Agenda and minutes

To receive apologies for absence.

There were none.

To receive Declarations of Interest in relation to planning matters.

There were none.

To approve and sign as a correct record the minutes of the Development Control Committee meeting held on 30 March 2021.

RESOLVED               That the Minutes of the meeting held on 30 March 2021 were approved as a correct record.

(Note: For access to information purposes, the background papers for the applications listed in the above schedule are the application itself and subsequent papers as listed in the relevant file.)

Representations were received and taken into account by the Committee in respect of the following Applications:

Redevelopment of the site for an industrial use (Use Class B2/B8) and retail use (Use Class A1) including the change of use of an existing dwelling house to office use (B1) with associated works, infrastructure and the creation of a new highway access onto the A38 with all matters relating to appearance and landscaping reserved

The Senior Planning Officer introduced the application and advised that the proposed application was for the redevelopment of the site including industrial, office, and small element of retail use. The site was currently covered with a mixture of buildings and hardstanding. The proposal included the creation of a new highway access onto the A38, the original access would however be retained but only for use by the site that sits directly behind the proposed site. It was also confirmed that the site was screened with mature vegetation which would be retained where possible except for the small opening where the new site entrance would be located. The proposal would retain the existing residential building but converted for office use. The majority of the application site was to be assessed against policy EI4 of the Local Plan as it is considered existing employment land in policy terms. Policy EI4 allows for the extension to buildings, erection of new buildings, and the infilling in-between existing employment buildings on employment sites within the countryside. The highways department had been consulted and had submitted a recommendation for refusal due to concerns that the proposed access did not comply with highway policy or standards, it was thought that the access onto and egressing the site would increase the potential for significant highway incidents. The Senior Planning Officer played videos showing the traffic and view at the proposed new site entrance.

Councillor Fenton joined the meeting however was unable to partake in the item as the presentation of the application had already begun.

The applicant Marie McNally spoke advising that the current access to their property had been changed by the district council following the granting of planning permission for the waste facility and that it was now dangerous due to parked vehicles. It was also stated that the district council had been in support of the changes to access proposed and the use of the whole site for development. It was also stated that they had contacted the County Council Highways team who had originally provided a positive response. The applicant advised that it was no longer viable as a residential property due to the nuisance caused by the waste facility.

The Highways Officer advised that refusal had been recommended on 10 December 2020 this was due to a number of reasons including that the access didn’t comply with national design standards, a road safety audit had been submitted but the findings of the audit weren’t deemed acceptable, there were also concerns with the location of the site and its proximity to facilities and services including the ability to access public transport and walking and cycling routes. It was also advised that the internal arrangement didn’t comply with local standards in particular with regards electric charging points.

Councillor Jones asked for clarification regarding the garden centre and commercial element and whether permission had been granted for its use. It was advised that they were not aware of any permissions or certificates that had been granted  ...  view the full minutes text for item DCC.005