Agenda item

Change of use of barn to four residential units (C3) plus associated parking in the form of proposed outbuilding, courtyard, landscaping, demolition, closure of access from Thames Farm field and amendments to access onto Reading Road.

The committee considered application P16/S4292/FUL for a change of use of a barn to four residential units plus associated parking, in the form of proposed outbuilding, courtyard, landscaping, demolition, closure of access from Thames Farm field and amendments to access onto Reading Road at Thames Farm, Reading Road, Lower Shiplake.

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.

Tudor Taylor, a representative of Shiplake parish council, spoke objecting to the application. His concerns included the following:

·         The application site was reviewed and rejected for any form of residential development by the Henley and Harpsden neighbourhood plan;

·         Concern for highway safety clarified by the independent highway consultant who spoke at the recent appeal for the Thames Farm larger application;

·         Pedestrian access is poor; and

·         The area is predominantly mature style detached dwellings, a terrace of four wouldn’t fit.

Ken Arlett, a representative of Henley town council, spoke objecting to the application. His concerns included the following:

·         Henley town council have refused all applications on this site;

·         The site does not appear in the Henley and Harpsden neighbourhood plan;

·         If officers had identified the omission of this site form the neighbourhood plan, they should have advised as such; and

·         The district council highway expert gave reasons why development should not take place on this site at the recent Thames Farm appeal.

Les Durrant, the applicant’s agent, spoke in support of the application:

·         The application is acceptable on its own merits, it doesn’t conflict with any policies;

·         The site has extant permission for residential conversion;

·         The development would be an improvement of the current building and better use of the space; and

·         There are no highway objections.

In response to questions by committee, officers stated that:

·         It is unlikely that every eventuality is covered by a neighbourhood plan. As there is not a site specific policy or one that relates to the conversion of rural buildings in the JHHNP, the application needs to be assessed the NPPF, our Core Strategy and the saved policies of the South Oxfordshire District Council plan with which it  complies; and

·         The highways and access arrangements discussed at the recent Thames Farm Inquiry were in connection with a scheme for 92 proposed homes and were therefore significantly different to this application for 4 units.

The committee considered the application, with further advice from officers where appropriate. They were not satisfied with further development of the built form with the inclusion of a garage and the density of the development.

Committee were advised by the Development Manager that the application needed to be considered on its own merits, having regard to the fall-back position, which enables the barn to be converted to either business use or one dwelling. If the barn was converted to a single dwelling the future owners would be entitled to build outbuildings under permitted development rights.

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

RESOLVED: to refuse planning permission for application P16/S4292/FUL, for the following reasons:

1.    The proposed homes would be positioned off a busy road, in a location that does not offer easy access to services and facilities. As such, the proposal would have an adverse effect on the safety of future occupiers, particularly pedestrians and cyclists, and general users of the highway. The development would therefore be contrary to the National Planning Policy Framework and policies T1, G2 and G3 of the South Oxfordshire Local Plan 2011. The proposal would also be contrary to the overarching principles of the Joint Henley Harpsden Neighbourhood Plan, which aims to deliver additional homes in locations where services and facilities are easily accessible.

2.    The application site is rural in character and appearance and the additional built form of the garage would have an urbanising impact on the character of the site. The density of the development would also not be in keeping with the rural surroundings, further detracting from the character and appearance of the locality. The proposal would therefore be contrary to the National Planning Policy Framework, policies CSEN1 and CSQ3 of the South Oxfordshire Core Strategy, policies G2, G4 and C4 of the South Oxfordshire Local Plan 2011 and policy DQS1 of the Joint Henley Harpsden Neighbourhood Plan.