Broadway Parish Council
Broadway Parish Council
Minutes of a meeting of the Planning Committee held onMonday 7 December 2015 in Broadway Village Hall at 6.30 pm
Present : Cllrs C Trueman (Acting Chairman), R Baker (member of the public at this meeting), J Champion, L Jones, A Towers, G Winter, County/District Cllr L Vijeh
(left at 7pm to attend another meeting), Mrs J Davidson (Clerk), Mr S Travers (Boon Brown Architects) and 33 members of the public.
1/12/15 Appointment of Chairman for this Meeting
It was proposed, seconded and unanimously resolved for Cllr Trueman to act as the Chairman for this meeting.
2/12/15 Apologies
All members of the Parish Council were present at the meeting. County/District Cllr Vijeh conveyed her apologies as she would be required to leave early in order to be able to attend another meeting which had also been scheduled for this evening.
3/12/15 Declarations of Interest/Dispensation Requests
Cllr Baker declared a personal interest in the two planning applications - Land Rear of the Bell Inn (part owner of land adjacent to this site) and Land adjoining the Village Hall (friend of the applicant). Cllr Baker made the request for the Parish Council to give consideration as to whether he could remain in the room, as a member of the public, and it was unanimously resolved for him to be allowed to do so.
4/12/15 Planning
A) Mr S Travers – - Boon Brown Architects - attended the meeting and presented a summary, on behalf of the applicant, of the following planning application :
Application No. / 15/04866/OUTApplicant / G Pavier and M Bard
Proposal / Outline application for residential development (for up to 25 No. dwellings) with associated vehicular access arrangements, relocation of parking for Norbeth and The Bell Inn and creation of a pub garden.
Location / Land Rear of the Bell Inn, Broadway Road, Broadway.
i) Public Participation - members of the public were given the opportunity to speak with regard to the above planning application and the following issues were raised :
Cumulative impact of this proposed development along with other proposed development in the Parish
Impact on the environment, amenity and character of Broadway Village
Flooding
Impact on the local highway network and street scene
Proposed density of the development
Maintenance arrangements for the proposed public space within the development
ii) Parish Council Response– the above planning application was received and considered by the Parish Council along with the comments which had been made by the members of the public. The Parish Council initially resolved that it did not object to the principal of some development of this site (3 for : 2 against : 1 abstain) as long as the Planning Authority is satisfied that the applicants’ studies regarding flooding are considered to be adequate and concerns regarding the impact on the local highway network could be satisfactorily addressed. However following further in depth discussion the Parish Council unanimously revoked the initial decision and unanimously resolved that it did OBJECT to the proposal as it presently stands for the following reasons :
Local Planning Policy – it is felt that this proposal does not meet the criteria of Planning Policy SS2. It is also felt that it does not meet the criteria of the Local
Plan Paragraph 5.25 – ‘Future delivery of housing and economic activity in rural locations needs to carefully balance the sustaining of communities against protecting and enhancing the rural environment’.
‘Cumulative Effect’ - currently SSDC has five planning applications under consideration for Broadway which, if all granted, would yield up to a total of 59 dwellings. Although it has been understood from SSDC that it is too early to argue the ‘cumulative effect’, which is felt does not reflect the Local Plan Policy SS2 and Paragraph 5,25, it is felt that a request should be made to SSDC as to whether this could be taken into consideration. Broadway Parish Council is working towards commissioning a Housing Needs Survey during 2016 which will provide evidence of the specific housing needs for the Parish. There are concerns the SSDC currently identified shortfall of the 5 year housing supply needs could fail to take into account housing requirements across the entire district.
Adverse Village Impact - based on the 2015/16 Council Tax Base the number of properties in Broadway Parish is 325 houses. An additional 25 houses in a single development would represent an increase of 7.7%. The latest population count as of the 2011 census (the latest information available) was 740. Using the average number of residents per household in the UK as being 3 then this could represent an additional 75 residents i,e, a 10% increase in the village population. It is felt the density and scale of this proposed development, when combined with the other proposed developments in Broadway, could affect the amenity and rural character of the village if it was approved without giving consideration to the aggregate effect of all the currently proposed developments in the village.
Flooding and Ecology – the Parish Council has concerns that the studies do not adequately address the impact of this development on the existing issues in the area due to flooding particularly in the way the site acts as a flood plain/overflow area for the River Ding. The density and hard landscaping of the proposal could well alter the way in which the site deals with the inundation that occurs, leading to adverse impacts on any proposed new properties, nearby properties, watercourses and public foul sewerage systems. There is an ongoing known problem with sewage and foul water flooding the area down-stream of the site - particularly in Suggs Lane - which occurs when the Ding rises significantly, or floods the area, which causes the drains to overload and bring sewage up through the drain covers which is then deposited on private residential property and the road. This problem has been brought to the attention of both Wessex Water and SSDC but to date the issue has failed to be addressed. It is felt that no further development should be undertaken along this route until this drainage issue can be satisfactorily resolved.
Highway Safety - the proposed new access road, both to the proposed pub parking and wider development, is considered to be far too tight, narrow and potentially dangerous. It is felt the proposal for a footway to be provided only along one side of the proposed new road is unacceptable and a wider splay onto Broadway Road, which is barely wide enough itself at this point, needs to be provided. The proposed new access road would be located directly opposite the 1588 Grade 2 listed Alms Houses which have no parking facilities other than at the front of these properties on Broadway Road. There are already concerns regarding highway safety along the whole stretch of Broadway Road due to the volume of traffic, narrowness of the carriageway and sparse footway provision. It is felt the introduction of a new roadway to service up to 25 houses and a pub would make a narrow and congested stretch of Broadway Road significantly worse.
B) The applicant attended the meeting and presented a summary of the following planning application :
Application No. / 15/05042/OUTApplicant / Fifehead Farms
Proposal / Outline application for residential development of land by the erection of up to 5 dwellings with associated garages and parking, provision of new vehicular and pedestrian access.
Location / Land adjoining the Village Hall, Broadway Street, Broadway.
i) Public Participation Response- members of the public were given the opportunity to speak with regard to the above planning application and the following issues were raised :
Mr N Urch – Village Hall Secretary – spoke of what were felt to be anomalies in the planning application which have been already been brought to the attention of the Planning Officer
Flooding/Impact on foul water sewage system
Location
A positive comment was made regarding the size and scale of the proposal
ii) Parish Council – the above planning application was received and considered by the Parish Council along with the comments which had been made by members of the public. The Parish Council resolved to OBJECT to the above outline planning application for the following reasons :
Design and Access - it was felt that the proposed courtyard design was out of character in the context of the location on the perimeter of a rural village and adjacent to a field. The proposed access was considered to be dangerous for all road users as it opens on to a sharp bend with poor visibility on a very busy country lane which leads to/from the A358. The proposed access is outside of the 30 mph speed limit and traffic can travel at speed before slowing down for the speed restrictions. The road is particularly busy during the early morning and late afternoon/early evening with commuter and school traffic.
Pedestrian Access - although the application includes a proposal for a new footpath across the front of the site this would stop at the western end adjacent to the Village Hall land. There is then no public footpath heading west until as far as the Lamparts Way development which means that pedestrians walking from the site to the school, and other village facilities, would be at risk from vehicles travelling along the road.
Flooding - Broadway Road at this point and most of the way down to the junction with the A358 is subject to flooding particularly during periods of heavy rainfall. Whilst the site itself is elevated from the road, so is not likely to flood, there are concerns that the additional water run-off caused by the site development would cause further flooding problems along the road. Wessex Water and the Highways Authority have attempted to address this problem without success and at times Broadway Road between the north end of Suggs Lane, past the Church to the A358 is impassable. There are also concerns regarding the impact of new development causing further problems with known sewage and foul water flooding issues in other areas of the Parish.
Local Planning Policy - the proposed development is outside of the existing developed village boundary/curtilage which currently ends at the Village Hall and -- ‘Swallows’– a residence on the opposite side of the road. Currently SSDC has five planning applications under consideration for Broadway which, if all granted, would yield up to a total of 59 dwellings. Although it is understood from SSDC that it is too early to argue the ‘cumulative effect’, in the event of all of these planning applications being granted, it is felt that a request should be made to SSDC as to whether this could be taken into consideration. Broadway Parish Council is working towards commissioning a Housing Needs Survey during 2016 which will provide evidence of the specific housing needs for the Parish. It is also felt that this proposal does not meet the criteria of the Local Plan Planning Policy SS2.
4/12/15 Vardens Farm
The applicant of the proposed development at Vardens Farm - Mrs Mitchard - had been hoping to be able to attend this meeting to present an update but had been unable to do so due to travel delays and had submitted a written report. Highways have stipulated that a made up path should be provided from the point opposite the Village Hall car park, along the front of the site to the vehicular entrance, and that visibility on the corner beyond the entrance should be improved by cutting back the hedge and creating a grass verge. Historic England has now confirmed it does not object to the modified application and accept it will not cause appreciable harm to the setting of the Church. Mrs Mitchard has also made the request for the Parish Council to give consideration to the power to enter into negotiations with a land owner to widen a section of road and jointly apply to the
District Council for hedge removal. The correspondence from Mrs S Mitchard was received and considered and it was resolved that no further comment should be made until the principle of this proposed development has been determined by the Planning Authority.
5/12/15 Correspondence
Broadway Village Hall – Planning Application 15/05042/OUT/Plans in Village Hall
Mrs K Paton – Planning Matters/Planning Applications 15/05042/OUT & 15/04866/OUT
Mr P Telford – Parish Council Meeting 7 December 2015
County/District Councillor L Vijeh - Report November 2015
SSDC – Consultation on Potential Leisure Planning Obligations
6/12/15 Casual Vacancy / Date of Next Meeting
The Chairman brought attention to the Casual Vacancy for a Parish Councillor. Anyone who may have an interest is encouraged to contact the Clerk. It was confirmed the next ordinary meeting of the Parish Council will be held on Tuesday 5 January 2016.
The meeting closed at 8 : 30 pm
Signed : .…………………………………………………..……………………………… (Chairman
Date : 5 January 2015
7 December 2015 Minutes Broadway Parish Council 2015/1