To note the arrangements for the election of Chairman and appointment of Vice-Chairman following the recent Annual Council.

The Legal Practice Manager explained that as no committee chairs had been appointed at the Annual Meeting of Council on 22 May, it was necessary to elect a Chairman to preside over the meeting. Councillor PGH Cutter was duly elected to the chair.

Councillor G Lucas was appointed as Vice-Chairman for the meeting.

RESOLVED THAT

a)      Councillor PGH Cutter be elected as Chairman for the meeting

b)     Councillor G Lucas be appointed as Vice-Chairman for the meeting

To receive apologies for absence.

Apologies were received from Councillors CM Bartrum, BA Durkin, MJ Fishley, and JB Williams.

To receive any declarations of interest by Members in respect of items on the Agenda.

No declarations of interest were made.

To approve and sign the Minutes of the meeting held on 13 May 2009.

RESOLVED:   That the Minutes of the meeting held on 13 May 2009 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

To be noted.

The Sub-Committee noted the Council’s current position in respect of planning appeals for the southern area of Herefordshire.

Provision of a mobile log cabin for use as an agricultural dwelling during the lifetime of the applicant.

Provision of a mobile log cabin for use as an agricultural dwelling during the lifetime of the applicant

The Senior Planning Officer informed the Sub-Committee that four further letters of support and one letter of objection had been received. She added that no new issues of planning consideration were raised in the letters. A statement from the Local Ward Members, Councillor BA Durkin was circulated to Members prior to the start of the meeting.

In accordance with the criteria for public speaking, Mr Wallbridge spoke on behalf of Upton Bishop Parish Council, Mrs Nicholson spoke in objection and Mrs Rigby and Mr Munthe spoke in support of the application.

Several Members questioned the need for such a development in open countryside and questioned whether the development was an essential requirement for the applicant’s organic and agricultural activities. Councillor RH Smith said that the application did not fit in with any of the Council’s existing planning policies and could see no reason for the application to be approved.

The Development Control Manger advised that no evidence of the functional need had been submitted and that the officer’s had therefore recommended a refusal of  planning permission.

RESOLVED

That planning permission be refused for the following reasons:

1.      On the basis of the submitted information the Local Planning Authority is not satisfied that either a functional need or the financial requirements for a dwelling in this location has been demonstrated to warrant a departure from national and local planning policies to control residential development in the open countryside.  As such, the need for an agricultural worker's dwelling has not been established as required by Annex A of Planning Policy Statement 7 (Sustainable Development in Rural Areas) and Policies H7 and H8 of the Herefordshire Unitary Development Plan.

2.      In the absence of a demonstrated functional need for an agricultural worker’s dwelling on the site, the unjustified log cabin would, in principle, be harmful to the open countryside and the policies which seek to protect it from unjustified residential development.  As such, the proposal is contrary to Policies H7 and LA2 of the Herefordshire Unitary Development Plan and the principles of PPS7 (Sustainable Development in Rural Areas).

8 July 2009

08 July 2009