Issue - meetings

Application for erection of 10 dwellings and associated access.

Late items:

Consultations:-

An additional seven representations have been received since the publication of the agenda. These all object to the proposal, additional points raised which are not identified in the committee report are:

1)          Planning permission has been previously refused for an adjacent development due to poor access onto Atterton Lane

2)          Parish Rooms are booked daily at a minimum of 5 days per week and is the social hub of Witherley, questions have been raised to the practicality of the day to day use and maintenance  of the proposed parking area

Leicestershire County Council (Highways) have raised no objections to the scheme subject to three conditions it is also reiterated that the proposals do not conform to adoptable standards and therefore the area currently beyond the existing adopted Highway boundary will remain private’.

Witherley Parish Council have raised additional concerns with regard to the proposed parking layout in addition to their previous comments. The parish state that the current parking provision for the Parish Room car park is 8-10 vehicles (located alongside the building), however many events attract 20+ cars. Therefore the revised plan does nothing to mitigate the lack of impact on road safety and congestion caused by the lack of alternative off-road parking provision for uses of the Parish Room.

Appraisal:-

Policy DM1 of the Site Allocations and Development Management Policies DPD (SADMP) states that planning applications that accord with the policies in the Local Plan will be approved without delay, unless material considerations indicate otherwise. For the reasons outlined in the committee report the proposal is considered to be unsustainable and is therefore contrary to Policy DM1 of the SADMP. The reason for refusal has been amended to include the policy reference to DM1.

Comments have been received with regards to a previous refusal of planning permission within the near vicinity, however no details have been provided as to which application this was. Each site is assessed on its own merits and therefore one planning application cannot be easily compared with another.

The concerns raised with the proposed parking area for the Parish Rooms are discussed in paragraph 8.29 of the committee report and the additional comments received does not alter this assessment.

Recommendation:-

Amend reason for refusal 1 to read:

1. The proposal would result in unsustainable residential development in the designated countryside outside the settlement boundary of Witherley. The proposal would fail to complement or enhance the intrinsic value, beauty, undeveloped rural character of the countryside and the rural setting of the village. The proposal is therefore contrary to Policy 12 of the Core Strategy (2009) and Policies DM1, DM4 and DM10 of the Site Allocations and Development Management Policies DPD (2016).

Application for erection of ten dwellings and associated access.

It was moved by Councillor Crooks, seconded by Councillor Ward and

RESOLVED – planning permission be refused for the reasons contained in the officer’s report and late items.

Councillor Taylor left the meeting at 7.48pm.