Agenda, decisions and minutes

Venue: Virtual meeting - Online. View directions

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 4pm on Tuesday 16 February 2021. A public speaking protocol applies.

Media

Items
No. Item

1.

Chair's announcements

Minutes:

For the benefit of members of the public viewing the live webcast of the meeting, the Chair introduced Committee members and officers in attendance.

 

He explained that this meeting of the Planning Committee was being held virtually and asked for patience bearing in mind the challenges posed by the technology in use and by the new meeting skills required.

 

The Chair confirmed that the Planning Committee would continue with the practice of recording votes unless a resolution could be reached by affirmation. He explained the process he would follow in a virtual meetings environment.

 

He confirmed that the meeting was quorate but informed members of the public that, if a Committee member was absent for any part of the presentation of or debate about an agenda item then that member would not be allowed to vote on that item.

2.

Apologies

Councillor Nick Wright has sent Apologies for Absence. To receive apologies for absence from any other committee members. 

Minutes:

Councillors Dr. Tumi Hawkins, Pippa Heylings. Judith Rippeth and Nick Wright sent apologies for absence. Their respective substitutes were Councillors Eileen Wilson, Henry Batchelor, Geoff Harvey and Grenville Chamberlain.

3.

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 Henry Batchelor declared a non-pecuniary interest in Minute 4 (S/3440/18/OL - Bourn (Bourn Airfield)) as a member of Cambridgeshire County Council.

 

Councillor Anna Bradnam declared a non-pecuniary interest in Minute 4 (S/3440/18/OL - Bourn (Bourn Airfield)) as a member of Cambridgeshire County Council.

 

Councillor Grenville Chamberlain declared a non-pecuniary interest in Minute 4 (S/3440/18/OL - Bourn (Bourn Airfield)) as the local Member for Hardwick, a ward neighbouring the application site.

 

Councillor Dr. Tumi Hawkins declared a non-pecuniary interest in Minute 4 (S/3440/18/OL - Bourn (Bourn Airfield)) because she lived in a property on West Drive, Caldecote, immediately adjacent to the development site. Councillor Hawkins had stepped down from the Planning Committee for this meeting and would address Members purely as the local District Councillor.

 

Councillor Heather Williams declared a non-pecuniary interest in Minute 4 (S/3440/18/OL - Bourn (Bourn Airfield)) as a member of the Greater Cambridge Partnership Joint Assembly, referred to in the report from the Joint Director of Planning and Economic Development. Councillor Heather Williams did not consider there to be any impact.

 

Councillor Eileen Wilson declared a non-pecuniary interest in Minute 4 (S/3440/18/OL - Bourn (Bourn Airfield)) as a member of the Greater Cambridge Partnership Joint Assembly, referred to in the report from the Joint Director of Planning and Economic Development. Councillor Wilson did not consider there to be any impact.

 

4.

S/3440/18/OL - Bourn (Bourn Airfield) pdf icon PDF 1 MB

 

Outline Planning Application (with all matters reserved except for access), for a new mixed use village comprising residential development of approximately 3500 dwellings; mixed uses comprising employment, retail, leisure, residential institutions; education, community facilities, open space including parks, ecological areas and woodlands, landscaping; engineering for foul and sustainable drainage systems; footpaths, cycle ways, public transport infrastructure; associated access and infrastructure. This application is subject to an Environmental Impact Assessment. 

Additional documents:

Decision:

By affirmation, the Committee agreed to the following:

 

(a)  Condition 8 being amended to state ‘up to’ 3,500 dwellings

(b)  Condition 11 being amended to include within the site-wide phasing plan a requirement for the delivery by the end of the second year of development of a tree-planting scheme along the eastern boundary of the site adjoining Highfields Caldecote

(c)  Condition 43 being bolstered with a timetable for delivery

(d)  Condition 58 being strengthened to sufficiently manage the housing mix

(e)  An additional Condition requiring the mitigation of odours to the south west of the site

 

By nine votes to two (with Councillors John Batchelor and Peter Fane voting against) the Committee agreed to Condition 13 being reformatted with Option (ii) being deleted

 

By six votes to five, the Planning Committee

 

1.    gave officers delegated powers to approve Outline application S/3440/18/OL, as amended, subject to:

 

a.    The prior completion of a Legal Agreement under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 securing

 

                                               i.     the matters set out in the Heads of Terms attached as Appendix G to the report from the Joint Director of Planning and Economic Development, with officers being granted delegated authority to negotiate, secure, and complete such Legal Agreement on terms as are otherwise considered to be appropriate and necessary; and

 

                                              ii.     any other Heads of Terms, or details, including phasing and triggers, that are still under negotiation.

 

b.    The explanatory notes and terms, Planning Conditions (as a,emded) and Informatives set out in the report from the Joint Director of Planning and Economic Development, subject to the following Conditions re-worded by officers in consultation with the Chair of the Planning Committee and Vice-Chair of the Planning Committee meeting held on 19 February 2021.

 

Condition 11. Phasing

 

No development shall commence until a Site Wide Phasing Plan which accords with the s106 triggers and Transport Mitigation Strategy has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.

 

It shall include the expected sequence of delivery of development within a Development Area, or sub area, or the provision of any other element or to any other applicable trigger point. No development shall Commence apart from Enabling Works or Associated Works or other works otherwise agreed in writing by the local planning authority until such time as the Development Area Phasing Plan has been approved in writing by the local planning authority. 

 

The development shall be carried out in accordance with the approved Phasing Plan unless there are unforeseen events / obstacles to delivery and alternative timing for provision is agreed in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The Phasing Plan shall, by written agreement with the Local Planning Authority, be updated from time-to-time to reflect increased certainty of delivery of infrastructure.

 

The Site Wide Phasing Plan shall include but not be limited to the sequence of providing the following elements: 

 

a) A framework masterplan

b) Residential development parcels; 

c) Local bus services;

d) Major distributor roads/routes within the site, including timing of  ...  view the full decision text for item 4.

Minutes:

The Committee considered an application, as amended, seeking consent for the development of approximately 3,500 dwellings with associated other uses, drainage and other infrastructure, groundworks, landscaping, and highway works. The proposal formed part of the strategic allocation for a new village as set out in Policy SS/7 of the adopted South Cambridgeshire Local Plan 2018. To guide comprehensive development of the strategic site, South Cambridgeshire District Council had already produced a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) following engagement with key members, the local community, land promoters, technical consultees, and other stakeholders.

 

The Principal Planner (Strategic Sites) gave a short verbal update to Members. This related to:

 

·       The rewording of Condition 13 to refer to the Local Planning Authority

·       Discussions the applicant had had with Anglian Water and the Environment Agency in connection with foul water drainage (Condition 43).

 

He then made a presentation to Members in three distinct parts. The first part of the presentation covered

 

·       Drone footage of the development site

·       Confirmation that the principle of development had been established in accordance with the Local Plan and SPD

 

Part 2 of the presentation focussed on

 

·       Parameter plans the proposed Cambourne to Cambridge Busway (C2C)

·       Density

·       Monitoring

·       Land use

·       Draft Legal Agreement under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and interim measures

 

Officers recognised the significance of C2C and had therefore devised a mitigation measure whereby the Local Planning Authority could pause any development beyond 500 dwellings if, by then, a Busway was not operational.

 

Concern was expressed about the existence of a six-storey building within the proposed village.

 

Members sought and received clarification about the modelling of journey times between the development site and Cambridge Science Park, and between the development site and the Addenbrookes Biomedical Campus. They also sought and received clarification about potential traffic calming measures to prevent ‘rat running’ through local villages.

 

In Part 3 of the presentation, the Principal Planner (Strategic Sites) focussed Members’ attention on the following

 

·       An indicative phasing plan

·       An indicative delivery / construction programme

·       A cross-section concept for the A428

·       Existing and proposed uses

·       Utilities

·       A draft Section 106 Agreement

·       Governance

·       Planning balance

 

In response to issues raised by the Chair, the Principal Planner (Strategic Sites) confirmed that the question of air quality would be addressed in the Conditions to be attached to the planning permission, if granted. He went on to say that the Government proposal to phase out the use of gas in due course was not a material planning consideration.

 

Members noted that the shown location for the allotments was indicative only, and that suitable provision would be made for burials.

 

The Principal Planner (Strategic Sites) referred Members to draft Condition 30 and said that, should sustainable elements of the proposal not materialise as anticipated, then there would be a sustainability review. He confirmed that the phasing of the delivery of affordable housing would be determined by a provision in the Section 106 Agreement. The Joint Housing Development Officer explained that there would be a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.