Proposed 5 no. Dwellings with garages and treatment plant.

Officers were authorised to grant planning permission, following consultation, subject to there being no adverse comments received from Historic England.

(Proposed 5 no dwellings with garages and treatment plant.)

The Development Manager 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.  He added that Historic England had requested to be consulted on the application but no response had yet been received.  Accordingly it was proposed to seek delegated authority to determine the application, subject to no adverse comment from Heritage England.  He drew attention to the response to additional representations made by the Parish Council and the comment of the new Senior Building Conservation Officer.

In accordance with the criteria for public speaking, Ms H Hamilton, of Aymestrey Parish Council spoke in opposition to the Scheme.  Mrs K Johnston, a local resident, spoke in objection. 

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

She highlighted the concerns about traffic speeds at the location and noted the work already undertaken by the Parish Council to produce a scheme for which funding had been provided by the Police and Crime Commissioner.  There was a concern that the development would prevent or reduce the effectiveness of this scheme.  She requested that if Historic England was opposed to the development the matter was brought back to the Committee for consideration.

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

·        The Transportation Manager confirmed that the applicant had offered £10k towards the proposed traffic calming scheme.  Although that scheme was fully funded the sum could be used for associated engineering features.

·        It was suggested that the 30mph speed limit should be extended southwards.

·        One view was that the proposal would not have an adverse impact on the setting of the grade 1 listed church. Others considered that it would not preserve or enhance the setting. In addition there was no information on the proposed design and the impact that might have on the setting.

·        The Parish Council opposed the proposal and it was contrary to the emerging Neighbourhood Development Plan.

·        A need for affordable housing had been identified, not for the type of dwellings being proposed.

·        A concern was expressed about the possible impact on the River Lugg and the need to ensure that water treatment and drainage arrangements were sufficient.  It was asserted that the Council needed to be able to prove that the development would have no adverse impact and there was no evidence that it could do so.

The Lead Development Manager confirmed that the application would be brought back to the Committee for consideration if adverse comment was received from Historic England. He drew attention to the comments of the new Senior Building Conservation Officer in the update that he did not consider that the development would harm the setting of the church.  The size of the development represented organic growth.  The NDP was at regulation 14 stage and whilst it was a material consideration it could not be attributed any weight. A further 15 dwellings were required to be built in Aymestrey to meet the growth target.  The proposal represented sustainable development.

The local ward member was given the opportunity to close the debate.  She commented further on the highway safety measures and observed that advice was that extending the 30mph speed limit southwards as had been suggested in the debate would not in fact work.  She expressed surprise at the opinion that the development would not harm the setting of the church as it would mean the tower would no longer be visible when entering from the south.

RESOLVED:  That officers named in the scheme of delegation to officers be authorised to grant planning permission, following consultation with the Chairman and local ward member, subject to the conditions set out in the report and update and any other conditions considered necessary by officers and there being no adverse comments received from Historic England, and subject to the application being brought back to the Committee for consideration if such adverse comments were received.