Agenda, decisions and minutes

Venue: Sedgemoor Room, Bridgwater House, King Square, Bridgwater, TA6 3AR. View directions

Contact: Democratic Services Email: democraticservicesnorth@somerset.gov.uk 

Media

Items
No. Item

178.

Apologies for Absence

To receive any apologies for absence and notification of substitutions.

Minutes:

Apologies were received from:

Councillor Gill Slocombe

Councillor Bob Filmer

Councillor Brian Bolt substituted by Councillor Lance Duddridge

Councillor Ben Ferguson

179.

Declarations of Interest

To receive and note any declarations of interests in respect of any matters included on the agenda for consideration at this meeting.

 

(The other registrable interests of Councillors of Somerset Council, arising from membership of City, Town or Parish Councils and other Local Authorities will automatically be recorded in the minutes: City, Town & Parish Twin Hatters - Somerset Councillors 2023 )

Minutes:

Councillor Kathy Pearce declared a non-registrable interest in Application no: 08/2/00365, 12 Monmouth Street, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA6 5EJ as a member of Bridgwater Town Council but had not taken part in any discussions.

 

Councillor Matthew Martin declared a non-registrable interest in Application no: 34/24/00005, Land to the North of Olivers Road, Middlezoy, Bridgwater as he had been involved in conversations in the past but he remained open minded and undetermined.

 

Councillor Hilary Bruce declared an  non-registrable interest as a member of the Parrett Drainage Board but had not taken part in any conversations.

 

Councillor Brian Smedley declared a non-registrable interest as a member of Bridgwater Town Council and was not a part of the Planning Committee there and

had not taken part in any discussions

 

Councillor Pauline Ham  declared a non-registrable interest as a member of Axbridge Town Council but there were no applications at this meeting for her Ward.

 

Councillor Alistair Hendry declared a non-registrable interest as a member of Axe Brue Internal Drainage Board but had not taken part in any discussions.

 

Councillor Lance Duddridge declared a non-registrable interest as a member of Axe Brue Internal Drainage Board but had not taken part in any discussions.

180.

Public Question Time

The Chair to advise the Committee of any items on which members of the public have requested to speak and advise those members of the public present of the details of the Council’s public participation scheme.

 

For those members of the public who have submitted any questions or statements, please note, a three-minute time limit applies to each speaker.

 

We are now live webcasting most of our committee meetings and you are welcome to view and listen to the discussion. The link to each webcast will be available on the meeting webpage, please see details under ‘click here to join online meeting’.

 

Requests to speak at the meeting under Public Question Time must be made to democraticservicesnorth@somerset.gov.uk  by 5pm on the Wednesday prior to the meeting.  For those wishing to speak on an application, requests must be made by 5pm on the Thursday prior to the meeting.

Minutes:

Details of public speaking are captured under the minutes of the appropriate application.

181.

Planning Application 08/23/00365 12 Monmouth Street, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA6 5EJ pdf icon PDF 564 KB

Erection of 33no. dwellings, conversion of existing building to create 6no. dwellings, improvement to existing access, landscaping and additional works (to include the demolition of redundant buildings).

Decision:

Resolved to grant permission based on Officer’s recommendations and subject to the prior signing of the S106 agreement as set out and the delegation to Officers to amend the final wording of conditions 7-8 (Surface water drainage) and 11-14 (contamination) as well as condition 6 changed to a compliance condition.

 

Minutes:

The Committee were presented with the application by way of a PowerPoint presentation. The Planning Officer updated the committee explaining that the application was for the erection of 33no. dwellings, conversion of existing building to create 6no. dwellings, improvement to existing access, landscaping and additional works (to include the demolition of redundant buildings).

 

The Committee then heard from Ernie Turner who spoke in support of the application. He highlighted:

 

·      The site had been deteriorating over the past 3 years and was intended to be a residential area. It has become dilapidated and unsightly.

·      There have been issues with antisocial behaviour, including a recent break-in at his property.

·      Improving the site would enhance security and reduce antisocial behaviour benefitting all the neighbours.

·      The development was compliant with the local plan, road access and highway regulations.

 

Next to speak was Rob Harding, who was also in support of this application. He pointed out:

 

·      The current use of the yard is not ideal as the surrounding neighbours suffer from the noisy extractor fans and dust affecting their clean washing and enjoyment of their gardens.

·      They welcome the plans to redevelop the site into family houses and believe it would be a significant improvement for the residential area.

 

The last person to speak was the agent representing the applicants, Mr and Mrs Middleton Smith, Peter Grubb from Lighthouse Development Consulting, who stated that:

 

·      There have been productive pre-application discussions with Officers and adjustments made based on feedback from statutory consultees.

·      They would protect the conservation area by retaining and renovating the frontage building.

·      Neighbours’ privacy would be protected.

·      Through careful building orientation and spacing views of the listed church would be possible and the aircraft hanger would be dismantled and relocated to the Aviation Museum.

·      The development would supply the need for housing with a mix of two and three bedroom houses with various garden sizes.

·      There would be a biodiversity net gain through landscaping and ecological enhancements as well as Electric Vehicle charging points for every plot, the use of heat pumps and rooftop solar panels with no fossil fuels being used.

 

After deliberations surrounding the potential for relocating the proposed bin store  as it was next to the proposed play area, the provision of car parking spaces and affordable housing as well as reassurance over party wall issues,  Councillor Alan Bradford proposed to grant planning permission based on Officer’s recommendations and subject to the prior signing of the S106 agreement as set out and the delegation to Officers to amend the final wording of conditions 7-8 (Surface water drainage) and 11-14 (contamination) as well as condition 6 changed to a compliance condition. This was seconded by Councillor Tony Grimes.

 

(Vote: For: 9, Against: 0, Abstain: 1)

           

Resolved:

 

To grant planning permission based on Officer’s recommendations and subject to the prior signing of the S106 agreement as set out and the delegation to Officers to amend the final wording of conditions 7-8 (Surface water drainage) and 11-14 (contamination) as well as  ...  view the full minutes text for item 181.

182.

Planning Application 34/24/00005 Land to the North of Olivers Road, Middlezoy, Bridgwater pdf icon PDF 169 KB

Variation of Condition 2 of Planning Permission 34/24/00003 (Variation of Condition 5 of Planning Permission Application No. 34/23/00007 (Proposed formation of a temporary material stockpile for reservoir embankment construction, erection of fencing and gates, siting of welfare unit, alterations to existing access with parking and turning area.) to amend previously submitted documentation, to allow for a change to the proposed access route.) to amend the approved plans list in Schedule A to permit the amendment of the consented height of the stockpile.

Decision:

Resolved to grant planning permission subject to the Officer’s recommendations.

Minutes:

The Committee were presented with the application by way of a PowerPoint presentation. The Planning Officer updated the committee explaining that the application was for the variation of Condition 2 of Planning Permission 34/24/00003 (Variation of Condition 5 of Planning Permission Application No. 34/23/00007 (Proposed formation of a temporary material stockpile for reservoir embankment construction, erection of fencing and gates, siting of welfare unit, alterations to existing access with parking and turning area.) to amend previously submitted documentation, to allow for a change to the proposed access route.) to amend the approved plans list in Schedule A to permit the amendment of the consented height of the stockpile.

 

The Committee then heard from Westonzoyland Parish Council representative, Councillor Liz Parfitt, who spoke in objection to the application and highlighted:

 

·      That raising the stockpile height to 4 metres was a material consideration due to its impact on pollution.

·      There was a lack of consultation with Natural England, Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and other environmental bodies, which raised concerns about potential bias from the Environment Agency.

·      The need to double the height was questioned as the Environment Agency indicated that the current stockpile was sufficient.

·      There were concerns that some important impacts, such as the release of Carbon Dioxide had not been considered in the report.

·      The Parish Council suggested:

 

     Restricting the stockpile height to 3 meters

     Maintaining an angle of repose between 20 to 25 degrees

     Adhering to a wet weather protocol

     Limit fill to 25,000 cubic meters

 

Councillor Andy Dingwall  spoke in his capacity as representative of Bridgwater East & Bawdrip and he was in opposition to the application. He highlighted:

 

·      Suggested a delay in making the decision for further consideration until relevant statutory bodies were properly consulted.

·      Arranging a site visit to observe the impact of Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) traffic.

·      Referring the case to Minerals and Waste or Strategic Planning Committee.

·      There were concerns about infrastructure and the impact on the village as there was no appropriate strategic traffic management plan for the airfield site.

·      HGV traffic through Westonzoyland caused near misses with pedestrians and structural damage to properties and there were reports of HGV movements outside of appropriate working hours.

 

Charmaine Angell, Atkins Realis, representing the Environment Agency, spoke next and highlighted:

 

·      That archeological and environmental constrains had reduced the footprint of the stockpile area, necessitating a higher stockpile to store the required volume of soil.

·      Increasing the stockpile height would allow all soil to be moved in one operation, reducing the number of HGV deliveries and overall disruption.

·      Somerset Council Highways Authority had no objection to the application.

·      HGVs transporting soil were using designated routes within the approved traffic management plan, avoiding the village of Westonzoyland.

·      Regular checks confirmed compliance with the traffic management plan.

·      The increase in stockpile height would not result in additional HGV movements.

 

Councillor Hilary Bruce raised concerns about ecology, potential chemical reactions and greater compaction caused by the proposed change. Following deliberations around the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 182.

183.

Planning Application 54/24/00003 Land at Woolavington Hill. Woolavington, Bridgwater, Somerset pdf icon PDF 375 KB

Variation of Conditions 20 and 41 of Planning Permission Application No. 54/19/00008 (Hybrid (full and outline) application. Full application for the erection of 100 dwellings including 30 affordable homes and associated infrastructure. Outline application with some matters reserved for the erection of up to 75 dwellings and associated infrastructure.) to amend the wording within the condition.

 

Application for the modification of Planning Obligation (Section 106 Agreement) dated 15th March 2022 relating to Planning Permission 54/19/00008 to amend the obligation regarding affordable housing.

Decision:

Resolved:

To grant permission to grant permission subject to a Deed of Variation to the approved S106 Agreement dated 15/03/2022.

Minutes:

The Committee were presented with the application by way of a PowerPoint presentation. The Planning Officer updated the committee explaining that the application was for the variation of Conditions 20 and 41 of Planning Permission Application No. 54/19/00008 (Hybrid (full and outline) application. Full application for the erection of 100 dwellings including 30 affordable homes and associated infrastructure. Outline application with some matters reserved for the erection of up to 75 dwellings and associated infrastructure.) to amend the wording within the condition.

 

The Planning Officer further explained that the application was also for the modification of Planning Obligation (Section 106 Agreement) dated 15th March 2022 relating to Planning Permission 54/19/00008 to amend the obligation regarding affordable housing.

 

Parish Councillor Alan Sharp first spoke in his capacity as Chair of Woolavington Parish Council and he was objecting to the application.

 

He highlighted:

 

·      The Parish Council objected to reducing the number of affordable homes to make the development viable as there was a substantial local housing need in Woolavington.

·      Proposed deferring the decision and requested an open-minded review with key stakeholders, including the Parish Council.

 

Next to speak was the agent, Chris Marsh, from Pegasus Planning Group Ltd, representing the Applicant, Wain Homes. He highlighted:

 

·      The site already had planning permission for 475 dwellings.

·      Some planning conditions needed to be reframed for precision and enforceability.

·      The development was currently undeliverable without adjustments due to a cooling of the housing market because of high inflation and rates as well as reduced prices from registered providers and increasing building costs. Viability showed evidence that the scheme could not support more than 23 affordable homes.

·      Adjustments were needed in line with the adopted local plan and D6 Policy.

·      Wain Homes was committed to delivering new homes and acknowledged the local need for affordable housing.

 

Councillor Kathy Pearce sought and received an explanation about the proposed review mechanism. After deliberations around sufficient affordable housing and that the planning policies were very similar to other policies around the country Councillor Alistair Hendry proposed to grant permission subject to a Deed of Variation to the approved S106 Agreement dated 15/03/2022 which was seconded by Councillor Tony Grimes.

 

(Vote: For: 9, Against: 0, Abstain: 1)

 

Resolved:

 

To grant permission to grant permission subject to a Deed of Variation to the approved S106 Agreement dated 15/03/2022.