     

     

54.

23/19/0047 pdf icon PDF 139 KB

    Construction of an underground extension and formation of formal gardens and natural lake with folly structure and associated landscaping at Spring Grove House, Milverton Road, Milverton as amended by agents email, amended plans and additional information of 14th May 2020 including amendments to the design of the lake and removing the folly.

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Construction of an underground extension and formation of formal gardens and natural lake with folly structure and associated landscaping at Spring Grove House, Milverton Road, Milverton as amended by agents email, amended plans and additional information of 14th May 2020 including amendments to the design of the lake and removing the folly.

     

    Comments from members of the public included;

     

    ·       Great care has been taken to develop proposals which are sensitive to the historic setting of the house;

    ·       This investment should be encouraged, providing it is of high quality and sympathetic to the house’s history and setting;

    ·       The construction would enhance the historic character of Spring Grove House and help make the house fit for 21st century occupation;

    ·       Since 2015 there has been considerable effort to restore the property to its original stature as an important country house, sat in carefully landscaped naturalistic surroundings, at the heart of a small rural estate;

    ·       The proposals would secure Spring Groves future is secured for generations to come;

    ·       The topography of the site will not change as the development will be sunk into the land and be covered over at the current level meaning that visually the site will be the same as it is now;

    ·       No impact on the external appearance of the Listed Building;

     

    Comments from Members included;

     

    ·       A great deal of care and effort has been taken with this application;

    ·       No light pollution concerns with the application;

    ·       No concerns with mass and scale of the development;

    ·       Pleased that land lost would be brought back to the estate;

    ·       Lots of local support for this application;

    ·       The development brings back the importance of the building;

     

    Councillor Habgood proposed and Councillor Whetlor seconded a motion for the application to be APPROVED against Officer Recommendation;

     

    The motion was carried

     

    Reason

     

    The proposal is an enhancement and causes negligible, if any, harm to the setting or character of the listed building. Conditions to be delegated to Officers;

     

     

55.

23/19/0048 pdf icon PDF 131 KB

    Construction of an underground extension and formation of formal gardens and natural lake with folly structure and associated landscaping at Spring Grove House, Milverton Road, Milverton as amended by agents email, amended plans and additional information of 14th May 2020 including amendments to the design of the lake and removing the folly.

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Construction of an underground extension and formation of formal gardens and natural lake with folly structure and associated landscaping at Spring Grove House, Milverton Road, Milverton as amended by agents email, amended plans and additional information of 14th May 2020 including amendments to the design of the lake and removing the folly.

     

    Councillor Habgood proposed and Councillor Sully seconded a motion to APPROVE the application against Officer Recommendation;

     

    Reason

     

    The proposal is an enhancement and causes negligible, if any harm, to the designated heritage asset and is not detrimental to the setting or character of the listed building. Conditions to be delegated to Officers.

     

    The motion was carried

56.

31/19/0024 pdf icon PDF 145 KB

    Outline planning application with all matters reserved, except for access, for erection of 4 No. dwellings on land adjacent to Highcroft, Bushy Cross Lane, Ruishton

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    An extension of 30 minutes was proposed and seconded.

     

    Outline planning application with all matters reserved, except for access, for erection of 4 No. dwellings on land adjacent to Highcroft, Bushy Cross Lane, Ruishton

     

    Comments by members of the public included;

     

    ·       The additional drawings do not address the unsuitable access and egress from Bushy Cross Land to the A358 and vice versa;

    ·       Access from Bushy Cross Lane is already restricted;

    ·       A new access road in this location would add potential hazards to this location;

    ·       Safety concerns for refuse vehicles;

    ·       The field behind the application already has an access, why is another one needed;

    ·       Concerns that Bushy Cross Lane will be subject to a major increase in traffic due to the 18 month Road Closure with effect from the 1 August;

    ·       The development should not commence until the end of the Closure Order;

     

    Comments by Members included;

     

    ·       Concerns with the layout of the access to the A358;

    ·       Concerns with the removal of the trees and shrubs;

    ·       Concerns with traffic as this was a dangerous site;

    ·       Flooding issues;

    ·       Parish Council did not support this application;

    ·       Concerns with access in and out of the site;

     

    Councillor Lithgow proposed and Councillor Aldridge seconded a motion for the application to be APPROVED as per Officer Recommendation;

     

    The motion was carried

     

    At this point in the meeting, Cllr Sully left the meeting and a 30 minute extension was proposed and seconded.

57.

3/31/20/011 pdf icon PDF 144 KB

    Outline planning application with all matters reserved for the erection of an agricultural workers dwelling (resubmission of 3/31/19/009) at Higher Preston Farm, Preston Lane, Stogumber, TA4 3QQ

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Outline planning application with all matters reserved for the erection of an agricultural workers dwelling (resubmission of 3/31/19/009) at Higher Preston Farm, Preston Lane, Stogumber, TA4 3QQ

     

    Comments from members of the pubic included;

     

    ·       Concerns with trying to run a farm with a young child when you do not live on site;

    ·       No other shed is suitable for conversion and there is not enough space in the existing farm house;

    ·       Granting permission would mean that a village house would be available as an affordable home;

    ·       Neighbours supported the application;

    ·       The applicant needs to reside at the property to look after the stock;

    ·       Support for farm workers was needed to enable them to fulfil their role ;

     

    Comments from Members included;

     

    ·       Winter conditions could make the route to the farm a dangerous journey;

    ·       There is need for an agricultural dwelling on this farm;

    ·       We need to be supporting farming businesses;

    ·       When you have stock you need someone living on the farm;

    ·       Approving this application would set a precedent as it goes against our Policy for building in the Countryside;

    ·        

     

    At this point in the meeting a half hour extension was proposed and seconded

     

    Councillor Hill proposed and Councillor Coles seconded a motion for the application to be REFUSED as per Officer Recommendation;

     

    The motion was carried