Agenda and minutes

To receive apologies for absence.

An apology for absence was received from Councillor Gray.

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 15 June 2021.

RESOLVED               That the Minutes of the meeting held on 15 June 2021 are 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 Applications:

Agricultural improvement of old mineral excavation area with recontouring of land using imported subsoils and soils.

The Senior Planning Officer introduced the application and She informed that the site did not lie within any conservation area or in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The site had been assessed to be in flood zone 1 which was the lowest risk of flooding. The proposal included the use of the access which had been approved under reference S.19/0230/FUL. The proposed application sought to bring in materials in order to re profile the land to increase agricultural opportunity for cultivating the land. The current agricultural grading of the site was grade 4 with the neighbouring sites being grade 3A and 3B. The existing top soil removed from the land would be retained and reinstated over the top once the work had been completed. ­

The Local Planning Authority (LPA) proposed the condition of ground remediation (Condition 5) to restrict crop growing and cattle grazing until specification verification reports had been submitted and agreed. The applicant would also require a separate license from the environment agency which shared requirements to be met before the work was signed off. The development was expected to take around 18 - 24 months with an average of 20 lorry movements per day. As per the recommendations from the ecological report, mature trees and the existing pond were retained with the addition of improvements to the grassland surrounding the pond and the hedges forming the boundary for the site.

The Senior Planning Officer drew the Members attention to the response from the Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) which proposed all surface water to be redirected through swales, stored in a new onsite pond and then discharged into the River Frome. They advised that the swales and pond would be sized to accommodate increases of rainfall as a result of climate change and that they were content with the application in terms of its impact on water courses and flooding and had provided no objections. Gloucestershire County Council (GCC) Highways had also assessed the site with no objections however, they had proposed 2 conditions.

1) For visibility onto the A38 to be maintained of any obstructions.

2) For there to be separate left and right hand lanes, and for vehicles exiting the site to be directed left.

The Senior Planning Officer played videos showing the traffic and view at the proposed site entrance. And finished by stating that since the reports had been published both GCC Waste Department and SDC Environmental Health had come back with no objections.

Councillor Jones spoke as the Ward member, he raised several points for consideration and asked that the application be deferred for further evidence to be collected or if not refused.

·       Concerns regarding the highway, he did not feel that the video showed a true representation of the access position in relation to the highway and felt a site visit would be more explanatory in terms of the traffic movements.

·       Concerns regarding the use of the access. Councillor Jones asked whether an application should have been made  ...  view the full minutes text for item DCC.010

New Tree Preservation Order TPO 580

The Senior Aboriculture Officer introduced the application for the Tree Preservation Order. He informed the Committee that the order was for 5 trees in total, 2 Pine, 2 Beech and a Sycamore tree, all other mature trees adjacent to the highway on the land had already been removed. He informed Committee that they had received objections from the land owner and some surrounding houses and had received support from other members of the local community. As part of the assessment for the TPO they had used the TEMPO methodology which looked at amenity value, public visibility, tree condition and tree lifespan. He expressed that the trees made a positive contribution to the scenic character and diversity of the landscape and raised the overall quality of the scheme. It was confirmed that the TPO proposed wouldn’t prohibit a future application to fell them.

Lesley Greene Spoke on behalf of Bisley Parish Council. She informed the Committee that the trees in question were healthy, mature trees with a 40-year lifespan ahead of them. They were great amenities, land mark trees with a strong visual impact that contributed to the skyline. The Parish Council had undertaken consultation and one of the key things raised was local wildlife corridors for which these trees supported. The amount of carbon collected by mature trees was substantially greater than newly planted trees, with Climate Change and the aim of Carbon neutral 2030 in our thoughts, she recommended the committee supported this proposal.

Councillor Jones raised questions over the lifespan mentioned for the trees and for an estimation of how many trees had already been felled. The Senior Arboricultural Officer pointed him in the direction of the report where there was a section on lifespan guidance taken from the Arboricultural Association. He also confirmed there was not an exact figure of how many trees had already been removed but made an estimate of around 10.

In response to Councillor Ryders question, The Senior Arboricultural Officer informed the Committee that a TPO lasts indefinitely however, it could be amended or revoked in the future and it doesn’t prohibit a future application to fell the trees.

Councillor Brown proposed, Councillor Schoemaker seconded the officer advice.

Councillor Brine expressed his thanks for the report and was in support of this proposal, he stated we should be protecting more of our tree stock.

Councillor Brown advised that he was a Ward Councillor and echoed the points that the Parish Council had raised. They were mature trees in their prime with a life expectancy of 20-40 years they were a very important part of the local landscape of Eastcombe. They could be pruned to mitigate the problems mentioned in the objections.

After being put to a vote the motion was carried unanimously.

RESOLVEDTo CONFIRM the Tree Preservation Order S.20/1077/NEWTPO