Agenda item

Outline application for demolition of all existing buildings and erection of a food store (A1 food), car park, petrol station and employment development (B1).

Councillor Jeanette Matelot, a local ward councillor, stepped down from the committee and took no part in the debate or voting on this item.

The committee considered application P15/S1637/O for outline planning permission to demolish all existing buildings and erect a food store, car park, petrol station and employment development at Kingsmead Business Park, Howland Road, Thame.

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.

Helena Fickling, Bob Austin, Mike Dyer, Linda Emery and Graham Hunt, representatives of Thame town council, spoke objecting to the application. Their concerns included the following:

·         The applicant hasn’t addressed the continuing prosperity of the town centre;

·         The Tuesday market is efficiently run and flourishing;

·         Businesses have been destroyed  in other towns where there are out of town supermarkets;

·         There are excellent independent shops and low vacancy rate;

·         The Cattle-market site is allocated for a mixed development, where more shops and restaurants are welcome;

·         There is free short term parking in town;

·         The proposal is twice the floorspace of the identified need for this type of development; and

·         The level of impact on linked shopping would be a concern.

Sue Gilbert, a local resident, spoke objecting to the application. Their concerns included the following:

·         The proposal is a threat to the shops, market and principles of neighbourhood planning;

·         The applicant’s impact statement is contradictory;

·         The beneficial effect of Waitrose has been dismissed by Tesco;

·         There is a lack of transparency in the transport statement;

·         Impact on neighbouring properties; and

·         Concerns about overflow of staff parking.

Chris Lindop, a local business owner, spoke objecting to the application. His concerns included the following:

·         Thame has a cohesive town centre with full occupancy; and

·         It’s busy every day, distinctive and historic.

Miles Young, Peggy Long and Rachel Lester, spoke in support of the application. Their speeches included the following:

·         Thame is losing ground to surrounding towns;

·         There is only 200 square metres overprovision of convenience store floor space;

·         Effect of projected population of 600 additional dwellings in retail study;

·         No good reason to retain as employment site;

·         Bus link to town, improvements to the Phoenix Trail and public art contribution offered;

·         Thame is an expensive place to live and shop – it must cater for families who cannot shop little and often;

·         It is possible to do a weekly shop out of town and still use the town centre shops; and

·         Concerns about those who don’t have cars.

David Dodds and Jeanette Matelot, the two local members, spoke objecting to the application. Their concerns included the following:

·         Lack of staff parking and associated effect on Cotmore Gardens and Towersey Drive;

·         Thame has won several awards – one of 10 rising stars in Great British High Street competition and identified as the second best place to live in Britain; and

·         There are great transport links for those without cars.

The committee considered the application, with advice from officers where appropriate. Their discussion included the following points:

·         Concerns about the impact on the town centre and linked purchasing; and

·         Concerns about the loss of an employment site.

A motion, moved and seconded, to refuse the application was declared carried on being put to the vote.

RESOLVED: to refuse outline planning permission for application P15/S1637/O for the following reasons:

1.    The application site is located on the eastern edge of the built up area of Thame and is located outside of the town centre. In this location the provision of a supermarket of the size proposed would divert trade from the town centre and would have an adverse impact on its viability and vitality. The proposal would therefore undermine the important economic and social role of the town centre and the ‘town centre first’ policy and would be contrary to Policies CS1, CSS1, CST1, and CSTHA1 of the South Oxfordshire Core Strategy, Policy TC7 of the South Oxfordshire Local Plan 2011 and the objectives of the Thame Neighbourhood Plan and National Planning Policy Framework and related guidance within the National Planning Practice Guidance.

2.    The application site lies outside of the town centre boundary and is currently in active employment use. In relation to the requirements of Policy WS12 of the Thame Neighbourhood Plan, the site is not redundant for employment use but, notwithstanding this, it has not been marketed for either the existing employment use or any other suitable employment use. As such it has not been demonstrated that a continuing Class B employment use of the whole of the application site is economically unviable. Therefore, the proposal is contrary to Policy WS12 of the Thame Neighbourhood Plan and Policy E6 of the South Oxfordshire Local Plan 2011 and the objectives of the National Planning Policy Framework.

3.    The application fails to secure infrastructure necessary to meet the needs of the development, contrary to policy CSI1 of the South Oxfordshire Core Strategy, D12 of the South Oxfordshire Local Plan 2011 and Policy D1 of the Thame Neighbourhood Plan.