Agenda item

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 the positives, so the application must be rejected.

 

A Cllr questioned how close the site was to the nearby quarry.

 

Mrs Tunstall responded that the quarry was only across the lane from the site so the quarry and the site are only on opposite sides of the same lane.

 

d)    Geoff Hulland, as an objector, was invited to speak and stated that:

• In agreement with the previous two speakers.
• The site is not in the local plan or the neighbourhood plan.
• The development in Waltham is not essential.
• The site would affect local habitat species according to the report by Natural England
• It can only be accessed from High Street – traffic and congestion on High Street is already a major issue.
• The picturesque walk along Bescaby Lane will be lost if this development goes ahead.
• The service villagers from Severn Trent will not improve with further development
• There is already too much traffic through the village – especially lorries and tankers.
• There are no tangible benefits to the community from this development.
• There should be weight given to the emerging local and neighbourhood plans – which do not include this site.
• The costs demonstrably outweigh the potential benefits to the village.

 

Councillors had no questions for Mr Hulland

 

e)    George Machin, Agent for the application, was invited to speak and stated that:

• There is a national housing crisis, and that we need to build up the supply of houses as a nation.
• This is the smallest application in terms of housing numbers that will be proposed this evening.
• Davidsons homes are sustainable and are built to a very high standard.
• The developers have consulted with the Council and Parish Council throughout the application process.
• There will be contributions made to the local school, as well as a zebra crossing on High Street to improve road safety near the school.
• Addition contributions will be made to the Highways Authority.
• Leicestershire County Council supports the drainage plan that is in place.
• Archaeological trenching has already been complete on the site.
• Natural England has no objections to the proposal.
• 17 Affordable homes will be built.
• Waltham is a sustainable village.
• The Planning Officer recommends approval for the application.

 

Cllr Holmes questioned how safe are zebra crossings outside schools

 

Mr Machin responded that he didn’t know the exact figures in statistical terms and the lead was taken from the Highway Authority.

 

Cllr Holmes commented that 80% of all zebra crossing accidents occur outside of schools.

 

The exact location of the zebra crossing was for the Highway Authority to decide.

 

The Head of Strategic Planning and Regulatory Services commented that the Neighbourhood Plan is only close to the end of an Examination phase, and is still some stages  from being formally adopted. It is not just developers who contest the Neighbourhood Plan, and the neighbourhood plan offers ridge and furrow protection to areas within and around the village which weigh against this application. The school has the capability to expand as it needs to, and Primary School children will not have to be bussed into Melton. Plans for the expansion of the school are already in place.

 

The Planning Officer commented that Natural England has no detailed comments to make on this application, and are happy with it. Archeologically, thorough investigations will be undertaken before any houses are built on the site.

 

A Cllr commented that with the local plan allocations, Waltham only needs 5 more houses to be built before 2036 to fully complete its allocation. Also, upgrades to the local water supply are not in Severn Trent’s Capital Program, and are currently only under consideration so will likely be a long time before they are fully completed. With the water issues and it is in contravention of the local plan, cannot support the application.

 

A Cllr responded that Severn Trent has given assurances about the water supply, and that they are forced to connect up any new homes to the water supply. Are concerned about the access and the exit onto High Street where there is already a lot of street parking and a lot of congestion at key times.

 

Cllrs raise concerns about the traffic issues on High Street, and felt that it needs some traffic management scheme, and that this application will make the situation worse as it exits onto High Street.

 

Cllrs debated how much weight should be given to the Local Plan and the Neighbourhood  Plan, as neither has been adopted yet, but neither plan include this site as a potential site in Waltham.

 

A Cllr raises concerns about the heritage issue in the Borough, as it is a very historic conservation village, and a historically important site.

 

A Cllr comments that too many details go against this application, and it has the most objections of any site this evening, so Cllrs should listen to the people.

 

Cllr Wyatt Proposed a Refusal of the application, because it is not in either the local plan or the neighbourhood plan, as well as access and traffic issues on High Street. And will likely exacerbate the existing water issues in the village.

 

Cllr Posnett Seconded the proposal.

 

The Head of Strategic Planning and Regulatory Services comments that neither the Local Plan nor the Neighbourhood Plan have been adopted yet, so should be given limited weight. The NPPF states that for an application to be refused harm must significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits.

 

A Cllr comments that both plans must be given some weight at this stage of the process.

 

Cllr Wyatt reiterated his reasons for proposing refusal as:

It is situated on a Country Lane with very poor access

It will increase traffic issues on High Street

It is not included in either local or neighbourhood plans

Archaeological issues.

 

A Vote was taken. All 11 members supported the motion for the application to be refused.

 

The Application was unanimously refused.

 

DETERMINATION: REFUSED. For the following reason:

 

The proposed development would be contrary to the emerging Melton Local Plan (polices SS3 and C1) and Waltham on the Wolds and Thorpe Arnold Neighbourhood Plan (policies S1, H1. ENV 11 and ENV 12) and would result in the loss of an identified heritage asset in the form 'ridge and furrow' features and create a severe impact on highways conditions on High St., Waltham arising from the quantity of traffic generated and the route it would follow. These impacts would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits arising from the proposals.