Agenda item

Schedule of planning applications attached, along with application 06 on the schedule of applications (14/00480/FUL – 3-5 Hawley Road, Hinckley).

The Chief Planning & Development Officer presented a schedule of planning applications along with late items.

(a)          14/00367/OUT – Erection of 10 dwellings (outline – access and layout), land rear of Oddfellows Arms, 25 Main Street, Higham on the Hill – Foregreen Ltd

Notwithstanding the officer’s recommendation that permission be granted subject to S106 obligations and conditions, some members felt that there were more suitable sites and that this wasn’t a preferred site in the Site Allocations DPD. Concern was expressed that the land had ecological value and habitat would be lost. In considering the risk of further development on the land adjacent to this site, some discussion ensued on the possibility of amending the layout to close off the open access to the biodiversity area which the applicant had intended to leave open to provide views through the site.

It was moved by Councillor Ward and seconded by Councillor Batty that the application be refused due to being contrary to Policy 12 of the Hinckley & Bosworth Core Strategy by significantly exceeding the allocated housing requirement for Higham on the Hill which would be contrary to the spatial vision for the distribution of growth across the borough and due to the harm that would be caused to the rural setting of the village and the Higham on the Hill Conservation Area contrary to Saved Policy BE7 of the adopted Hinckley & Bosworth Local Plan 2001. The Chief Planning & Development Officer requested that voting on this motion be recorded. The vote was taken as follows:

Councillors Allen, Batty, Boothby, Morrell, O’Shea, Sutton and Ward voted FOR the motion (7);

Councillors Hall, Hodgkins, Hulbert, Mayne and Witherford voted AGAINST the motion (5);

Councillors Bannister, Cope, Lynch, Moore and Taylor abstained from voting.

The motion was declared CARRIED and it was

RESOLVED – the application be refused for the abovementioned reasons.

(b)          14/00515/OUT – Erection of two dwellings (outline) access only, land rear of bungalow, 4 Pipe Lane, Orton on the Hill – Mrs Pauline Rosa Taylor

It was moved by Councillor O’Shea, seconded by Councillor Taylor and

RESOLVED – the application be permitted subject to the conditions contained in the officer’s report and late items.

(c)          14/00731/FUL – Erection of a giraffe house and landscaped pedestrian access, Twycross Zoological Park, Burton Road, Norton Juxta Twycross – Twycross Zoo

On the motion of Councillor O’Shea, seconded by Councillor Taylor, it was

RESOLVED – the application be approved subject to the conditions contained in the officer’s report.

(d)        14/00281/FUL – Erection of 14 dwellings with associated car parking, Manchester Hosiery Manufacturing Co Ltd, Queens Road, Hinckley – Evans Bros Ltd

Whilst acknowledging the reasons for the recommendation of refusal, some members felt that the site would benefit from the development and that further attempts should be made to overcome the issues that had resulted in the recommendation of refusal. Councillor Witherford, moved that the application be approved, but on listening to further discussion moved that approval be delegated to officers following discussion and agreement of improvements to the design and layout. It was seconded by Councillor Batty and

RESOLVED – approval be delegated to the Chief Planning and Development Officer following successful resolution of issues. Should the issues not be resolved, the application will be brought back to the Planning Committee.

(e)        14/00699/COU – Change of use to a mixed use comprising of office/industrial and motor vehicle sales with associated parking at Whittle Road, Hinckley (retrospective), 23 Harrowbrook Road, Hinckley – Mr Gavin Robertson

            It was moved by Councillor Boothby, seconded by Councillor Allen and

RESOLVED – permission be granted subject to S106 obligations and the conditions contained in the officer’s report.