Agenda item

Field OS 002, Leicester Road, Melton Mowbray

Reference:	19/00245/REM
Applicant:	Barratt Homes
Location:	Land off Field OS 0002, Leicester Road Melton Mowbray
Proposal:	Approval of reserved matters (appearance, landscaping, layout and scale) related to Phase 1 of the outline approval 15/00910/OUT for the erection of a total of 520 dwellings (the wider approved development) and provision of drainage associated infrastructure and public open space (Phase 1 of 17/00717/VAC /15/00910/OUT)

 

The Planning Officer addressed the committee and provided a brief summary on progress of the application.   Mr Nallamilli also explained :

 

·         This proposal followed on from the planning application just considered and was linked to the wider site  

·         The report set out the key design policies and identified some faults with the design approach taken by the developer on pages 7 and 8

·         Since the circulation of the report recommending refusal the applicants had submitted new images of the site access which were displayed to the Committee

·         The applicants had submitted a whole series of sectional landscaping plans to demonstrate why their landscaping was acceptable. The updated plans did not address the landscaping issues identified

·         Boundary Wall – the applicants were proposing a boundary wall as a design feature at the entrance off Kirby Lane, it would be more appropriate for this to be a green filtered screen

·         Recommendation - Officers met with Barratts in the previous week, the agricultural land owner’s representative Mr Granger and a representative from Gladmans who secured the outline scheme and were still involved in the subsequent transactions, however since circulation of the report, Officers had received further correspondence from Barratts. They still requested that the Reserved Matters application (Ref: 19/00245/REM) be considered by the committee in its current submission

·         Barratts had committed themselves to working with officers positively to improve the scheme in terms of the layout and offered to negotiate on the second application if this scheme was refused

·         Officers welcomed the commitment from the developer to get their design team to resolve the design’s issues which had been identified and as such he proposed that the recommendation be changed to deferral.  This was to enable the developers to meet with officers and negotiate an improved scheme with a focus on the following :

 

(a)   a scheme that will function well and add to the overall quality of the area, not just for the short-term but over the lifetime of the development;

(b)   produce something that is visually attractive as a result of good architecture, layout and appropriate and effective landscaping;

(c)    produce something which is sympathetic to local character and history, including the surrounding built environment and landscape setting;

(d)   establish a strong sense of place, using the arrangement of streets, spaces, building types and materials to create attractive, welcoming and a distinctive places to live, and visit;

(e)   produce a sustainable development which also recognises the implications arising from the effects of climate change.

 

To achieve and secure these objectives the Planning Officer suggested a change to the recommendation :

 

That the Planning application be deferred to enable the  Assistant Director for Planning and Delivery in consultation with the Chair and Vice Chair of the Planning Committee to facilitate a series of design workshops with Barratts  Design  Team to secure the design objectives referred to above and then to report the Revised Scheme back to Planning Committee for further consideration.

 

Pursuant to Chapter 2, Part 9, Para 2.8-2.28 of the Council’s Constitution in relation to public speaking at Planning Committee, the Chair allowed the following to give a four minute presentation :

 

Robert Galij of Barratt Homes

 

Following questions from Members, Mr Galij confirmed:

 

·         In his speech he had tried to put the other side of the story to the application but wished to continue dialogue and working with the Council to reach an amicable settlement

·         There was a second application, similar to the one under consideration, in progress and the developers were satisfied with the second scheme

 

During discussion the following points were noted:

 

·         The developers’ second application was almost identical and was in the planning system and this was a strategy adopted by some developers, however the committee needed to focus on the current application before them

·         Planning Officers had worked as a team on this application in a professional way; by sharing information and offering different views  Officers had to express their views to improve the scheme even if they were not popular with the developer.  A deferral would help all sides continue to move forward with this application

·         The developer could submit an appeal on the basis of being over time in determining the application, however it was considered that the amendments to the recommendation would provide a positive way forward for the Developer and the Planning authority to work together

·         Members were supportive of a deferral to allow discussions to continue and to ensure the best scheme possible was approved that met all their aspirations

·         Ward Councillors be invited to future meetings concerning the application

 

Councillor Holmes proposed that the application be deferred to allow officers to work with the developer to address the issues highlighted in the report.  This was seconded by Councillor Higgins.

 

RESOLVED

 

That application 19/00245/REM be DEFERRED to enable the  Assistant Director for Planning and Delivery in consultation with the Chair and Vice Chair of the Planning Committee and the Ward Councillors to facilitate a series of design workshops with Barratts  Design  Team, for all parties  to work positively and proactively to secure the design, sustainability and climate change objectives set out in the Adopted Local Plan  and to specifically address and deliver the following objectives;

 

(a)  a scheme that will function well and add to the overall quality of the area, not just for the short-term but over the lifetime of the development;

(b)  produce something that is visually attractive as a result of good architecture, layout and appropriate and effective landscaping;

(c)  produce something which is sympathetic to local character and history, including the surrounding built environment and landscape setting;

(d)  establish a strong sense of place, using the arrangement of streets, spaces, building types and materials to create attractive, welcoming and a distinctive places to live, and visit;

(e)  produce a sustainable development which also recognises the implications arising from the effects of climate change.

 

(Unanimous)