URGENT PART I BUSINESS
To consider any Part I Business accepted by the Chair as urgent.
Decision:
Planning application 21/00256/FPM - Land to the West of Stevenage
The Chair announced that he had accepted as an urgent item of business an information update that had been circulated to Members of the Committee in respect of the Land to the West of Stevenage planning application, which had been approved by the Committee in December 2021, subject to the completion of a Section 106 Agreement.
For the benefit of newer Members and as a reminder to longer-standing Members of the Committee, the Development Manager reprised the presentation he had given to the December 2021 meeting. He advised that the development would comprise 1,500 new homes in two phases (390 units in Phase 1 (Detailed) and 1,110 units in Phases 2 – 4 (Outline)), as well as a Neighbourhood Centre, Primary School, Cricket pavilion/pitch, employment units and a Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA), together with a variety of green and open spaces throughout the site. He described the access and egress arrangements for the site and explained that a new bus route through the development would be funded by the developer.
The Development Manager advised that, since 2021, there had been significant changes in the National Planning Policy Framework and the Housing Delivery Test. Application 21/00256/FPM, together with the associated Section 106 Agreement, had been tested against these changes, and legal advice had been sought.
The Development Manager reported that it had been concluded that the application was still acceptable when measured against current policies and therefore did not need to be re-determined by the Committee. In view of the scale of the application, the Chair and Vice-Chair had agreed that the matter be placed before the Committee for information.
Following a period of questions and answers, it was RESOLVED that the update on application 21/00256/FPM be noted, and that the approach outlined by the Development Manager be supported.
Minutes:
Planning application 21/00256/FPM - Land to the West of Stevenage
The Chair announced that he had accepted as an urgent item of business an information update that had been circulated to Members of the Committee in respect of the Land to the West of Stevenage planning application, which had been approved by the Committee in December 2021, subject to the completion of a Section 106 Agreement.
For the benefit of newer Members and as a reminder to longer-standing Members of the Committee, the Development Manager reprised the presentation he had given to the December 2021 meeting. He advised that the development would comprise 1,500 new homes in two phases (390 units in Phase 1 (Detailed) and 1,110 units in Phases 2 – 4 (Outline)), as well as a Neighbourhood Centre, Primary School, Cricket pavilion/pitch, employment units and a Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA), together with a variety of green and open spaces throughout the site. He described the access and egress arrangements for the site and explained that a new bus route through the development would be funded by the developer.
The Development Manager advised that, since 2021, there had been significant changes in the National Planning Policy Framework and the Housing Delivery Test. Application 21/00256/FPM, together with the associated Section 106 Agreement, had been tested against these changes, and legal advice had been sought.
The Development Manager reported that it had been concluded that the application was still acceptable when measured against current policies and therefore did not need to be re-determined by the Committee. In view of the scale of the application, the Chair and Vice-Chair had agreed that the matter be placed before the Committee for information.
A Member asked a question relating to the location of the development in relation to the Franklin Park development. The Assistant Director (Planning & Regulatory) advised that there was protected space for a potential road that would separate the two developments in addition to a green space.
Some Members asked questions regarding the proposed landscaping and acoustic barrier. The Assistant Director (Planning & Regulatory) responded that the current proposal was for a landscaped mound, as shown in the presentation. The Development Manager added that there was a proposed fence running along the top of the mound which would act as an acoustic barrier for the upper levels of dwellings and flat blocks that otherwise would be subject to noise from the A1(M). The fence was unlikely to be visible from the properties once the vegetation had grown out due to heavy landscaping of the mound.
A Member asked a question relating to the status of the application. The Assistant Director (Planning & Regulatory) advised that permission had not yet been issued as the Section 106 agreement had not yet been signed. The resolution of the Committee in December 2021 was to grant permission subject to the signing of a Section 106 agreement. Once the permission was issued following the signing of the Section 106 agreement, the condition requiring the development to be commenced within ... view the full minutes text for item 6