Agenda, decisions and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber, First Floor

Contact: Ian Senior, 03450 450 500 Email: democratic.services@scambs.gov.uk  Members of the public wishing to speak at this meeting are requested to contact the Support Officer by no later than noon on Monday before the meeting. A public speaking protocol applies.

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies

To receive apologies for absence from committee members. 

Minutes:

Councillor Deborah Roberts sent Apologies for Absence. Councillor Dr. Douglas de Lacey attended the meeting as substitute.

2.

Declarations of Interest

 

1.         Disclosable pecuniary interests (“DPI”)

A  DPI is where a committee member or his/her spouse or partner has any kind of beneficial interest in the land under consideration at the meeting.

 

 2.        Non-disclosable pecuniary interests

These are interests that are pecuniary involving a  personal financial benefit or detriment but do not come within the definition of a DPI.  An example would be where a member of their family/close friend (who is not their spouse or partner) has such an interest.

 

3.         Non-pecuniary interests

Where the interest is not one which involves any personal financial benefit or detriment to the Councillor but arises out of a close connection with someone or some  body /association.  An example would be membership of a sports committee/ membership of another council which is involved in the matter under consideration.

Minutes:

Councillor Heather Williams declared a non-pecuniary interest in Minute 5 (S/3849/18/RM - Arrington (Plot 1, Church End). Councillor Williams had been present at meetings of Arrington Parish Council at which this application had been considered. However, she had not taken part in the debate, had not commented on any material information and was considering the matter afresh.

 

The Chairman noted that this application had been deferred from the Planning Committee meeting held on 14 August 2019. For clarity, and by affirmation, those Members present at the current meeting who had also been present at the meeting on 14 August 2019 confirmed that they were considering the matter afresh. The Members concerned were Councillors John Batchelor, Peter Fane, Bill Handley, Pippa Heylings, Brian Milnes, Judith Rippeth and Peter Topping (as well as Heather Williams).

3.

Recorded Voting

Minutes:

Upon the proposal of Councillor Brian Milnes, seconded by Councillor Nick Wright, the Committee unanimously agreed that all substantive votes at the current Planning Committee meeting should be recorded by name and / or number and name.

4.

Minutes of Previous Meeting pdf icon PDF 153 KB

To authorise the Chairman to sign the Minutes of the meeting held on 14 August 2019 as a correct record.

Minutes:

The Committee authorised the Chairman to sign, as a correct record, the Minutes of the meeting held on 14 August 2019.

 

Minute 6 (S/3187/18/FL – Bar Hill) contained a spelling mistake. In the penultimate line of the paragraph beginning “Most Members focussed on the proposal’s conflict with Local Plan policies…”, the repeated letter ‘a’ should be deleted from the word ‘trading’.

5.

S/3849/18/RM - Arrington (Plot 1, Church End) pdf icon PDF 152 KB

Additional documents:

Decision:

By seven votes to four, the Committee approved the application, subject to the Conditions and Informatives set out in the report from the Joint Director of Planning and Economic Development.

 

(Councillors John Batchelor, Cahn, de Lacey, Fane, Handley, Milnes and Rippeth voted to approve the application. Councillors Heylings, Topping, Heather Williams and Wright voted for refusal.)

Minutes:

The case officer read out an objection received subsequent to publication of the agenda. The objection related to the proposal’s impact on the nearby heritage asset. The applicant had submitted a revised plan showing that the ground level and the dwelling had been reduced in height by one metre.

 

Daniel Fulton (on behalf of local objectors), Mike Briggs (applicant), Councillor Debbie Pearce (Arrington Parish Council) and Councillor Heather Williams (in her capacity as local Member) addressed the meeting.

 

During a wide-ranging and extensive debate, some Members made comments covering the following:

 

·         Impact of the building’s mass was unlikely to be reduced simply by lowering the dwelling by one metre, which was not seen as a sufficient reduction

·         some weight should be given to the objection of “less than substantial harm” raised by the Historic Buildings Officer

·         The proposed building did not sit well within its location and would have a significant and adverse impact

·         The Committee needed to see verified views: it had requested these on 14 August 2019, but they had not been provided

·         The proposal would be overbearing by virtue of its mass, scale and appearance

 

However, other Members expressed different opinions covering the following:

 

·         Regarding concern raised by the Parish Council about “multi-level” car parking, perceived adverse impact of this should be mitigated by appropriate soft landscaping: on balance, the application should be approved

·         The revised plan represented a significant change and demonstrated the applicants’ determination to address local concerns

·         While the design could have been better, the proposal’s status as an eco-home should not be given particular weight

·         impact was unlikely to be as severe as some people feared

 

The case officer made it clear that the revised plan showed the entire building as having been lowered by one metre – not simply the ridge height. He confirmed for Members that the proposal’s status as an eco-home could not be given particular weight and informed them that conflicting comments had been received from Historic Buildings Officers in respect of the harm to surrounding heritage assets.

 

By seven votes to four, the Committee approved the application, subject to the Conditions and Informatives set out in the report from the Joint Director of Planning and Economic Development.

 

(Councillors John Batchelor, Cahn, de Lacey, Fane, Handley, Milnes and Rippeth voted to approve the application. Councillors Heylings, Topping, Heather Williams and Wright voted for refusal.)

6.

Enforcement Report pdf icon PDF 258 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee received and noted an Update on enforcement action.    

 

Regarding 147 St. Neots Road, Hardwick, the Senior Enforcement Officer updated the Committee on the current situation, concluding that South Cambridgeshire District Council was unlikely to be able to resolve this case until early in 2020.

 

Councillor Bill Handley referred to recent events surrounding Northstowe and construction traffic. In response to Councillor Handley, the Assistant Director (Planning Delivery) agreed that it would be helpful to detail as part of the enforcement report progress being made in resolving local concerns relating to construction  vehicles travelling to the site.

7.

Appeals against Planning Decisions and Enforcement Action pdf icon PDF 129 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee received and noted a report on Appeals against planning decisions and enforcement action.