To receive apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Brig P Jones,
RM Manning, R Preece and Mrs PG Turpin.

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

The following named substitutes were appointed;-

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

There were no declarations of interest made at the meeting

To approve and sign the Minutes of the meeting held on 30^th October, 2006.

RESOLVED: That the Minutes of the meeting held on 30th October, 2006 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman

To receive any announcements from the Chairman.

The Chairman outlined the arrangements for the meeting.

To receive the attached report of the Northern Area Planning Sub-Committee meeting held on 8^th November, 2006.

RESOLVED: That the report of the meeting held on 8th November, 2006 be received and noted.

To receive the attached report of the Central Area Planning Sub-Committee meeting held on 15^th November, 2006.

RESOLVED: That the report of the meeting held on 15th November, 2006 be received and noted.

To receive the attached report of the Southern Area Planning Sub-Committee meeting held on 25^th October, 2006.

RESOLVED: That the report of the meeting held on 25th October, 2006 be received and noted.

The Committee considered the following planning applications and authorised the Head of Planning Services to impose any additional or varied conditions and reasons which he considered to be necessary.

The Committee considered the following planning applications and authorised the Head of Planning Services to impose any additional or varied conditions and reasons which he considered to be necessary.

For:      Estech Europe Ltd, Beecham Business Park, Northgate, Aldridge, West Midlands, WS9 8TY

Ward: Stoney Street

The Director of Environment said that the application has attracted considerable interest amongst the public and outlined the amount of work and research which had gone into the preparation of a very comprehensive report.  He pointed out that the Planning Officers were not advocates for applicants but reported their professional findings and had formulated the recommendations from these.  It was for the Committee to determine the application based on the information in the report and presented at the meeting.

The Development Control Manager said that the application was considered by the Southern Area Planning Sub-Committee at its meeting on 25th October 2006 when it was mindful to refuse permission contrary to recommendation and Officer advice.  The Sub-Committee had originally approved the application in March 2004 but the decision had since been quashed by the High Court after a Judicial Review which had resulted in the application being undetermined.  The Chairman outlined the arrangements for the meeting and stated that due to the public interest in the application, public speaking had been increased from three minutes to ten minutes each for the Parish Council, the objectors, and the applicant.  The Director of Environment explained why the application had followed the Sub-Committee route because the Council’s waste strategy was already in place and this was a specific site application for a waste treatment facility.  The Judicial Review process had left the application undetermined and further information had been required because time had moved on and the statutory consultees, members of the public, parish councils and other groups had raised issues which had needed addressing.  Officers hade endeavoured to provide the information required but it had been a lengthy and time-consuming process.

The Development Control Manager presented his report and said that six further letters of objection had been received from local residents and a resident of Rotherwas regarding concerns about potential pollution and environmental issues, effects on local ecology, a bridleway across the site, transportation, the effects on the school and surgery and the potential hazards of an untried and untested system.  Madley Parish Council had considerable concerns about the volume of heavy lorries using what they considered to be an inadequate road network to Madley and had asked for consideration of the application to be deferred pending resolution of the traffic congestion generated at the new Belmont roundabout.  He outlined the main issues contained within his report and pointed out where it had been updated to reflect representations made and further information received since the meeting of the Sub-Committee.  He said that all the concerns and objections had been addressed within the report and he explained these to the Committee. He proposed that lengthy conditions be attached to any permission to cover the issues raised and said that the applicants would need to obtain the appropriate licence from the Environment agency before any work could commence on site and the time that waste could be stored there would be limited to 48 hours.

The Head of Legal and Democratic Services  ...  view the full minutes text for item 94.

For:      Mill Court Developments Ltd, Hitchman Stone Partnership, 14 Market Place, Warwick, CV34 4SL

Ward: Tupsley

The Central Team Leader presented an application for the erection of 13 residential units on land off Ledbury Road, Hereford.  He said that access to the site was via an existing driveway from Ledbury Road serving 31a Mill Court and parking courts.  The application site is immediately adjacent to a recently approved development of 19 units (DCCE2006/0977/F).  The proposal whilst comprising a separate area of land to the already approved development adjacent was intended to reflect the character and appearance of the previous development and would share an upgraded access road to the approved scheme.

The Committee discussed the details of the application and had some concerns about access onto a busy road adjoining a petrol station and the fact that no affordable housing was included within the scheme.  The Central Team Leader said that the Transportation Manager was satisfied that a safe access could be achieved to the shared sites.  He had looked into the matter of affordable housing and the scheme fell below the level at which it could be secured through the policies within the Herefordshire Unitary Development Plan.  Officers had however looked at the relationship of the scheme with that adjoining but the developer had, said that the two schemes could not be linked because the application site was not available for development at the time that planning permission was obtained for the adjoining site.  Notwithstanding this the Committee still felt that the matter should be pursued.

RESOLVED

that consideration of the application be deferred for further negotiations with the applicants about the inclusion of affordable housing within the scheme.

To consider the second Annual Monitoring Report 2005-2006.

The Team Leader Strategic Planning presented the report of the Forward Planning Manager regarding the Annual Monitoring Report 2005 – 2006.  He said that the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 had introduced new provisions and requirements for development planning. The regular review and monitoring of Development Plans through mandatory Annual Monitoring Reports (AMR’s) was a fundamental feature of the new planning system.  AMR’s were based on the period from 1st April to 31st March and had to be submitted to the Secretary of State by no later than the following 31st December.  He advised that the Annual Monitoring Reports were required to assess:

(a)        the implementation of the Local Development Scheme; and

(b)        the extent to which policies in the Local Development Documents are being             achieved. 

The Team Leader Strategic Planning said that this was the Council’s second AMR which had been prepared to meet the requirements of the new planning system and he explained the areas that it covered.  He said that it would assess the extent to which the objectives of UDP policies are being achieved and contained a comparator with that for 2004 - 2005. He advised that the development of AMR’s would be as a single document to cover all annual monitoring study findings and enable an holistic approach to be taken in assessing the extent to which the policies within Local Development Documents were being achieved.  He said that development of sites identified within the UDP were gaining momentum with 791 housing completions compared to 560 in the previous year.  There had also been a corresponding increase in the provision of affordable housing.  The amount of land developed for employment use was 8.58 ha, an increase of 2.05 over last year and although approximately 8ha of completions had taken place on greenfield land, the majority of this involved former agricultural buildings and was in accordance with the policies contained within the UDP.

RESOLVED THAT

the Annual Monitoring Report 2005-2006 be endorsed and commended to the  Cabinet Member (Environment) for submission to Cabinet for approval.

To consider the second review of the Council’s Local Development Scheme. 

The Forward Planning Manager presented his report about the Local Development Scheme which was a requirement of the Compulsory Purchase Act 2004.  It comprised of a statement setting out how the Council’s forward planning work would be organised over a three-year period.  The Scheme has to be revised as necessary and the first Scheme was prepared in 2004, reviewed in November 2005 and came into effect in January 2006.  Since then the Scheme had been reviewed in response to a number of factors and he outlined the areas that it covered.  

Resolved that

the Local Development Scheme be endorsed and commended to the Cabinet Member (Environment) for submission to Cabinet for approval.

To consider land use elements of the Cusop Parish Plan for adoption as further planning guidance to the emerging Herefordshire Unitary Development Plan (UDP)

Ward: Golden Valley North

A report was presented by the Forward Planning Manager about the Cusop  Parish Plan which had been prepared to provide further planning guidance to the emerging Herefordshire Unitary Development Plan.  He said that the aim of the document was to identify measures by which the community aimed to improve and enhance the quality of the built environment and to provide a mechanism to inform and influence the decisions of statutory bodies about community priorities and local needs.  Key recommendations were included about transport and traffic, landscape and environment, housing, planning and heritage, youth and leisure and community services.  The planning issues centred on affordable housing for young people and a wish to see any new development designed to reflect the character of the local area. 

The Committee expressed its appreciation for the hard work undertaken by the local community in helping to prepare the document.

RESOLVED: That it be recommended to the Cabinet Member (Environment) that the planning elements of the Cusop Parish Plan be adopted as further planning guidance to the Herefordshire Unitary Development Plan and as an expression of local distinctiveness and community participation.

To note the following meetings scheduled for the remainder of the year:-

19th January, 2007

2nd March, 2007

20th April, 2007