Issue - meetings

Reserved Matters Application for a proposed employment development (Class E(g), B2/B8) pursuant to outline planning permission S.14/0810/OUT including details of landscaping, design, scale, and layout. (description updated 13/04 to reflect outline permission)

The Majors and Environment Team Manager introduced the application and explained that it was a reserved matters application for employment use. He further informed the committee of the following:

• The site location within the larger Great Oldbury development including residential dwellings.
• This application was to finalise the appearance, landscaping, layout and scale of the building.
• What the building would look like with a modern appearance and different shades of grey cladding.
• The landscaping plans included a line of oak trees along the highway access and some planting at the frontage of the building near to the roundabout.
• Late pages were circulated which included a revised comment from Highways and updated conditions.

Ms Kambites, Parish Councillor, spoke on behalf of Stonehouse Town Council against the application. She asked the committee to reject the application for the following reasons:

• The footpath diversion was unclear although this was in the process of being resolved.
• The number of bike parking and electric vehicle (EV) charging points was inadequate for the size of the development.
• The energy statement to prevent solar panels being put on the roofs was not in line with the emerging local plan policy SO5 – climate change and environmental limits.
• Concerned with the size and height of the unit as it was in close proximity to residential dwellings.
• Unit would obstruct views when looking across from Oldends Lane Playing Field.
• The planting scheme was unimaginative.

Mr Hooper, the applicant, spoke in favour of the application. He asked the committee to support the application for the following reasons:

• The application related to a 2,192m²  employment building at the southern end of the site.
• This parcel was the first of the employment area to be delivered as part of the wider mixed use allocation.
• The principal of the employment use was established as part of the outline application which also included parameters for the scale and height of the buildings.
• Details of building height, layout and setting were further approved by Members as part of condition number 46 on the outline application.
• Due to the legally binding site wide restriction on energy production, they were unable to put solar panels on the roof of the unit, therefore they had taken a fabric first approach to minimise the demand for electricity and heating.
• The existing Public Rights of Way were involved with an ongoing wider application through Gloucestershire County Council to vary the routes.
• During the course of the application all of the consultee comments had been addressed by the applicant.
• This proposal would deliver important local employment possibilities and would bring growth to the area.

The Majors and Environment Team Manager gave the following answers in response to questions from Councillors:

• The contract the agent had entered into with the energy supplier was not a material planning consideration.
• The outline planning application included maximum heights and size of buildings.
• This application was to look at the layout and the design.
• The layout plan showed two EV charging points with the potential for  ...  view the full minutes text for item 57