Agenda Document for Planning Committee, 07/03/2016 16:00
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Agenda Item 4 REPORT TO: Planning Committee REPORT NO. HCWD/06/16 DATE: 7 March 2016 REPORTING OFFICER: Head of Community Wellbeing & Development CONTACT OFFICER: David Williams (Ext 8775) SUBJECT: Development Control Applications WARD: N/A PURPOSE OF THE REPORT To determine the listed planning applications. INFORMATION Detailed reports on each application together with the recommendations are attached. RECOMMENDATION See attached reports. BACKGROUND PAPERS None. Page 13 REPORT OF THE HEAD OF COMMUNITY WELLBEING AND DEVELOPMENT – Date 7th March 2016 Community Code No Applicant Recommendation Pages MAE P/2014 /0903 MR WAYNE WILLIAMS GRANT 15 - 20 GWE P/2015 /0270 THE CHURCH IN GRANT 21 - 31 WALES MIN P/2015 /0644 NEW RIVER RETAIL GRANT 32 – 48 PROPERTY UNIT TRUST, NO. 4 CEF P/2015 /0697 MR BRIAN DAVIES GRANT 49 – 52 LLR P/2015 /0809 MRS ANNE ROBERTS GRANT 53 – 61 GLY P/2015 /0810 E & J MORRIS REFUSE 62 – 85 WRR P/2015 /0812 GOWER HOMES GRANT 86 – 100 MR M FORGRAVE WRR P/2015 /0899 MONTPELIER ESTATES GRANT 101 – 103 LTD WRR P/2015 /0900 MONTPELIER ESTATES GRANT 104 – 116 LTD ROS P/2015 /0928 MR LEE MYTTON GRANT 117 – 119 BRN P/2015 /0962 FARM ADVENTURE GRANT 120 – 135 MR & MRS MIDDLETON WRR P/2016 /0011 MR ANDREW ROBERTS GRANT 136 – 140 LGC P/2016 /0021 MRS S WHITE GRANT 141 – 145 BRY P/2016 /0040 MS A WILLIAMS GRANT 146 – 152 Total Number of Applications Included in Report: 14 All plans included in this report are re-produced from Ordnance Survey Mapping with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. Crown Copyright. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown Copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings. WCBC Licence No. LA0902IL All plans are intended to be illustrative only and should be used only to identify the location of the proposal and the surrounding features. The scale of the plans will vary. Full details may be viewed on the case files. Page 14 REPORT OF THE HEAD OF COMMUNITY WELLBEING AND DEVELOPMENT – Date 7th March 2016 APPLICATION NO: LOCATION: DATE RECEIVED: P/2014 /0903 LAND SOUTH OF GRANGE ROAD 03/12/2014 PENLEY WREXHAM LL13 0LS COMMUNITY: CASE OFFICER: Maelor South DESCRIPTION: PF ERECTION OF AGRICULTURAL BUILDINGS (PARTLY IN WARD: RETROSPECT) INCLUDING AGENT NAME: Overton GENERAL PURPOSE BUILDING, MR WAYNE WILLIAMS POULTRY SHEDS, BOAR & WEANER PENS, STRAW / FEED STORE AND CATTLE & SHEEP HANDLING FACILITY APPLICANT(S) NAME: MR WAYNE WILLIAMS ______________________________________________________________ THE SITE Location of proposed structures PROPOSAL Planning permission is sought for the erection of agricultural buildings, more specifically the following: - a livestock handling and feed store (7m by 16m at a max height of 3.5m), - a poultry house (measuring 4.9m by 2.5m at a max height of 2.8m), Page 15 REPORT OF THE HEAD OF COMMUNITY WELLBEING AND DEVELOPMENT – Date 7th March 2016 - a poultry house (measuring 2.3m by 3.7m at a max height of 2.5m), - a boar pen (measuring 5.6m by 6.1m at a max height of 2.5m) and - a weaner pen and attached general purpose store (5.7m by 6.5m at a max height of 3.1m). The applicant has confirmed that the extent of his agricultural holding is 16.65 acres (6.738 hectares ) and that the application site is his only parcel of land at present. The application is made partially in retrospect. HISTORY None. DEVELOPMENT PLAN The site is located outside any defined settlement and within a Special Landscape Area. Policies PS2, GDP1, EC3, EC4, EC6 and T8 are relevant. CONSULTATIONS Community Council: Object for the following reasons. - The land in question is a special landscape area. The members are concerned that the erection of the proposed buildings will be an eye-sore on a landscape of natural beauty. - The members feel that the plans equate to overdevelopment of the piece of land. - The members have concerns that this overdevelopment of buildings will lead to intensification of animal keeping and use of the land. - The land in question is home to many forms of wildlife. Indeed there is a pond, which may be home to great-crested newts as they have been found on nearby land in similar habitats. - It has been brought to the attention of the members that the planning application notice for this particular case was taken down within a couple of hours of it being displayed. This causes great concern as correct protocol was not followed. Local Member(s): Notified 11.12.2014 Site notice: Expired 12.01.2015 Highways: Recommends that the access at the site is improved to include improved visibility splays given the intensification of the use of the site. Parks and Rights of Way: Consulted 10.12.2014 Public Protection: Advice note in relation to construction activity. NRW: Liaise with Authority ecologist. Page 16 REPORT OF THE HEAD OF COMMUNITY WELLBEING AND DEVELOPMENT – Date 7th March 2016 Welsh Water: Consulted 10.12.2014 Ramblers Association: Consulted 10.12.2014 Shropshire County Council:Consulted 10.12.2014 Neighbouring occupiers: One neighbouring occupier notified. One representation received raising the following points: - The gate posts and field is becoming unsightly spoiling the landscape for those walking past; - The buildings are out of character scattered across the site; - If approved there should be better screening of the buildings from the lane. The site notice was immediately removed. SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS: Background: The proposed development is partly in retrospect and consists of the erection of various agricultural buildings and structures associated with the applicant’s small holding on the site. The buildings are not associated with an existing farm complex. The land is effectively visited on a daily basis by the applicant. Policy EC3 usually requires new farm buildings to be erected where it can be demonstrated that there is minimal impact upon the environment or the surrounding landscape. Isolated buildings will only be permitted where there is an essential agricultural need and there is no reasonable alternative location for the development. In this instance the above does not apply as there is no existing farm complex. However, having considered the records available to me, there is evidence of agricultural buildings scattered on the site in 2009, along with the provision of a trackway through the site to the area where the proposed buildings are located. I am satisfied that the buildings are relatively minor in their scale, consisting of an implement and machinery shed, small poultry houses, pig sty and the largest building being a cattle handling shed with feed/hay store. I consider the principle of the buildings can be accepted given the potential benefits in regularising the existing ad hoc agricultural nature of the entire site. Detailed material considerations are discussed below. Ecology: The site is located on the edge of a county wildlife site. Policy EC6 presumes against development within such sites unless there is an overwhelming need demonstrated. The development has already occurred in this instance and there have been significant alterations to the boundary treatments of the site, most notably the removal of a length of hedgerow along the northern boundary adjacent to the proposed buildings. The removal of this hedgerow would normally have required consent under The Hedgerow Regulations 1997. In terms of the quality of the county wildlife site it is noted by officers that the quality of the site has severely degraded over time, to the point where its biodiversity value is now considered questionable. For this reason, I do not Page 17 REPORT OF THE HEAD OF COMMUNITY WELLBEING AND DEVELOPMENT – Date 7th March 2016 consider that there is sufficient justification to recommend that this planning application be refused on the grounds of the impact upon the integrity of this wildlife site. However, given the removal of the features of habitat and landscape value as mentioned above, the applicant has provided an ecological report including a method statement and mitigation measures. This report includes of the provision of mitigation measures such as pond management and planting to boost great crested newt habitat, grassland management as well as the creation of hedgerows to replace those which were significantly removed prior to the submission of this application. I consider that these measures will significantly increase the biodiversity value of the site, which was significantly degraded prior to the submission of this application and likely prior to the carrying out of any building works on site. Visual Impact: The site is located within a Special Landscape Area. Policy EC5 requires developments to conserve or enhance the existing landscape. I am satisfied that the proposed buildings are small ancillary agricultural structures. The largest is a low level, partially open fronted cattle pen and fodder store consisting of steel cladding and concrete block work. Whilst the site is within a special landscape area, I consider these grouped buildings will have minimal landscape impact. The site is located some 150 metres from Grange Road and whilst a public right of way passes the location of the buildings, subject to the recreation of the hedgerow as indicated by the submitted ecological report, visual impact from this viewpoint will be minimised. Highways: The buildings are accessed by an existing trackway running north east to south west across the site. This track terminates at an access onto Grange Road and has been established since at least 2009. Highways consider that the proposed development will result in a material increase in traffic from the site and have recommended improvements to the access consisting of hedgerow removal and access widening. Whilst the visibility from the site access is poor, I do not consider that the level of traffic generated from the site will materially increase to a level that would warrant the significant hedgerow removal at the existing access to provide a widened access or visibility splays which would ultimately result in visual detriment to the locality.