Agenda and minutes

To receive any announcements from the chair and general housekeeping matters.

The chair welcomed everyone to the meeting, outlined the procedure to be followed and advised on emergency evacuation arrangements.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Katharine Keats-Rohan and Tim Bearder.

To adopt and sign as a correct record the Planning Committee minutes of the meeting held on 28 June 2023. 

RESOLVED: to approve the minutes of the meeting held on 28 June 2023 as a correct record and agree that the Chair sign these as such.

To receive declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests, other registrable interests and non-registrable interests or any conflicts of interest in respect of items on the agenda for this meeting.

Councillor Ben Manning declared an interest in item 8 on the agenda due to application P22/S1554/HH at Apple Croft, Slade End, Brightwell-cum-Sotwell, OX10 0RD being in his ward and on which he had fettered his discretion. Therefore, he would not participate in the discussion, debate, or vote on the application.

To receive notification of any matters which the chair determines should be considered as urgent business and the special circumstances which have made the matters urgent and to receive any notification of any applications deferred or withdrawn.

There was no urgent business.

There were no proposals for site visits.

To receive any statements from members of the public that have registered to speak on planning applications which are being presented to this committee meeting. 

The list showing members of the public who had registered to speak was tabled at the meeting.

Variation of condition 2 (approved plans) and condition 4 (obscure glazing) on application P21/S0317/HH to comply with constructional details. (As amended by drawings accompanying email from agent received 5 July 2022 and application form received 26 April 2023 and amplified by information received 26 April 2023 and corrected by revised block and roof plan received 31 May 2023). (Extension and alterations to include raising the roof to create a full height first floor)

The committee considered planning application P22/S1554/HH for the variation of condition 2 (approved plans) and condition 4 (obscure glazing) on application P21/S0317/HH to comply with constructional details (as amended by drawings accompanying email from agent received 5 July 2022 and application form received 26 April 2023 and amplified by information received 26 April 2023 and corrected by revised block and roof plan received 31 May 2023) (extension and alterations to include raising the roof to create a full height first floor), on land at Apple Croft, Slade End, Brightwell-cum-Sotwell.  

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 called into the committee by the local ward member, Councillor Anne-Marie Simpson. Since the publication of the agenda, the planning officer also informed members that the council had received seven more objections from local residents.

On the application itself, the planning officer noted that it was for a variation of condition on a planning permission granted in 2021 for an extension to the dwelling. This permission was sought in order to regularise the current built form of the property. He also informed members that the primary variation to the approved plans involved raising the roof height, but also included changes to the obscure glazing.

The planning officer then emphasised to members that the starting point for assessing the application was between the permitted plans in the 2021 application and what was currently built, and if the difference between the two constituted sufficient harm for it to be refused.

Overall, as the planning officer believed that the variation on the original permission was acceptable as the changes to the original permission did not amount to material harm, he recommended that the application be approved.

Celia Collett spoke on behalf of Brightwell-cum-Sotwell Parish Council, objecting to the application. 

Rolfe Edwards, the applicant, spoke in support of the application.  

Councillor Anne-Marie Simpson and Ben Manning, local ward councillors, spoke objecting to the application. 

The committee had conducted a site visit prior to the discussion of the application at the committee meeting.

Members asked about one of the objection letters which questioned the legality of the process the applicant was taking with the application. However, the planning officer clarified that the application before the committee was to regularise the work done on site and confirmed that the process the applicant took was the appropriate one. 

On the existing first floor windows on site, members inquired into if they were higher or lower than they were indicated as being in the proposed plans, and they were satisfied with the planning officers’ response that they were of a comparable height to what was approved. The planning officer also noted that the front windows looked out over a public highway which was not unusual and would not be harmful to neighbouring amenity.

On a question about landscaping, the planning officer  ...  view the full minutes text for item 32.

Provision of equestrian fitness and rehabilitation centre, with ancillary buildings, parking and landscaping.

The committee considered planning application P22/S3825/O for the provision of equestrian fitness and rehabilitation centre, with ancillary buildings, parking and landscaping, on land at Toll Lodge Farm, London Road, near Tetsworth.  

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 Tetsworth Parish Council.

The planning officer informed the committee that the site was about a kilometre to the east of Tetsworth and that there was a 2014 extant permission on the site for its use as a domestic stable. She also noted that since that permission, the site had been used for storage of building materials which was subject to a separate ongoing enforcement action, including the entrance gates which was not a material planning consideration.

The application was also noted by members as being an outline application with all matters considered except landscaping.

The planning officer then informed members that the application was identical to an application that had been dismissed at appeal in 2022. The committee noted that the reason the inspector dismissed the appeal was on technical grounds; around carbon reduction not meeting Local Plan policy DES10 requirements and about the protection of great crested newts. However, the inspector found the principle of the proposed development to be acceptable. The planning officer then highlighted that the current application addressed the DES10 requirements and the concerns about the great crested newts as the applicant was prepared to enter into the district licensing scheme for their protection.

The planning officer then discussed the parish council’s objection as they believed that the inspector did not give full weight to their neighbourhood plan as it was not made at the time of the appeal. However, she assured the committee that the neighbourhood plan was given full weight at the time and also that there had been no material change in circumstances between when the planning inspectorate made their decision and the current application.

Overall, as an independent inspector reviewed the plans and considered them acceptable, and the planning officer believed that all the issues were addressed from the appeal of the previous application, she recommended that the application be approved.

John Gilbert spoke on behalf of Tetsworth Parish Council, objecting to the application. 

Jake Collinge, the agent representing the applicant, spoke in support of the application. 

Councillor Georgina Heritage, a local ward councillor, spoke objecting to the application. 

The committee asked about the planning inspectorate and if they could change their opinion if the application went to appeal again. In response, the planning officer confirmed that the past decision would be a factor in the planning inspectorate’s consideration, and they would need a robust justification to depart from the previous decision. Members then asked if the inspector did give enough weight to the neighbourhood plan and the planning officer clarified that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 33.

Reserved matters in relation to 70 dwellings, including details of access, appearance, landscaping, layout and scale. Including details required pursuant to conditions 1 (reserved matters); 6 (housing mix); 7 (details to be submitted with reserved matters); 8 (Biodiversity Enhancement Plan); 11 (Pedestrian and Cycle Access); 14 (Lighting) ;15 (CEMP); 16 (Arboricultural matters); 17 (surface water drainage); 18 (foul drainage) and 26 (housing standards) on application P19/S1928/O.

During this agenda item, the meeting length had reached almost two and a half hours. In accordance with the council’s Constitution, the committee voted to extend the meeting in order to finish this item – as applications P23/S0431/RM and P23/S0433/RM were being taken together as the same item by the committee, the meeting was extended to cover these applications.

The committee considered planning application P23/S0431/RM for the reserved matters in relation to 70 dwellings, including details of access, appearance, landscaping, layout and scale. Including details required pursuant to conditions 1 (reserved matters); 6 (housing mix); 7 (details to be submitted with reserved matters); 8 (Biodiversity Enhancement Plan); 11 (Pedestrian and Cycle Access); 14 (Lighting); 15 (CEMP); 16 (Arboricultural matters); 17 (surface water drainage); 18 (foul drainage) and 26 (housing standards) on application P19/S1928/O, as emended by plans and information received 22 May 2023 and 5 July 2023, on land off Cuxham Road, Watlington.  

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 had been called into committee by the former ward member, Councillor Anna Badcock. In addition, there were several updates since the agenda was published including two amendments; firstly, to paragraph 6.6 of the officer report which the sentence “subject to a condition to secure the correct tenure mix” should be removed as this was provided in a new tenure plan, and secondly to paragraph 6.16 as it should read “access onto Cuxham Road”, not Britwell Road. In addition, a further response was received from Pyrton Parish Council which welcomed the revisions to the applications and confirmed that it addressed their concerns, and the planning officer was also aware that Shirburn Parish Council and the applicant had also sent representations to members.

The planning officer then informed members that both applications P23/S0431/RM and P23/S0433/RM were in land allocated for the re-aligned B4009 in the Watlington neighbourhood development plan and the developers of the applications would build the Edge Road within the housing developments and that Oxfordshire County Council as the highway authority would build the connections between those roads. She also clarified to members that the roundabout to the west of Site B (application P23/S0431/RM) was not part of the application as it was the responsibility of Oxfordshire County Council which was scheduled to submit the plans for it in October 2023. It was noted that the applications proposed priority junctions from Site B onto Cuxham Road and from Site C (application P23/S0433/RM) onto Pyrton Lane.

The principle of 70 homes on the Site B and 60 homes on Site C was established with the outline applications and the planning officer noted that the main differences between the outline and current applications was that the development of Site B was set further back into the site primarily to allow for the roundabout to be located away from the chalk stream and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 34.

Reserved matters in relation to 60 dwellings, including details of access, appearance, landscaping, layout and scale. Including details required pursuant to conditions 1 (reserved matters); 6 (housing mix); 7 (details to be submitted with reserved matters); 8 (Biodiversity Enhancement Plan); 11 (Pedestrian and Cycle Access); 14 (Lighting) ;15 (CEMP); 16 (Arboricultural matters); 17 (surface water drainage); 18 (foul drainage) and 26 (housing standards) on application P19/S1927/O.

The committee considered planning application P23/S0433/RM for the reserved matters in relation to 60 dwellings, including details of access, appearance, landscaping, layout and scale including details required pursuant to conditions 1 (reserved matters); 6 (housing mix); 7 (details to be submitted with reserved matters); 8 (Biodiversity Enhancement Plan); 11 (Pedestrian and Cycle Access); 14 (Lighting);15 (CEMP); 16 (Arboricultural matters); 17 (surface water drainage); 18 (foul drainage) and 26 (housing standards) on application P19/S1927/O as amended by plans and information received 22 May 2023 and 5 July 2023, on land between Pyrton Lane and Cuxham Road, Watlington.  

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 officers report for the application was presented along with the previous application, P23/S0431/RM on the land off Cuxham Road, Watlington, as the sites were connected and would be built out together by the same developer.

Gill Bindoff spoke on behalf of Watlington Parish Council, in support of the application. 

Robert Parker, representing Shirburn Parish Council, and Debby Proctor, representing Cuxham with Easington Parish Meeting, spoke objecting to the application. 

Chris White, the agent representing the applicant, spoke in support of the application. 

Councillor Freddie van Mierlo, a local ward councillor, spoke in support of the application. 

Overall, as the committee was satisfied with the planning officers’ response to their questions and confirmation about chalk stream protection, energy efficiency, and the Edge Road, as well as that the applications were supported by the local parish council and their neighbourhood plan, they agreed that the application should be approved subject to conditions.

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

RESOLVED: to approve planning application P23/S0433/RM, subject to the following conditions:

1. Approved plans

Conditions to be agreed prior to commencement:

2. Existing and proposed ground levels

Conditions to be agreed prior to above ground development:

3. Refuse strategy

4. Landscape Management Plan

5. Details of street furniture

6. Cycle parking

7. Details of the shared pedestrian cycle route adjacent to the play area

8. Details of underground crate systems for trees where soil volume is not adequate

9. Samples of materials

Conditions to be agreed prior to occupation:

10. Verification report for energy measures

Compliance conditions:

11. Flint work to be hand laid

12. Visibility splays to be provided and retained.