Agenda, decisions and draft minutes

To receive any apologies for absence and notification of substitutions.

Apologies were received from Councillors Michael Dunk, Wes Read and Andy Soughton, who was substituted by Councillor Martin Lovell.

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 )

An additional interest was declared by Councillor Barry Clarke on Agenda Item 4 – Callow Rock Quarry – SCC/4100/2024, he had been a previous employee of the quarry, but had been advised he was permitted to take part in the debate.

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’

The following had requested to speak under Public Question Time:-

·       David Orr – Nutrient Neutrality Mitigation

·       David Hiscox – Phosphates

All submissions for Public Question Time and Public Speakers for each application are detailed in Annex A to the minutes.

To consider the officer recommendations within the report.

Councillor Mike Caswell proposed the officer’s recommendations, which were seconded by Councillor Barry Clarke.

Having been duly proposed and seconded, the Strategic Planning Committee resolved that planning permission be granted subject to conditions and subject to the variation of the legal agreement as outlined within the report.

(Vote – Unanimous For)

The Principal Planning Officer for Development and Planning, Colin Arnold, introduced the report and application.  His presentation covered: the details of the application, relevant legislation; and highlighted the impacts on the local amenity, ecology and protected species and on the living conditions of neighbours, in particular the noise levels.

The Committee were addressed by a representative from Shipham Parish Council and the applicant, details of their submissions are contained in Annex A of the minutes.

During the debate, the following points were raised:-

·       Councillors queried where the nearest residential property was located in relation to the site.

The Principal Planning Officer for Development and Planning advised it was located quite some considerable distance away from the site.

·       Councillors agreed that the starting time should be aligned with the other part of the quarry and that the proposed amendment to this part had not produced an additional noise pollution or traffic.

·       Councillors highlighted that the nearest Site of Scientific Interest was Cheddar Woods and that they had not received any submission from them, which gave councillors some reassurance on the application.

·       Councillors requested assurance that the noise survey had been carried out properly as stated in the application.

The Principal Planning Officer for Development and Planning advised that the survey had been carried out over a year and been signed off by officers from Environmental Health.

·       Councillors highlighted the 15m screen bund, detailed in the report, which had improved the noise pollution in the area.

Councillor Mike Caswell proposed the officer’s recommendations, which were seconded by Councillor Barry Clarke.

Having been duly proposed and seconded, the Strategic Planning Committee resolved that planning permission be granted subject to conditions and subject to the variation of the legal agreement as outlined within the report.

(Vote – Unanimous For)

To consider the officer recommendations within the report.

Councillor Barry Clarke proposed the officer’s recommendations, which were seconded by Councillor Philip Ham.

Having been duly proposed and seconded, the Strategic Planning Committee resolved that planning permission be Granted.

(Vote – Unanimous For)

The Principal Planning Officer for Development and Planning, Colin Arnold, introduced the report and application. His presentation covered: the details of the application; relevant legislation; and highlighted the main issues for consideration, which included: principle of development, visual impact, impact on sewer, flood risk, material inaccuracies and environmental impact assessment.

The Committee were addressed by the agent, details of their submission are contained in Annex A of the minutes.

During the debate, the following points were raised:-

·       Councillors made reference to the Mapperton Ridge case which was similar to the site at Brookhayes Farm.  They queried what the main differences on the sites were and wanted assurance on the nuances on each site.

The Principal Planning Officer for Development and Planning advised the key differences were the scale of the material used on the sites.

·       Councillors queried why the local division member had requested for the application to come to committee.

Councillor Barry Clarke proposed the officer’s recommendations, which were seconded by Councillor Philip Ham.

Having been duly proposed and seconded, the Strategic Planning Committee resolved that planning permission be Granted.

(Vote – Unanimous For)

Meeting adjourned at 2.55pm.

Meeting restarted at 3.00pm.

To note the update provided within the quarterly report.

Councillor Tony Lock proposed the officer’s recommendations, which were seconded by Councillor Martin Wale.

Having been duly proposed and seconded, the Strategic Planning Committee resolved that the Strategic Planning Committee noted the Update Report; and

raised serious concerns on the Planning Department and the direction of the service due to the emerging changes as a result of the Council’s Restructure Programme.

The Head of Planning, Alison Blom-Cooper, introduced the report and gave a short presentation on the performance figures for Quarter 2 (July to September) of 2024- 25, along with an update on the National Planning Policy Framework.

The presentation included information on the following:-

Ø  Planning applications received.

Ø  Major, minor and other applications determined within national targets.

Ø  Two year rolling figures for Minerals and Waste.

Ø  Pre-application enquiries.

Ø  Appeal decisions.

Ø  Enforcement cases on hand and resolved/closed.

During the discussion, the following points were raised:-

·       Councillors requested clarification on land supplies and the impact the new Local Plan would have on the figures for across Somerset.

·       Concern was raised on the report on the Council Restructure being taken to the Special Full Council on 12 February 2025, which detailed a reduction in the workforce within the Planning Service.  The Chair of the Committee urged all members to raise their concerns at the meeting to highlight the plea for the Planning Service and proposed an additional recommendation:-

The Strategic Planning Committee raised serious concerns on the Planning Department and the direction of the service due to the emerging changes as a result of the Council’s Restructure Programme’.

·       Councillors highlighted the number of appeals and requested a breakdown of how many were on officer decisions and how many were on committee decisions.

·       Concern was raised on the level of legal support required for applications and that they would be facing the same reduction in workforce as part of the Council’s Restructure Programme.

·       Councillors requested an update on when the planning systems would be joined up, as currently working on 5 legacy systems.

The Service Manager for Resources, Integration, Minerals and Waste advised that they were building a business case for the new joint system, however, this would take approximately 3 years due to the detailed process required.

·       Concern was raised on the level of enforcement cases and whether it would impact on certificates of lawful use.

Councillor Tony Lock proposed the officer’s recommendations, which were seconded by Councillor Martin Wale.

Having been duly proposed and seconded, the Strategic Planning Committee resolved that the Strategic Planning Committee noted the Update Report; and

raised serious concerns on the Planning Department and the direction of the service due to the emerging changes as a result of the Council’s Restructure Programme.