UPDATE ON LAND WEST OF LYTTON WAY, STEVENAGE
The Development Manager to give a verbal update on Land West of Lytton Way Appeal (Former Icon).
Decision:
The Development Manager provided the Committee with a verbal update on the Land West of Lytton Way and advised that the developer had lodged an appeal.
Following a period of questions and answers, it was RESOLVED that the update be noted.
Minutes:
The Chair invited the Development Manager to provide the Committee with an update on the Land West of Lytton Way.
The Development Manager reminded the Committee that there had previously been an application for the former Icon site, proposing the conversion of undercroft parking areas into 16 additional flats. The case officer had presented this proposal to the Committee, which subsequently resolved to refuse planning permission primarily due to concerns about the loss of parking. The loss of parking spaces in the undercroft areas was seen as likely to exacerbate existing on-street parking issues in the surrounding area. Discussions with the Chair and Members led to a more precise definition of the affected streets and the reasons for refusal, which was communicated to the developer.
The Development Manager informed the committee that the developer had formally appealed this decision to the Planning Inspectorate of the Secretary of State. The Council received notification that the appeal was valid, although no start date for the appeal process had been confirmed. The expectation was that the appeal would proceed via written representations. The inspector would then review all evidence and conduct a site visit before making a decision which would likely not involve a public hearing or inquiry, unlike the previous case with this site.
The Development Manager estimated that the appeal process could take a minimum of a year, given current backlogs and potential delays due to the upcoming general election. He assured the committee that updates would be provided as more information became available from the Planning Inspectorate.
A Member asked a question relating to the impact of the appeal on any ongoing or planned work on the site. The Development Manager confirmed that the appeal would not affect the original permission, which the developer could still implement. However, the permission for the ground floor flats could not be implemented until the appeal decision was made. He added that it was unlikely that the developer would proceed with any fit-out work on the ground floor until the appeal was resolved, due to the risk of enforcement action and the uncertainty of the inspector’s decision. If the appeal was dismissed, the developer would revert to the original permission. If the appeal was allowed, the council would have to abide by the inspector's decision.
The Chair thanked the Development Manager for his update.
It was RESOLVED that the update on the Land West of Lytton Way be noted.
Update from Development Manager on Housing Delivery Target
At this juncture, the Development Manager acknowledged the significance of the Planning Policy Manager’s update regarding the local plan, which had reached its five-year mark. He explained the implications of this milestone and emphasised the importance of keeping local plans up to date as mandated by the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). According to the NPPF, local plan policies should be reviewed every five years to ensure they remained relevant and effectively addressed community needs, as stipulated under Regulation 10A of the Town and Country Planning (Local ... view the full minutes text for item 5