Decision details

The Development Manager informed the Committee that following the approval of the Stevenage Local Plan at the Annual Council meeting on 22 May 2019, all planning applications were now based on the adopted Local Plan.

The Committee considered an application for the erection of a three storey building comprising 6no. two bed and 3no. one bed flats with associated landscaping. Members noted that the application was required to be considered by Committee as the council was the applicant and landowner. The Development Manager drew attention to the revised conditions 1, 4 and 5.

The Development Manager gave an introduction to the Committee. He advised that the main issues for consideration in the determination of this application were the principle of development in terms of land use policy, the impact on the appearance of the area, impact on neighbourhood amenity, the accessibility of the access and parking arrangements and landscaping proposals.

The Chair invited Mr Pollard, an objector to address the Committee.  Mr Pollard’s objections related to encroachment of the proposed development onto the wooded area, traffic volumes and privacy issues. The objector also informed the Committee that previous occupants had abandoned two separate applications for the extension of a doctors’ surgery on the property. He also commented that an application for 3 dwellings had previously been approved which was more appropriate. The Chair thanked Mr Pollard and informed him that the Planning and Development Committee did not as a procedure carry out site visits prior to considering planning applications.

The Chair then invited the Assistant Director (Housing Development), on behalf of the applicant, to address the Committee. The Assistant Director informed Members that the proposed three storey development had been sympathetically designed. Following pre-application advice, the roof design of the proposed development had been modified from a flat roof to a pitched roof. The Committee was informed that the previous occupant had abandoned expansion plans due to structural failures of the building. The proposed development of 9 affordable rental units was more financially beneficial to the Council than the previous application for three houses on the property.  The Assistant Director referred to a conclusion by the Council’s Arboricultural and Conservation Manager that the proposed development would not have negative impact on the wooded area.

The Chair thanked the Assistant Director and invited the Development Manager to continue with his presentation. Members were advised that the land was previously occupied by a doctor’s surgery and is therefore considered as previously developed. The proposed development was acceptable in land use terms. The Development Manager clarified that the provision of 9 units does not fall within the classification of a major development and there was no requirement to provide affordable housing. However, as a Council owned site, it is proposed that this development would be 100% affordable. He also confirmed that if planning permission is granted, the development could be linked to the proposed North Road scheme (Application 18/00740/FPM) to provide the affordable housing requirement generated by this development. The Development Manager advised that the internal layouts had been carefully developed to protect the privacy of neighbouring properties. He stated that the front to front separation distance of 33m was deemed to be acceptable. It was noted that the Council’s adopted Design Guide does not specify a minimum front to front separation distance.

In response to Members’ questions, the Development Manager commented as follows:

·         The Council would retain ownership of the flats

·         There would be a shared driveway with the neighbouring property

·         The Highways Authority, Hertfordshire County Council, had insisted on the creation of new access to the site – on the southern side, adjacent to the boundary with No. 15 Shephall Way

·         Whilst the proposed development was clearly taller than surrounding properties, it is not considered that the proposal would harm the character and appearance of the area

·         The Council’s Arboricultural and Conservation Manager had not opposed the plans to remove five individual and two groups of trees within the site and five trees within the woodland

·         There was self-seeding around the site

·         The bin store would be located at the front of the site for easy access by future occupiers and refuse collection teams

It was RESOLVED that planning permission be granted subject to the following conditions:

1          The development hereby permitted shall be carried out in accordance with the following approved plans:

13299-P012-D; 13299-P010-E; 13299-S001-C; ARBTECH AIA 01; 13299-P011-B; ARBTECH TPP 01;

2         The development hereby permitted shall be begun before the expiration of three years from the date of this permission.

3         No development above slab level shall take place until a schedule and samples of the materials to be used in the construction of the external surfaces of the development hereby permitted have been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.  Development shall be carried out in accordance with the approved details.

4         The parking, turning and servicing areas shown on drawing number(s) 13299-P010-E shall be provided, marked out and hard surfaced ready for use prior to the first occupation of the premises and shall be made of porous material, or provision shall be made to direct surface water run-off from the hardstanding to a permeable or porous area or surface within the curtilage of the site. They shall be retained in that form and kept available for those purposes thereafter.

5         The development hereby permitted shall not be brought into use until the new access and the repositioning of the existing access have been provided as identified on drawing number 13299-P010-E, and the footway has been reinstated to the current specification of Hertfordshire County Council and to the Local Planning Authority's satisfaction

6         The access shall be constructed in a hard surfacing material for the first 4.80 metres from the back edge of the footway.

7         Prior to the first use of any vehicular access, a visibility splay of 2 metres x 2 metres shall be provided, within which no obstruction shall occur above 0.6 metre or below 2.0 metres in height.  The visibility splay shall be measured along each side of the driveway access and along the back edge of the footway or verge, and shall be permanently maintained thereafter.

8         No demolition or construction work relating to this permission shall be carried out on any Sunday, Public or Bank Holiday nor at any other time, except between the hours of 0730 and 1800 on Mondays to Fridays and between the hours of 0800 and 1330 on Saturdays.

9          Prior to the commencement of development, a detailed scheme of soft and hard landscaping and details of the treatment of all hard surfaces shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The scheme shall include details of all existing trees on the land and details showing all trees to be removed, together with details of all new planting to take place including species, size and method of planting. The approved landscaping scheme shall be implemented in the first planting season following completion of the development.

10        Before any development commences, including any site clearance or demolition works, any trees on the site shall be protected by fencing or other means of enclosure in accordance with a detailed scheme submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.  Such protection as may be agreed shall be inspected and approved by the Local Planning Authority prior to the commencement of the work and maintained until the conclusion of all site and building operations.

11        Any trees or plants comprised within the scheme of landscaping, which within a period of five years from the completion of the development die, are removed or become seriously damaged or diseased shall be replaced in the next planting season with others of similar size and species, unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Local Planning Authority.

12        All hard surfacing comprised in the approved details of landscaping shall be carried out within three months of the first occupation of the building(s) or the completion of the development, whichever is the sooner.

13        No removal of trees, scrub or hedges, shall be carried out on site between the 1st March and 31st August inclusive in any year, unless searched beforehand by a suitably qualified ornithologist.

14        If during the course of development any contamination is found or suspected, works shall cease and the local planning authority shall be informed immediately. The local planning authority may request the nature and extent of any contamination to be investigated in order that a suitable remediation strategy can be proposed. The development shall not continue until any required remediation as agreed in writing by the local planning authority has been undertaken, and the local planning authority has confirmed it has been undertaken to its satisfaction.

15        Before development commences details of wheel cleaning facilities to be provided on site during site preparation and construction works shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.  The approved facilities shall be installed on site before the development commences, including any site clearance or demolition works, and shall be retained in working order until the completion of development and all vehicles leaving the site during this period shall use these facilities.

16        No development shall take place until details of measures to address adaptation to climate change and energy efficiency have been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. These measures shall then be implemented and permanently maintained in accordance with the approved details.