Agenda and minutes

Cllr Greenow has sent his apologies and is replaced by Cllr A Pearson

 

Members to declare any interest as appropriate in respect of items to be considered at this meeting.

Cllr Chandler declared a prejudicial interest in application 17/00080/OUT Land Off Mere Road, Mere Road, Waltham on the Wolds.

 

Cllr Botterill declared a prejudicial interest in application 17/00080/OUT Land Off Mere Road, Mere Road, Waltham on the Wolds.

 

Report addressing the issues raised common to each of the applications

The Head of Strategic Planning and Regulatory Services introduced the report and advised that it updates the position in respect of the issues requested by the Committee on 29^th June. To summarise:

·         STW have advised their approach to new developments and for both sewerage and water supply is to undertake capacity assessments and provide whatever enhancements are necessary (they have articulated this by saying if this means a new main, a bigger sewer or even a new treatments works, then that is what they have to do).

·         There are 3 important principles involved in this – (i) they do not simply add more burden on exiting systems, (ii) it cannot be to the detriment of existing provision and, (iii) STW bare the cost, so it does not burden exiting residents of developers.

·         They have advised us what they intend to do about the existing issues – though they are not dependent or affected by the new development. This is the laying of a new water main from Burrough and treatment of waste at the pumping station so that odour is removed.

·         Updated on education – (i) Primary – position in June still stands; the school can be expanded on phased basis to accommodate any, some or all of the proposals. (ii) Secondary – there is limited capacity (note this is fully up to date) but this will soon be absorbed (58 houses) after which contributions will be necessary. There is no limit upon these so ultimately all permutations can be accommodated.

·         Health – in each case the CCG has sought a contributions commensurate to the scale of the developments (this is detailed in each report).

·         Electricity – details have been provided about how each site can be serviced.

Some comments received on all applications:

3 comments additional to those reported addressing the applications together:

·         The water supply is already temperamental with bouts of low pressure. Don’t believe this area of the system could cope with extra dwellings, the smallest of these three proposals. Severn Trent Water company cannot currently supply demand. Question their response to the Planning Committee that they can cope with a further four developments totalling another 328 dwellings.

·         The drainage is not adequate for the premises already being served – water frequently runs in torrents down the High Street and Melton Road in heavy rain.

·         The drains frequently smell. The sewerage system is apparently not working as it should, a leak to this system could prove fatal to young, elderly and those without an immune system.

·         The A607 is the main link between the A1 in Grantham and Thurmaston in Leicester and is a very busy road during normal traffic days, without the extra burden of more traffic starting within the village.

·         The Primary school is situated on this road. Developments will cause an increase in traffic flow to the A607 very close to the village school. Even an additional 60 to the current number planned could seriously affect the local primary  ...  view the full minutes text for item PL46

Bescaby Lane, Waltham on the Wolds

Applicant:    Davidsons Developments Ltd

Location:      Field OS 1100, Bescaby Lane, Waltham On The Wolds

Proposal:      Outline Planning Application for up to 45 Dwellings

 

Councillor Holmes Proposed a motion to withhold standing orders for the duration  of this meeting, as there are many interested parties to speak on each application.

 

This motion was Seconded by Councillor Posnett.

 

Councillors voted unanimously in favour of withholding standing orders.

Standing Orders Withheld for the rest of the meeting.

 

a)    The Planning Officer (GBA) stated that: there are no updates to the report.

 

b)    Mr Mills, On behalf of the Parish Council, was invited to speak and stated that:

• All four applications this evening are predatory applications
• This application lies outside of the allocations in the local plan that the councillors voted for, so they cannot support this application
• The Neighbourhood Plan is two weeks away from end of Examination so should be given significant weight, and this site is outside of the neighbourhood plan
• The only objections to the local plan are from developers.
• Of all the houses allocated to Waltham in the local plan, all but five of the allocation have already been approved, so Waltham only need to allocate five more houses up until 2036.
• The sight is of historic importance, as it borders a Sight of Special Scientific Importance and is an important Greenfield site.
• The site regularly floods.
• Severn Trent has issues supplying water, and water for this new development may need to be pumped along the high street.
• Leicestershire Education Authority is incorrect and it is wrong to bus children out of the village to primary schools in Melton, as the local primary school will be unable to cope with a new development of this size.

 

A Cllr questioned how the sewage would be pumped out of the site.

 

Mr Mills responded that sewage would have to be pumped along High Street.

 

The Chair asked for clarification on the data from Historic England and the Site of Special Scientific Importance.

 

Mr Mills responded the sight is of historic importance and is next to a Site of Special Scientific Importance.

 

c)    Teresa Tunstall, as an objector, was invited to speak and stated that:

• This was the least accessible site of all applications proposed this evening
• This site was not included in the Local Plan
• There is already a lot of congestion on High Street – another 90 or more cars would make traffic and congestion a lot worse than it already is.
• Street Parking on High Street is already terrible.
• The School Bus already stops twice on High Street, meaning that schoolchildren are at increased danger due to the potential increase in traffic.
• The site is close to a Site of Special Scientific Importance, and is a historic part of the village.
• A key principle of planning is to protect the countryside, so this proposal cannot go ahead.
• This proposal would ruin the countryside and the village setting in Waltham.
• It is currently a Greenfield site.
• The negatives significantly outweigh  ...  view the full minutes text for item PL47.1

Fair Farm, Melton Rd, Waltham on the Wolds

Applicant:     K&A Watchorn and Sons

Location:      Fair Farm, 33 Melton Road, Waltham on the Wolds

Proposal:      Residential development of up to 60 new dwellings, together with new areas of public open space, landscaping, access and drainage infrastructure.

 

a)    The Head of Strategic Planning and Regulatory Services stated that there has been an update to the report and summarised:

 

Applicant’s letter

Letter seeking to address concerns raised on 29/6/2017.

Suggests a standard condition to safeguard the position regarding drainage (surface and foul) as follows:

 

 

·         Severn Trent have advised they can provide water supply

·         Western Power have conformed they can supply the site and costs have been agreed

·         Confirm acceptance of the s106 request from the CCG (£26,640)

·      He site is allocated in the Local Plan and within the village envelope of the Neighbourhood Plan

·      It is also the only site that accesses the A607 and does not impact on High St

·      This is the 4^th time the application has been presented to Committee and a decision is anticipated

 

b)    Martin Lusty, On behalf of the Parish Council, was invited to speak and stated:

·         All Councillors supported the local plan, and this site does not fit into the local plan.

·         Waltham already has approval for all but five houses that need to be allocated to Waltham according to the local plan.

·         Development within the villages must be proportionate and within the character of the village, this application would cause irreparable harm to Waltham.

·         The site is allocated in the local plan, but these allocations have already been taken up elsewhere in the village.

·         The site is environmentally significant and is class 3A farmland.

·         Site regularly floods.

·         Only objections to the neighbourhood plan are from developers, all the villages agree on the plan.

·         There is unproven housing need in Waltham.

 

A Cllr questioned whether there is a housing needs survey for the village.

 

Mr Lusty responded that there is a housing needs survey included in the Neighbourhood plan, which is currently in an examination stage.

 

A Cllr queried how many houses are currently in the village.

 

Mr Lusty responded that there are currently 450 houses.

 

The Chair sought clarification on the housing numbers for the local plan, as the numbers disagree on the housing requirement for Waltham. Waltham may need 45 more houses, as other villages may not complete their requirements.

Mr Lusty clarified that according to the residual housing requirement calculations in the local plan, Waltham needs to build another 76 houses by 2036, of which 71 have already been allocated, so there is only need for another 5 houses.

 

c)    Mr Mills, on behalf of Lydia Carrigan an objector, was invited to speak and stated:

·         Public Transport links in Waltham are poor.

·         Villagers need cars to be able to get anywhere, which is harmful to the environment.

·         Extra cars as a result of this development would create more traffic in the village, particularly on the A607.

·         Waltham needs time to gradually absorb the new developments, cannot all happen at  ...  view the full minutes text for item PL47.2

Mill Lane, Waltham on the Wolds

20.04pm - 20.10pm Meeting suspended for short break

 

Applicant:     Barwood Homes

Location:      Field Nos 3080 3166 And 5875, Mill Lane, Waltham On The Wolds

Proposal:      Erection of up to 124 dwellings with associated infrastructure and public open space (all matters reserved except means of access).

 

a)    The Head of Strategic Planning and Regulatory Services stated that there has been an update to the report and summarised:

 

Comment

The access from this site through land (application 14/00777/FUL) is no longer under the control of Barwoods Homes and is currently up for sale. Therefore this highly important access onto the High Street can no longer be used as a means of connectivity to the village centre

Indeed when CHA were considering this application they mentioned the importance of this access point in their decision and stated that it improved the proposed developments connectivity and isolation from the village. It advised that this important link should even be provided prior to first occupation

As the applicant cannot now claim the use of this land or access point has Highways been informed of the changes as I am unable to find any correspondence relating to this issue

Without the use of this secondary access this development forms an isolated and detached pocket of development with one awkward vehicle access.

Applicants Response

Whilst part of the site is for sale, the freehold of the remaining part of the site is owned by Barwood Homes. Barwood Homes are therefore confident that any link to the wider site to the south can be delivered.

Applicant’s letter

First draft s106 which obviously doesn’t take into account the secondary education contributions yet.

Please note that it has been prepared as a unilateral undertaking so that we may proceed swiftly to obtain planning permission if we obtain a resolution to grant, or proceed swiftly to an appeal if we receive a resolution to refuse planning permission.

Please can you point out to Members that this document secures the very significant benefits of this scheme, which other schemes in the village do not offer, in particular the large amount of POS and the healthcare contribution.

We hope that submitting this now will demonstrate our commitment to early delivery of the scheme.

Consequently, it could help if the s106 was provided to Members as part of the committee papers to clearly illustrate the benefits we are securing. Please can you confirm you are willing to do this?

A Cllr queried where this development would emerge and have access.

 

The Head of Strategic Planning and Regulatory Services confirmed the access points and where it would connect to High Street.

 

b)    Martin Lusty, On behalf of the Parish Council, was invited to speak and stated:

• General points for all application still stand.
• The public consultation the developer carried out was flawed, and should be carried out again.
• Historic England stated that this application would harm the assets of the village.
• Neighbourhood plan is strongly against the site.
• The development is for a large housing  ...  view the full minutes text for item PL47.3

Mere Rd, Waltham on the Wolds

Applicant:     The Trustees of the Ninth Dukes Will

Location:      Land Off Mere Road, Mere Road, Waltham On The Wolds

Proposal:      Residential development of up to 99 dwellings, associated infrastructure and landscaping

 

Cllrs Chandler and Botterill left the meeting at 20:40 for the application 17/00080/OUT, due to prejudicial interests.

 

 

a)    The Planning Officer (GBA) stated that: There has been an update to the report and summarised:

 

Received a late letter from the agent expressing gratitude that the Severn Trent Water issues had been sorted out, but the agent was slightly unhappy that it had taken so long to reach a resolution on the education contributions.

 

b)    Martin Lusty, On behalf of the Parish Council, was invited to speak and stated:

• Developer did not consult with local people.
• There are benefits of building houses, but 99 houses are out of proportion and are far too large.
• The development would stand out and affect the landscape.
• The surrounding area is sensitive to development.
• It is outside the limits of development and the village envelope.
• It is not included in the local plan.
• Waltham already has its housing allocation up until 2036.
• It is a Greenfield farm site.
• There is no housing need in the area.
• It is out of proportion and out of character with the village.

 

Cllrs had no questions for Mr Lusty.

 

c)    Malc Mills, On behalf of Sue Thurlby, was invited to speak and stated:

• Agree with previous comments that remain relevant to this application.
• LEA contributions for education are not confirmed yet.
• Adverse effects of bussing out primary school children to school into Melton Mowbray.
• It is currently agricultural land.
• Greenfield site.
• Huge traffic impacts on both High Street and A607.
• It is outside of the local plan.
• Will have big impacts on the landscape in the village.

 

Cllrs had no questions for Mr Mills.

 

d)    Clare Pendle, Agent for the applicant, was invited to speak and stated:

• Lack of objections from technical consultants.
• Landscape effects are small.
• Limited weight must be afforded to both plans, as neither has been approved or adopted.
• The negatives do not significantly outweigh the positives.

 

Cllrs had no questions for Mrs Pendle.

 

The Head of Strategic Planning and Regulatory Services states that educational improvements depend on development, as more development will lead to greater developer contributions to boost education.

 

Cllr Wyatt Proposed to Refuse the application – the same points stand from the previous applications, and it breaks the character of the village.

 

Cllr Holmes Seconds the Motion to Refuse – it is not included in the SHLAA. Cannot build houses here as it breaks policy C1. There are a lot of traffic issues and it is on a very narrow road, and personally nearly had a crash at this junction recently.

 

A Cllr notes that this is very good quality land, as good quality land is needed to grow root crops, and this is a Greenfield site.

 

A Cllr comments that it will have a huge visual impact on the village.

 

Several  ...  view the full minutes text for item PL47.4

To consider any other items that the Chair considers urgent

 

None