Agenda item

To determine the Application.

The Committee had regard to its inspection of the site as agreed in accordance with the Site Inspection: Policy and Procedure (minute P19/04 refers)) during its deliberations.

Officers presented the application to Members and informed them that the recommendation is to grant planning permission incorporating the revised condition outlined in the update report.

Members received a presentation in accordance with the public participation procedure, from Mr Gareth Edwards, the applicants Agent.

Mr Edwards advised Members that the site has remained unused for some time, having been owned by several different owners over a period of time with the site already benefitting from approval of a bungalow, which is served from the existing entrance and, in his view the current proposal is a better use for the site and can provide an additional 2 dwellings. He made the point that the site lies within flood zone 1.

Mr Edwards stated that the access had originally served the Sunset Rooms, which originally housed 25 car parking spaces at the front with a further 100 spaces mostly accommodated on the proposed site, and the car park which serves the sports hall shows 22 spaces, but there is no formal layout on site, so it can be varied. In his opinion the proposal reduces the amount of vehicle movements on the existing access and drive and any issues of overdevelopment and overlooking can be addressed in the reserved matters application.

Members asked Mr Edwards the following questions:

·         Councillor Mrs Bligh asked that for clarification over the ownership of the car park and asked whether it is that land which is proposed for development?. Mr Edwards stated that the car park will remain and the boundary shown is the boundary according to Land Registry.

·         Councillor Connor commented that if the erected fence was the boundary there would be a greater number of parking spaces available.

·         Officers highlighted to Members on the presentation slide, a fence which runs along a boundary and the gravel car park which currently serves the sports hall. On the western side of the fence is the application site which Members are considering.

·         Councillor Mrs Bligh asked again for clarification that the existing car park will not be affected and Officers reiterated that the application site is to the west of the fence and the car park will be retained.

·         Councillor Connor asked whether the new fence that was observed on the site visit forms the boundary and will the gravel car park remain.he Chairman stated that the Agent had confirmed that as far as he was aware it would remain. The Chairman referred Members to the presentation slide which outlined the 22 car parking spaces and pointed out that there are substantial turning in and out facilities for vehicles.

·         Officers stated that the land that is outside of the ownership of the sports hall is not part of the application. Officers have attended the site and are assured that the boundary fence which has been erected is in the correct location which concurs with the application drawings which Members have seen.

Members made comments, asked questions and received responses as follows;

·         Councillor Sutton stated that he is still uncertain with regard to the fence line, however, in his opinion it is irrelevant and as long as the ownership according to Land Registry is correct then that is fine.

·         Councillor Murphy stated that within the update it states that the access of the most westerly plot will be surfaced with an ‘appropriate’ material and asked what would be deemed appropriate in this case? Officers confirmed that they would be looking for a bonded surface rather than a loose material and if the proposal was approved a condition could be added to be more specific.

·         Councillor Sutton stated that with regard to the addition of the condition concerning the appropriate surface, there may be a difference in opinion and he does not think that Members should be determining the site specifics.

·         The Chairman stated that Officers and the developer should be able to consider and determine the appropriate surface to be used.

·         Officers mentioned that there have been cases where dwellings have been added into an existing residential area where there have been issues with residents suffering from noise nuisance as a result of vehicle movements over gravel. In the proposal before Members, it could be that the first part of the road which is adjacent to existing properties could be a bonded or paved surface and the rest could be gravel.

Proposed by Councillor Connor, seconded by Councillor Sam Clark and decided that the application be APPROVED as per the Officer’s recommendation.

(Councillor Mrs Bligh registered in accordance with Paragraph 14 of the Code of Conduct on Planning Matters, that she is a Member of Wisbech St Mary Parish Council, but takes no part in Planning Matters).