Agenda and minutes

It was proposed by Councillor Benney, seconded by Councillor Lynn and resolved that Councillor Connor be elected as the Chairman of the Planning Committee for the Municipal Year.

It was proposed by Councillor Meekins, seconded by Councillor Murphy and resolved that Councillor Hay be elected as Vice-Chairman of the Planning Committee for the Municipal Year.

To confirm and sign the minutes from the previous meetings of 13 May and 3 June 2020.

The minutes of the meeting of the 13 May 2020 were confirmed.

The minutes of the 3 June were confirmed, subject to the amendment of adding Councillor Cornwell to the list of those Members in attendance.

To determine the application

David Rowen presented the report to members.

Members received a presentation in objection to the application, in accordance with the public Participation Procedure, from Councillor Nick Meekins.

Councillor Meekins stated that he is not opposed to any development on the site or the proposal of a care home but his concern is with regard to the scale of the development. He stated that he has been lobbied over the past few months from residents who reside adjacent to the site who have been inconvenienced already by the activities of the developer and who have expressed their disappointment about the loss of the orchard which was in place when they purchased their homes. Councillor Meekins stated that had a site visit been able to take place, Members would have been able to see the immediate problem with regard to vehicular access on Magazine Lane, which is a narrow road and has traffic flow problems and although Barton Road is a wider road, it can suffer from congestion especially with school traffic. He added that the proposal of a three storey building will be out of character with the existing dwellings in the vicinity and stated that this site was formally an orchard which was cleared of all vegetation in late 2018 and large bonfires were lit without any notification to the local residents.

Councillor Meekins stated that a soakaway drain was filled in without the permission of the Internal Drainage Board and although it was only a soakaway it did alleviate run off water. He added that retrospective approval was granted and a wooden fence was erected adjacent to the fence belonging to the mobile home site which prevented the residents from carrying out any maintenance with a metal barrier fence being erected which was too high at the Magazine Lane end and water from the proposed site drained into the mobile home site which has never been an occurrence before.

Councillor Meekins stated that an agricultural building on the proposed site has now been demolished with building materials being stored in anticipation of commencement of works and that work has been carried out on site during unsociable hours and all of the points that he has raised are having an impact on the existing local residents. He added an additional point of concern is whether the proposal of building the additional 5 dwellings on the site to part fund the care home is normal and will there be any clause to stipulate that it is to follow the plan and not expand into a housing estate?

Councillor Meekins concluded by stating that the major concerns for the existing residents are: the impact on their quality of life, water issues, possible anti-social behaviour due to the proposed footpath, an increase in traffic resulting in congestion of the surrounding roads including Barton Road, Magazine Lane and North Brink, devaluation of their homes and concerns for the healthcare infrastructure which is already oversubscribed in Wisbech.

Councillor Meekins stated that he is not against  ...  view the full minutes text for item P4/20

To determine the application.

David Rowen presented the report to members.

Members received a presentation in objection to the application, in accordance with the public Participation Procedure from Ruth Johnson, a local resident.

Ms Johnson expressed the opinion that the drainage and sewerage in the area has had various issues since the houses were built in All Saints Close, approximately 20 years ago with there being issues with the drains/sewers blocking and having to be jet washed regularly to keep issues at bay. She stated that by adding further houses to this sewer it will cause huge problems and blight resident's lives even further together with All Saints School which also has regular issues with the sewers.

Ms Johnson questioned the access to the construction site with regard to- where will the construction traffic enter the building site and stated that she has concerns if it is through All Saints Close regarding size, weight, and being able to get through as very often there are cars double parked. She added that if the construction traffic accesses through All Saints Close are the developers aware of restrictions of deliveries because of the children's safety owing to the close proximity of All Saints School with deliveries not permitted between 8.30 - 9.30am and between 2.30 - 3.30 pm. County Road is hazardous at these times and, the last thing residents, children and parents want is HGVs trundling through whilst small children are going to/coming home from school.  She queried whether the developers would adhere to a speed limit restriction of 10mph and commit to no HGVs during school run times?

Ms Johnson stated that the proposed number of dwellings seems high in relation to the size of the area and questioned whether it will be overcrowded and whether the current residents of All Saints Close will have their view of the park obscured or have their privacy invaded.

She expressed the view as to whether the developers are aware of the admissions criteria for All Saints School  as the school is very much oversubscribed and criteria is based on faith, then siblings, then children in care.

Ms Johnson added that All Saints School participates in the Junior Travel Ambassador Scheme (JTA) run by Cambridgeshire County Council (CCC) and has been approached to take part in the School Streets Scheme which is a scheme to reduce traffic around schools, improve the health of children as parents need to park away from the school and walk. This scheme involves closing the road to traffic except for emergency vehicles and it supports the promotion of sustainable travel, promotes clean air for children, and boosts health and well-being. She expressed the view that it is highly likely All Saints will participate in this scheme, therefore, residents (and construction traffic) will not have access to a ring-fenced area in County Road at school drop off times with All Saints actively working to reduce traffic around the school.

Ms Johnson stated that deer and rabbits are regularly seen on this site as  ...  view the full minutes text for item P5/20

To determine the application.

David Rowen presented the report to members.

Members received a presentation in support of the application, in accordance with the public Participation Procedure, from Mr Ian Gowler, the Agent.

Mr Gowler stated that the applicant is looking to create a small holding using the small parcels of agricultural land with the small parcels within the larger field being ideal for starting such a venture, whereas normally fields are sold in large areas not allowing for such small scale holdings and allotments are also not suitable due to the size and most not allowing animals to be kept. He stated that the access is proposed to be improved to allow a car to be parked off the road safely, which has been agreed with highways and the rest of the access is planned to remain as existing as it is current agricultural use.

Mr Gowler stated that the proposal is for a small amount of chickens, therefore, many of the environmental concerns from nearby neighbours would be based on significantly more than what is proposed and the applicant is aware that care must be taken not to cause odour nuisance under statutory environmental health requirements. He stated that the chicken house is a standard hen house made by a national company for free range chickens, it is designed to be able to be moved but it is not intended to be movable for this small holding with this being only a small scale small holding, and therefore, the appearance is in keeping with agricultural use.

Mr Gowler stated that some of the other neighbouring concerns are with regard to loss of wildlife, which is not really applicable as the field is and has been farmed and the new small holding is more likely to attract wildlife due to the reduction in intensification of farming. He added with regard to overlooking and privacy this is likely to be reduced as currently the field is farmed with large high tractors.

Mr Gowler stated that the application is to make use of the small plots of land for agricultural use there is no real change in land use and would therefore, not set a precedent for anything detrimental to the neighbouring properties. He stated that concern has been raised with regard to an increase in traffic with access and parking having been agreed with highways, and the increase in traffic is likely to be 2 car visits per day so very minimal and access is not located near properties so there would not be any disturbance. With regard to animal welfare, the applicant is aware of her duties of care to the animals and will follow the relevant DEFRA guidance.

Mr Gowler stated that as mentioned in the committee report many of the neighbouring concerns are related to the keeping of livestock and poultry on the land which would not require permission, and secondly the fencing for keeping the animals secure does not need specific permission.

Members asked Mr Gowler the following questions;

·         Councillor  ...  view the full minutes text for item P6/20

To determine the application

David Rowen presented the report to members.

Members received a presentation in support of the application, in accordance with the public Participation Procedure from Councillor Humphrey in support of the application.

Councillor Humphrey thanked the committee for allowing him to call the item in making the point that it is not often that he finds it necessary to call an item in, however, on this occasion there is information contained in the officer’s report to demonstrate that there is justification to support a dwelling for this established business in what is described as in elsewhere location.

He added that one of the difficulties with this type of business is that an application with a building of a workshop would not be supported in a residential area, however, the applicant has up to now been occupying the redundant farm buildings for many years but now wishes to expand his business and live there. Councillor Humphrey expressed the opinion that as a local authority we should be supporting the expansion of his business and referred to a similar site about a mile away where the business owner has expanded his garage business and is now able to live on site.

Members received a presentation in support of the application, in accordance with the public Participation Procedure from Mr Swann, the Agent.

Mr Swann stated that the application is before the committee at the request of Councillor Humphrey inhis capacity as Ward Councillor as, being familiar with the site and the business, he is able to verify the need for theproposal.

He explained that the original application was submitted via a different agent with very little justification for the proposal and was refused and Swann Edwards were since engaged to address the issues.

Mr Swann added that the first Swann Edwards application was refused with approximately 12 hours’ notice from the planning officer on the day the decision was due via anemail, stating that there was no justification for the proposal and it subsequently came to light that the officer was not even aware of the existenceof thespecialist report that was commissioned byCruso Wilkinto provide the business justification. He stated that he had been trying to communicate with the planning officer for 5 weeks without anyreply.

Mr Swann stated that the second application submitted, highlights the previous report and provides additional justification.

He expressed the view there are a number of discrepancies with this application and how it has been dealt with and he feels that the planning officer seems to be doing everything in order to refuse this application with no positive or proactive engagement from officers throughout the process and in his opinion inaccuracies in the committee report.

Mr Swann stated that Mr and Mrs Bassett are desperate to expand their successful rural business, but have been thwarted so far by delay after delay which is significantly affecting the future of their business which they have so much demand for. He added that  ...  view the full minutes text for item P7/20

To determine the application.

David Rowen presented the report to members.

Members received a presentation in support of the application, in accordance with the public Participation Procedure, from Mr Holliday the applicant.

Mr Holliday explained that the 3 acre field on which he lives has been in the family for some 20 years plus, with his wife inheriting the field from her late mother 8 years ago and they have been living here since taking over the plot from their uncle 7 years ago. He added that there is a further 7 acres with stabling that they own approximately 200 metres down the track that runs alongside them where they house their 6 horses and this land has been in the family in excess of 35 years and in their direct ownership for 7 years. He added that his wife was brought up in Guyhirn living in the house immediately to the left of the drive leading onto High Road where his father in law still lives and they have other family very close by. 

Mr Holliday stated that in the officer’s report it mentions the issue of flooding and the report is quite right to highlight that they currently live in a single storey prefabricated dwelling in a flood zone. He added that he has submitted a third Flood Risk Assessment which he has been assured addresses all of the Environment Agency (EA) recommendations and from his my experience as a National lead water rescue officer with the Fire & Rescue Service he has witnessed the devastation that flooding can do to property and communities, so he is keen to incorporate a solution that will satisfy the EA, with the proposal also scaling down the requirement for 2 caravans being on site during construction to 1 at the suggestion of the EA.

Mr Holliday stated that the officer report explains that it is not policy to replace a temporary structure with a permanent dwelling and added that the issuing of a certificate of lawfulness for his park home last year provided his family with a permanent status for his existing dwelling forevermore. He added that his family have no ambition to move from this site, as they have too many ties in the area to move, with the application being to replace a permanently sited park home, which is showing its age in both design and wear and tear, with a more modern, efficient, environmental friendly, and, in his opinion, better looking two storey property. Mr Holliday expressed the view that with regard to the scale and massing of the design they have not tried to hide the fact that what they are asking for is larger than they are currently occupying. He expressed the view that they have tried to design a family home that is fit for purpose for their lifestyle and for the number of likely users at present and for the future and added that their two daughters both have long term partners who spend time with him and  ...  view the full minutes text for item P8/20

To advise Members on the requirements of the National Planning Policy Guidance in respect of the requirement and procedure to update the Council's Local Validation List.

Further to minute P91/19, Nick Harding presented the Adoption of Planning Validation report to members.

Members asked questions, made comments and received responses as follows:

·         Councillor Sutton thanked officers for providing this update and expressed the opinion that anything that is national policy has to be replicated in the Local Validation List. He added that as there have been no comments or queries from the Developer Forum or Agents, then members should be in agreement with it.

Proposed by Councillor Lynn, seconded by Councillor Hay and members AGREED to adopt the new Local Validation List. 

(Councillor Murphy had left the meeting prior to consideration of this item)