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Minutes of a meeting of the Planning Committee
held on Tuesday, 21 February 2023 at 6.00 pm in Meeting Room 1, Abbey House, Abbey Close, Abingdon, OX14 3JE
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Open to the public, including the press
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Present in the meeting room: |
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Councillors: Peter Dragonetti (Vice-Chair - in the Chair), Stefan Gawrysiak, Alexandrine Kantor, Axel Macdonald, and Alan Thompson |
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Officers: Darius Zarazel (Democratic Services Officer) and Paula Fox (Planning Manager), Cathie Scotting (Planning Officer), and Amanda Rendell (Planning Officer) |
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Remote attendance: |
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Officers: Bertram Smith (Broadcasting Officer) and Tom Wyatt (Planning Officer) |
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134 Chair's announcements
The chair welcomed everyone to the meeting, outlined the procedure to be followed and advised on emergency evacuation arrangements.
135 Apologies for absence
Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Ken Arlett, who was substituted for Councillor Stefan Gawrysiak, Councillor Victoria Havel, who was substituted for Councillor Alexandrine Kantor, and Councillors Tim Bearder, David Bretherton, Sam Casey-Rerhaye, Elizabeth Gillespie, Ian Snowdon, and Lorraine Hillier.
136 Minutes of the previous meeting
RESOLVED: to approve the minutes of the meeting held on 14 December 2022 as a correct record and agree that the Chair sign these as such.
137 Declarations of interest
Councillor Stefan Gawrysiak declared an interest in item 9 on the agenda, application P19/S2350/FUL, as he was a member of Henley-on-Thames Town Council who owned a ransom strip of land for the application. Councillor Gawrysiak confirmed that he would stand down from the committee and leave the meeting room during that item.
138 Urgent business
There was no urgent business.
139 Proposals for site visits
There were no proposals for site visits.
140 Public participation
The list showing members of the public who had registered to speak was tabled at the meeting.
141 P22/S1794/FUL - 1 Lime Grove, Chinnor, OX39 4PN
The committee considered planning application P22/S1794/FUL for the demolition of existing bungalow and outbuildings and erection of a pair of semi-detached dwellings with associated car parking, bin and cycle storage and external amenity space (as amended to omit side facing windows and further amended to remove visitor parking space), on land at 1 Lime Grove, Chinnor.
Consultations, representations, policy and guidance, and the site’s planning history were detailed in the officer’s report, which formed part of the agenda pack for the meeting.
The planning officer introduced the report and highlighted that the application was brought to the committee due to the objection of the parish council. The site itself comprised a generous plot occupied by a bungalow, surrounded by two storey detached and semi-detached dwellings along Lime Grove.
The planning officer informed the committee that the proposal sought permission to demolish the existing bungalow and replace it with a pair of semi-detached dwellings with the same frontage line as the other buildings on Lime Grove and in style with the surrounding buildings. The planning officer also confirmed that both semi-detached dwellings would have two parking spaces each and was therefore compliant with the Local Highway Authorities requirements. In addition, the planning officer also confirmed that the application would not be in conflict with the protected trees on site.
As the planning officer believed that the application was acceptable, and there were no objections from technical consultees, he recommended that the application be approved, subject to conditions.
The committee asked about the reasons for the parish council’s objection, that there was a lack of visitor parking, and the planning officer confirmed to members that there was no requirement under the Oxfordshire County Council highways policy for the provision of visitor parking in a scheme of this size.
As the committee was satisfied with the officer report and that the parking situation was in line with highways policies, they agreed the application should approved subjection to conditions.
A motion, moved and seconded, to approve the application was carried on being put to the vote.
RESOLVED: to approve planning application P22/S1794/FUL, subject to the following conditions:
1. Commencement of development within 3 years
2. Development to be carried out in accordance with approved plans
3. Schedule of materials to be submitted and approved
4. Details of hardsurfacing, new planting and fencing to be submitted and approved
5. Tree and hedge protection measures as submitted
6. Drainage details to be submitted and approved
7. Archaeological watching brief to be submitted and approved
8. Findings of the watching brief to be submitted
9. Energy statement verification
10.Electric vehicle charging point to be provided
11.Permitted development removed for extensions and hardsurfacing (to the front of the dwellings)
12.Provision and retention of parking and turning areas.
142 P19/S2350/FUL - Land west of Fairmile, Henley-on-Thames
The committee considered planning application P19/S2350/FUL for the demolition of existing buildings and development of 71 residential units comprising 51 houses and 20 flats with associated access, servicing, parking, amenity space and landscaping, on land west of Fairmile, Henley-on-Thames.
Consultations, representations, policy and guidance, and the site’s planning history were detailed in the officer’s report, which formed part of the agenda pack for the meeting.
The planning officer introduced the report and highlighted that the application was brought to the committee as the site incorporated land owned by the council. In addition, the planning officer also made a number of corrections to the officers’ report including that two new plans had been submitted replacing appendix 9, there were now 179 parking spaces provided including 22 unallocated visitor spaces, there is no studio for plot 29, that paragraph two of the report should read 46 to 49 (not 46 and 49), and that no roof heigh now exceeded 9.4 metres measured from the finished ground floor level.
The planning officer informed the committee that the application was for full planning permission for 71 houses, of which 40 per cent were affordable homes, and associated works. It was also noted that the site was not in the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty but a portion of the south side of the site was in the Henley Conservation Area.
The planning officer also informed the committee that the site was allocated for 72 residential units in the Joint Henley and Harpsden Neighbourhood Plan and therefore that the principle of development for this many units on the site was considered acceptable.
The objections from residents were also noted but the planning
officer believed that, as the development was designed to appear
low density, the landscape buffer and distance between buildings
meet council policy, that there were no objections from the
conservation officer, the 105 replacement trees for those that
would be removed were satisfactory, the protected species could be
protected through conditions and in the legal agreement, the
pedestrian access to the south would be secured through the Section
106 agreement, and that the local highway authority was satisfied
with the scheme subject to conditions, the application was
satisfactory and recommended it be approved.
Overall, as the site was allocated for several years in Joint Henley and Harpsden Neighbourhood Plan and that there were no objections to the application from technical consultees, the planning officer recommended it be approved, subject to conditions.
Councillors Ken Arlett spoke on behalf of Henley-on-Thames Town Council, in support of the application.
Jaime Alto and Will Spriggs spoke objecting to the application.
Simon Fruchter, the applicant, supported by Charles Merry, Tanya Jordan, David Parker, Jen Parker, Simon Hawkins, Luke Greysmith, and Matthew Tickner spoke in support of the application.
The committee asked about the quality of the transport assessment but were satisfied with the planning officers’ clarification that this was assessed by the Local Highway Authority, and they had no objections.
On the cycle path linkage from the south of the site, members asked if the planned shared cycle path could be made segregated from the pedestrian path. The planning officer informed the committee that an existing footpath had to be extended to allow for a cycle path and that, as 3 metres’ width was acceptable, they were working to that width.
Overall, as the committee was satisfied with the provision for cyclists and the number of one and two storey flats and affordable homes and recognising that the site was allocated in the Joint Henley and Harpsden Neighbourhood Plan, they agreed that the application should be approved, subject to conditions.
A motion, moved and seconded, to authorise the head of planning, in consultation with the chair of the planning committee, to approve the application was carried on being put to the vote.
RESOLVED: to authorise the head of planning to approve planning application P19/S2350/FUL, in consultation with the chair of the planning committee, subject to the following:
i) the prior completion of a Section 106 agreement with Oxfordshire
County Council and the District Council to secure
- affordable housing
- on site open space
- pedestrian and cycle access to Luker Avenue
- off-site translocation of reptiles
- financial contributions and other obligations stated above, and
ii) the following conditions
1. Commencement of Development - Full planning permission
2. Approved Plans
3. New vehicular access into site –including ghost island on Fairmile
4. Vision Splay Details
5. Samples of materials and sample panel
6. Details of balcony/terrace screening
7. Levels
8. Landscaping details (including planting, retaining features and details of open space equipment)
9. Landscape Management
10.Details of tree pits
11.Archaeology Written Scheme of Investigation
12.Archaeology Staged Programme of archaeological evaluation and mitigation
13.Details of construction of pedestrian and cycle link to Luker Avenue
14.Turning areas and parking spaces
15.Electric Vehicle Charging details
16.Cycle parking facilities
17.Estate access, driveways and turning areas
18.Construction Traffic Management Plan
19.Construction Method Statement including hours of construction
20.Travel Plan Statement and Travel Information Pack
21.Contaminated Land-further investigations following vegetation clearance
22.Sustainable drainage scheme based on surface water drainage strategy
23.Sustainable drainage systems compliance report
24.Foul drainage scheme
25.Water network upgrades confirmation prior to occupation
26.Construction Environmental Management Plan for Biodiversity
27.Biodiversity Offsetting scheme
28.Biodiversity Enhancement Plan
29.Lighting details
30.Refuse and Recycling storage
31.Tree Protection in accordance with submitted Arboricultural Method statement Rev B and Tree Protection Plans Rev J.
32.Withdrawal of Permitted Development – Roof extensions and conversions
33.No garage conversion for plots 9,10,23,24 and 26-31
34.Internal dimensions to meet National Space Standards
35.Low nitrogen oxide boilers
36.Sustainability measures as approved
37.Energy Statement Compliance and Verification
38.Broadband infrastructure
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The meeting closed at 6.50 pm |
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