Apologies were received from Councillors Millmore, Seldon and Stone.

To receive details of any Member nominated to attend the meeting in place of a Member of the Committee.

Councillor Boulter substituted for Councillor Seldon and Councillor Durkin for Councillor Stone.

To receive declarations of interests in respect of Schedule 1, Schedule 2 or Other Interests from members of the committee in respect of items on the agenda.

None.

To receive any announcements from the Chairperson.

The legal advisor to the Committee read a statement to the meeting reminding all present of the requirements of the purdah period preceding the general election on 12 December 2019.

Site for erection of 6 dwellings, garaging and new vehicular accesses.

The application was approved in accordance with the Case Officer’s recommendation.

(Proposed erection of 6 dwellings, garaging and new vehicular accesses.)

The Senior Planning Officer gave a presentation on the application, and updates/additional representations received following the publication of the agenda were provided in the update sheet, as appended to these minutes.

In accordance with the criteria for public speaking, Mr T Cramp, of Allensmore Parish Council spoke in opposition to the scheme.  Mr S M’Samri, a local resident, spoke in objection.  Mr M Owens, the applicant, spoke in support.

In accordance with the Council’s Constitution, the local ward member, Councillor Bolderson, spoke on the application.

She made the following principal comments:

·        Allensmore lacked services.  There was no fibre broadband in the area of the application site.

·        The community had developed a Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP).  The site was outside the settlement boundary. Any development outside the settlement boundary was not considered to be proportionate.  This was the principal reason for objection to the proposal.

·        The NDP was currently subject to a Regulation 16 consultation.  There had been no significant objections during the Regulation 14 consultation.  The report stated that limited weight could be given to the Plan at this stage.  It was requested that this be reconsidered given the advanced state of the Plan.

·        The application site was adjacent to the main built up area of the settlement.  The Strategic Housing Local Area Assessment identified a need for additional two and three bed homes in the Parish and considered the application site had potential for housing.  Policy RA1 required a minimum of 32 homes to be provided in the Parish by the end of 2031.  However, the Parish had already exceeded the minimum target by 3 dwellings.  Fifteen dwellings had been approved in the past year and applications for a further 15 dwellings, including the application site, had been lodged with the Planning department.  The Conservation Manager (Landscape) had commented that the number of dwellings proposed could be perceived as rather great in relation to the scale of the village.

·        She acknowledged that the council was not currently meeting its housing targets across the county as a whole.  However, she questioned whether parishes with limited services that were meeting or exceeding their own targets should be expected to accept development outside their settlement boundaries. She highlighted policy RA1 and NDP policies A3 and A4.

·        There was a difference of opinion as to the landscape impact that the Committee needed to consider.  Policy RA2 stated that proposals for development in locations identified in figure 4.15 such as Allensmore should demonstrate particular attention to the form, layout, character and setting of the site and its location in that settlement.  It was acknowledged that the pattern of the proposed development was similar to that on the opposite side of the road.  The applicant had amended the plans in response to local representations.

·        Although outside the settlement boundary the proposal was broadly compliant with NDP policy A4 with the exception of its scale. She spoke favourably about the design characteristics noting that they included  ...  view the full minutes text for item 54.

Proposed two storey three bedroom dwelling house.

The application was approved in accordance with the Case Officer’s recommendation.

(Proposed two storey three bedroom dwelling house.)

The Senior Planning Officer gave a presentation on the application, and updates/additional representations received following the publication of the agenda were provided in the update sheet, as appended to these minutes.

With reference to a high-pressure fuel pipeline crossing the site she added that the location was mapped.  However, if it was found that this had been done incorrectly and had an impact on the siting of the dwelling the permission may need to be altered. This did not prevent the current application being considered. Any implications for the pipeline itself would be a civil matter between the applicant and the pipeline owners.

In accordance with the criteria for public speaking, Mrs K Hainge, a local resident, spoke in objection to the application.  Mrs E Garner, the applicant, spoke in support.

In accordance with the Council’s Constitution, the local ward member, Councillor Hewitt, spoke on the application.

She made the following principal comments:

·        She highlighted the concerns that had been raised about the possible effect on the pipeline of heavy vehicles crossing the site operating during the construction phase.

·        The development would bring change to the relationship to the existing settlement but this did not appear to be of major significance.  However, she was concerned that the proposed dwelling would be extremely close to Brynglas almost to the point where it was like an extension to it.  This was not an issue at present given the family relationship between the owners of Brynglas and the prospective owners of the new development.  However, it could create an issue in the future if one of the properties were to be vacated.

·        The new building would compromise the amenity of Brynglas contrary to NDP policy 7.

·        Account should be taken of the cumulative planning impact. If similar developments were to take place along the length of the road this would have an adverse impact on the character of the neighbourhood.

·        Cusop had exceeded its minimum housing target by some 50%.  She was concerned about the capacity of services to cope.   She noted the pressures on parking at Clifford primary school and highway safety issues that had arisen as a consequence.

Because of personal circumstances the Parish Council had not been able to register a representative to speak at the meeting.  The local ward member read out a statement on the Parish Council’s behalf.  This requested that the application be rejected.

In the Committee’s discussion of the application the following principal points were made:

·        The site could accommodate the proposed dwelling.

·        There were 6 dwellings on the opposite side of the road.  The new dwelling would mean 5 dwellings facing those 6.

·        It would be preferable if the dwelling was not so close to Brynglas but the situation was not an impossible one.  Any future buyer would be able to decide whether the proximity was a deterrent to purchasing it.

·        Officers confirmed that the applicant would need to obtain a licence from the pipeline owner to undertake  ...  view the full minutes text for item 55.

Retrospective planning permission to erect a wooden fence and two galvanised metal gates.

The application was approved in accordance with the Case Officer’s recommendation.

(Retrospective planning permission to erect a wooden fence and two galvanised metal gates.)

The Planning Officer gave a presentation on the application.

In accordance with the Council’s Constitution, the local ward member, Councillor Bowen, spoke on the application.  He indicated his support for it.

Councillor James proposed and Councillor Durkin seconded a motion that the application be approved in accordance with the printed recommendation. The motion was carried unanimously with 14 votes in favour, none against and no abstentions.

RESOLVED: That planning permission be granted subject to the following conditions and any other conditions considered necessary by officers named in the scheme of delegation to officers:

1.         C07 Development in accordance with approved plans and materials

INFORMATIVE:

1.         The Local Planning Authority has acted positively and proactively in determining this application by assessing the proposal against planning policy and any other material considerations, including any representations that have been received. It has subsequently determined to grant planning permission in accordance with the presumption in favour of sustainable development, as set out within the National Planning Policy Framework.

Date of next site inspection – 10 December 2019

Date of next meeting – 11 December 2019

The Committee noted the date of the next meeting.