Agenda and minutes

SWT Planning Committee
Thursday, 26th May, 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

1.

Appointment of Chair

2.

Appointment of Vice-Chair

3.

Apologies

4.

Minutes of the previous meeting of the Planning Committee pdf icon PDF 144 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 28 April 22, circulated with the agenda)

     

    Resolved that the minutes of the Planning Committee held on 28 April 22 be confirmed as a correct record.

     

    Proposed by Councillor Hill seconded by Councillor Lithgow

     

    The Motion was carried.

5.

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

    Minute No.

    Description of Interest

    Reason

    Action Taken

    Cllr I Aldridge

    All Items

    Williton

    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 C Palmer

    3/26/21/022

    Applicant also on Minehead Town Council.

    Personal

    Withdrew from the meeting whilst debating and voting.

    Cllr R Tully

    All Items

    West Monkton

    Personal

    Spoke and Voted

    Cllr B Weston

    All Items

    Taunton Charter Trustee

    Personal

    Spoke and Voted

    Cllr K Wheatley

    All Items

    Wellington

    Personal

    Spoke and Voted

    Cllr L Whetlor

    3/26/21/022

    Applicant’s partner known to Cllr. Not ‘fettered’

    Personal

    Spoke and Voted

    Cllr G Wren

    All Items

    SCC & Clerk to Milverton PC

    Personal

    Spoke and Voted

     

6.

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

    14/21/0024

    Mr C Moor

    Ms C Sampson

    Mr J Creighton

    Ms M Stone

    Ms R Randall

    Mr R White

    Mr A Lehner

    Local Resident

    Local Resident

    Local Resident

    Local Resident

    Polden Planning

    Miles White Transport

    West of England Developments

    Objecting

    Objecting

    Objecting

    Objecting

    In favour

    In favour

    In favour

    3/26/21/022

    Mr M Kravis

    Mr I Duncan

     

     

    Applicant

    Old Cleeve PC

    In favour

    Objecting

     

7.

14/21/0024 - Application for Outline Planning with all matters reserved, except for access and landscaping, for the erection of up to 28 No. dwellings with associated works, formation of access, landscaping, ground engineering and drainage works on land to the west of Derham Close, Creech St Michael pdf icon PDF 271 KB

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Councillor Firmin left the meeting at 1.32pm

     

    Comments from members of the public included;

    (summarised)

     

    ·       Concerns that the access to the site through the small gap in the hedge was not suitable for the construction of 28 houses;

    ·       An alternative access route was needed onto the site for construction vehicles and maintenance of the commercial orchard;

    ·       This was a family friendly estate for children who cycle and walk up and down the roads every day for school and to go to the park or play and we get many dog walkers if you allow the construction traffic to come through the estate damage will occur to vehicles and you could be responsible for someone getting hurt or injured from the construction traffic;

    ·       Concerns for pedestrian with disabilities using the narrow footways;

    ·       Environmental waste and emergency vehicle concerns;

    ·       Concerns with increased traffic through the village;

    ·       The proposed site was too close to the other houses;

    ·       The access to the development was outside of the development boundary;

    ·       Concerns with the effect on wildlife as this development cut across an existing wildlife corridor;

    ·       Environmental concerns due to the canal being a haven for wildlife and supported so many species of birds and mammals;

    ·       Concerns with light pollution;

    ·       Concerns that the proposed Orchard was not wildlife friendly due to it being commercial not organic;

    ·       Concerns with the proposal to dig through the children’s play area for drainage;

    ·       Concerns with the negative effect on the appearance of the existing estate;

    ·       The local school was close to capacity and the local surgery oversubscribed;

    ·       Concerns that this was a creeping development;

    ·       Concerns with the loss of greenspace;

    ·       The Parish Council and residents opposed to the application;

    ·       There was no policy in the neighbourhood plan to state that you cannot develop outside of the settlement boundary;

    ·        The development would not be more than two stories in height and would include some bungalows;

    ·       This development would extend the existing green wedge and offer more green space than housing;

    ·       The development was in a sustainable location with a mix of affordable housing;

    ·       The site would be protected from further development due to the proposed planting to the west which would add all of the remaining land right up to the motorway with commercial apple orchards and a large screening natural tree belt along the motorway;

    ·       No concerns with flooding as the development was 30m from the canal so not in the flood plane;

    ·       The revised access arrangement was an appropriate and acceptable design given the location of the access on the level of the development proposed on the site this arrangement would enable vehicles pedestrians and cyclists to safely access the site and will assist in reducing vehicle speeds on Dereham Close;

    ·       The mitigation strategy had been scrutinised by Natural England and Somerset Ecology Services which had their full support and approval;

    ·       The development gives huge carbon gain biodiversity and a natural habitat for wildlife along with ground or air source heating;

     

    Comments from Members included:

    (summarised)

     

    ·       Concerns with the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

8.

3/07/22/004 - Listed Building Consent. Raising of rear chimney by 250mm, Lawford Farm, Stickle Hill, Crowcombe TA4 4AL pdf icon PDF 187 KB

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Comments from Members included;

    (summarised)

     

    ·       The increased height would spoil the eyeline of the Grade ll Listed Building;

     

     

     

    Councillor Wren proposed and Councillor Weston seconded a motion that Listed Building consent be GRANTED subject to conditions.

     

    The motion was carried.

9.

3/26/21/022 - Change of use of land with siting of 6 No. static caravans for holiday let use (retentions of works already undertaken) Caravan, The Blue Anchor, Cleeve Hill, Watchet, TA24 6JP pdf icon PDF 463 KB

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Councillor Palmer left the meeting before the application was presented by the Officer.

     

    Comments from members of the public included;

    (summarised)

     

    ·       The site was in a highly prominent location between the cliff edge and the B3191 with the cliff being unstable and gradually being lost to the sea;

    ·       Temporary Rock Armour had been used to help the situation, but it had not solved the problem;

    ·       Concerns with the works undertaken to site the caravans. This would add to the coastal erosion;

    ·       No development should be permitted between the road and the cliff edge;

    ·       The caravans spoil the visual amenity of the area;

    ·       The site should be reinstated to its previous condition;

    ·       The application was policy compliant;

    ·       Concerns with the limiting conditions for occupation of the caravans;

    ·       The previous site was just scrub land so now improved it looked better than it did 30 years ago;

     

     

    Question raised by Cllr Wren

     

    Cllr Wren stated that when he brought a planning application before the Committee of Taunton Deane as a Councillor, he was required to leave the room during the debate. Cllr Wren declared that the applicant who was until two days ago a member of the Executive was remaining in the room. He asked if he could he have a ruling on this from the Solicitor.

     

    Response from Shape Legal, Martin Evans

     

    On checking with the SWT Deputy Monitoring Officer and the rules around having a disclosable pecuniary interest and having taken no part in the decision relates to members on the committee so if you were a committee member bringing the application here then you play no part at all, however that is not the case for members who were not on the committee.

     

    Comments from Members included;

    (summarised)

     

    ·       Happy that this application was Policy compliant;

    ·       Concerns with land sustainability;

    ·       Concerns with the Landscape comments (in the update sheet);

    ·       Concerns that the hardstanding for this site was probably aiding percolation which may assist with the instability of the land;

    ·       Concerns that this application was between the road and the cliff edge;

    ·       Concerns that the caravans would be permanently occupied;

    ·       The caravans were not sustainable from a heating and Carbon Footprint opinion;

    ·       No public transport available to the site;

    ·       This application had a negative impact on the coast and landscape character and not suitable for the area;

     

    Councillor Lithgow proposed and Councillor Hill seconded a motion that planning permission be GRANTED subject to conditions as per update sheet to read;

     

    Amended Conditions

     

    3. Remove the time scale from the 1st April-31st October so the condition would now read;

     

    “The caravans shall be occupied as holiday accommodation only for 10 months in each calendar year.

     

    The caravans shall not be occupied as a person’s sole or main place of residence.

     

    The site operator or owner shall maintain an up to date register of the names of all occupiers  of individual caravans on he site and their main home addresses, and the duration of their stay and shall make this  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

10.

Latest appeals and decisions received pdf icon PDF 80 KB