Agenda item

Erection of 20 dwellings and associated works with all matters reserved except for access (as per amended plans and information received 29 November 2019).

Part way through the consideration of this application, members took a vote just before the meeting guillotine of 8:30pm to continue the meeting to complete consideration of this item.

The committee considered application P19/S2923/O for the erection of 20 dwellings and associated works with all matters reserved except for access (as per amended plans and information received 29 November 2019) on land to the east of Manor Road, to the south of Little Croft, and to west of Elmcroft Manor Road, Goring.

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 this meeting.

The planning officer reported that this application had been deferred on 4 November 2020 to facilitate a site visit, which had taken place on 14 December 2020. The application was for outline permission for 20 dwellings and associated works with all matters reserved except for access. The application was part of a programme to deliver 94 dwellings over 4 allocations. The site was situated in flood zones 1 and 2.  Taking into account the allowance for climate change, parts of the site adjoining Manor Road (and Manor Road itself) were treated as within Flood Zone 3a.  The main issues concerning objectors was flooding, the impact upon the area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) and the effect upon trees.

The planning officer reported further developments, namely that the application had been accompanied by several technical assessments, some of which had been revised or amended during the course of the application: a Revised Flood Risk Assessment had been made in March 2020 and a Revised Drainage Layout Plan was completed in June 2020. The site had been submitted for development in the Goring Neighbourhood Plan, Policy 07. The Goring Parish Council held a neutral position on the application. The Chilterns Conservation Board had objected to the application on the basis of impact on AONB and the rural landscape. Following discussions between the developers and technical parties, no technical objections to the application remained, subject to a number of conditions requiring further details for assessment at reserved matters stage.  The Environment Agency had no objection to the proposal subject to measures being carried out in accordance with the flood risk assessment and mitigation works in relation to finished floor levels and compensatory storage levels. The landscape officer initially had concerns but further details submitted to the had satisfactorily dealt with that officer’s concerns.

The planning officer provided an update on the written information which had been shared with committee. The report had been written prior to adopt of the South Oxfordshire Local Plan being adopted on 10 December 2020. Paragraph 6.9 of the report required minor amendment, as a result of the pre- existing policy on public art being deleted, the policy numbers had changed.  All policy numbers had moved back by one figure. Also, policies TRANS2E, TRANS4E and TRANS5E no longer carried the designation ‘E’. The table at paragraph 2.2 in the report contained drafting errors; affordable 2 – bed homes should read ‘6’ and 3 – bed homes should read ‘2’.

Description to the report’s title accidentally omitted the words, ‘additional information received in November, December, March, June and July’. At paragraph 7.78 the figure should read £4,580 not £458.

Further correspondence had been received prior to the committee’s 4 November 2020 meeting; Mr. and Mrs. Smith, local residents, had sent a letter of objection on behalf of 44 households and had sent a further updated letter, which had been circulated to committee. The Chilterns Conservation Board had submitted a supplementary statement prior to last meeting, which had been circulated to the committee.

Mr. Philip Johnson, a local resident had submitted a statement relating to drainage concerns. Tina Eyre, a local resident at Elmcroft, had submitted a statement, objecting to proposal. This documentation had also been circulated to the committee.

The planning officer concluded by stating that in the officers’ view permission should be granted, as the site was allocated for housing in the Goring Neighbourhood Plan and would provide significant benefits in terms of providing additional housing, including affordable housing. The proposal complied with the Development Plan policies and subject to the recommended conditions, would provide an appropriate form of development, given the constraints within the site.

Councillor Matthew Brown, a representative of Goring-on-Thames Parish Council, spoke to the application.

Mr. Andrew Smith, a local resident, spoke objecting to the application.

Mr. John Neville, the agent, spoke in support of the application.

Councillor Maggie Filipova-Rivers, the local ward councillor, spoke objecting to the application.

In response to a question form the committee, the agent provided further details in respect of climate friendly measures and flood mitigation works.  There was provision for energy saving boilers in each dwelling, as well as points for electric vehicle charging. Final details of these measures would be decided at reserved matters stage. The planning officer also remarked that proposed condition 24 ‘Air quality mitigation’, required electric vehicle (EV) charging points and gas fired boilers standards. The new local plan policy required all proposed developments to be designed to enable EV charging.

The agent informed the committee that contouring of the land in the north of the site was designed to contain flooding at this flood level 3 area. Sustainable drainage measures (SuDs) would provide an infiltration tank elsewhere which would provide for a slow release of water directly into the ground.

In response to a question from the committee regarding flooding concerns by residents, the planning officer reported that proposed condition 10 contained a requirement for a groundwater monitoring strategy and programme, and there would also be a flood compensation scheme. All housing would be built on the lowest risk areas, flood zone 1. A question was asked about the choice of this site, set against the background of two inspectors’ refusals and the existence of the AONB.  The planning officer reported that a special steering group had assessed all likely sites and that this was the most appropriate.

In response to a question regarding the access road, the planning officer reported that the Oxfordshire County Council had undertaken a transport assessment at application stage. Any road improvement was beyond the scope of this application.

A motion moved and seconded, to grant planning permission was declared carried on being put to the vote.

RESOLVED: to authorise the head of planning to grant planning permission for application P19/S2923/O, subject to the following conditions;

i)          the prior completion of a Section 106 agreement with Oxfordshire County Council and the District Council to secure the affordable housing, financial contributions and other obligations stated above, and

ii)         the following conditions:

1.         Approved Plans

2.         Approval of reserved matters-appearance, landscaping, layout and scale, timescale for submission

3.         Approved access provided prior to occupation/new vehicle access

4.         Floodplain compensation scheme based on the principles contained in the Flood Risk Assessment.

5.         Housing mix in general accordance with Strategic Housing Market Assessment

6.         Housing Space standards

7.         Ridge heights – Reserved Matters to include varied ridge lines including the use of some 1.5 storey units

8.         Surface Water Drainage scheme including sustainable features

9.         Foul water drainage scheme

10.       Groundwater monitoring strategy and programme.

11.       Safe egress and access plan to be submitted

12.       New vehicle access

13.       Vision splay details

14.       Estate Accesses, Driveways and Turning Areas

15.       Construction Traffic Management Plan

16.       No Surface Water Drainage to Highway

17.       Tree protection measures as agreed

18.       Tree protection measures-drainage and utilities

19.       Tree Protection Measures-schedule of works/timings

20.       Landscaping scheme-trees and shrubs including additional mitigation measures as set out in paragraphs 7.28 and 7.29 of this report

21.       Landscape Management Plan

22.       Boundary treatment.

23.       Biodiversity mitigation and enhancement strategy

24.       Air quality mitigation: electric vehicle charging points; gas fired boilers standards.

25.       Secure cycle parking details 

26.       Construction hours

27.       Control of construction dust

28.       Lighting details

29.       Sustainable Travel Information Pack

30.       Waste management tracking plan

31.       Archaeological written scheme of investigation

32.       Staged programme of archaeological evaluation and mitigation

33.       Archaeology-Full report summarising works found and evaluated.

34.       Secure by Design Measures