CASE OFFICER's REPORT Application
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CASE OFFICER'S REPORT Application Reference: 18/01366/FUL Date of Inspection: 20/02/18 Date site notice posted: 20/02/18 Date of press notice: NA POLICIES: Government Guidance: National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) revised 24 July 2018 National Planning Policy Guidance (NPPG) Wiltshire Core Strategy (WCS): Core Policy 1: Settlement Strategy Core Policy 2: Delivery Strategy Core Policy 3: Infrastructure Requirements Core Policy 4: Spatial Strategy: Amesbury Community Area Core Policy 43: Providing Affordable Homes Core Policy 44: Rural Exceptions Sites Core Policy 45: Meeting Wiltshire’s Housing Needs Core Policy 50: Biodiversity And Geodiversity Core Policy 51: Landscape Core Policy 57: Ensuring high quality design and place shaping Core Policy 58: Historic Environment Core Policy 60: Sustainable Transport Core Policy 61: Transport and New Development Core Policy 64: Demand Management Housing Land Supply Statement (March 2018) Saved policies of the Salisbury District Local Plan: C6 – Development within the Special Landscape Area Wiltshire Local Transport Plan 2011-2026: Car Parking Strategy Supplementary Planning Guidance: Idmiston Neighbourhood Development Plan (Made April 2017) Adopted Supplementary Planning Document 'Creating Places Design Guide’ April 2006 Idmiston, Porton & Gomeldon Village Design Statement (March 2013) ISSUES/PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS: Principle Housing need The impact on the character and appearance of the area Third party representations Highway considerations Archaeology Ecology Neighbour amenity REPRESENTATIONS: Parish Council: Support, site G1 on the Neighbourhood plan Third Party Representations: 5 letters received, 2 objections, 1 no objections but request for conditions, 1 general comments and 1 support. Comments included in full below:- Objections The site of the proposed development falls outside the established developed boundary of the village. The proposed development encroaches into open country to the south of Gomeldon village towards Winterbourne Gunner reducing the open space between these two separate villages and threatening their independence as separate villages. This is contrary to Policy 1 of the Neighbourhood Plan:- For the villages to remain as recognisably separate places, with their own identities, it is critical that these physical and visual breaks between our settlements are retained. Consequently, any development which prejudices the continued separation of our existing villages from each other, and from those in neighbouring parishes, will not be supported. The proposed development is contrary to the Neighbourhood Plan Policy 19 in that the site does not fit the criterion of “infill development” and should be refused on the ground set out in Policy 19:- …………………Subject to other policies in this Plan new residential development proposals will be supported to achieve the housing requirement where they deliver infill development or at the large village of Porton small scale development of no more than 11 homes within and immediately adjacent to the settlement boundary of Porton, as established in the Core Strategy. Residential development elsewhere in the Plan area will be resisted. The proposal is contrary to the Rationale of the Neighbourhood Plan Housing policy (page 37) because the site does not fit the criterion of “infill within the existing built up areas”:- The Gomeldons are collectively identified as a small village where development will be limited to infill within the existing built up areas. I am unhappy about the proposed development on this land for two reasons. Firstly, any additional entrances for traffic onto the lane so close to the exit on Gomeldon Hill and the primary school around the corner will create more vehicular conflict. Already I frequently have to reverse my car in this area of the lane to allow others past. We still get cars parking on the side of the lane of the proposed development which again causes difficulties in squeezing past. The hedgerows bordering this land in the lane have been allowed to overgrow and cause scratching and other superficial damage to cars going down the lane. Second, the proposal is to have trees and hedgerows planted to mask the house. The unintended consequence of this is that visibility will be increasingly difficult to exit the lane right onto Gomeldon Hill. When the landowner had Christmas trees on the site it was difficult to get a good line of sight when attempting to turn right; I assume the proposed plan will not improve visibility. NO OBJECTIONS BUT REQUEST CONDITIONS - we have no overall objections to this application - however we would ask that a number of conditions are placed upon it in order to protect the amenity of local residents: - limits to working hours such that there be no start before 8am, and no finish beyond 6.30pm Monday to Friday inclusive, 8am to 1pm Saturdays with no works allowed on Sundays and Bank Holidays - no construction vehicles or visitors of any kind before or after construction be allowed to park in the narrow single track lane - and for the benefit of residents, school traffic and the considerable commuter traffic to/from Porton Down, no deliveries be permitted between 8am and 9am and again from 2.30pm to 3.30pm Mondays to Fridays inclusive. This is because lorries will have to enter and leave by the Gomeldon Hill access and with no space in which to turn, they will be forced to either reverse in or out across high volumes of traffic including bus services. GENERAL COMMENTS I wish to shed some light on the apparent anomalies contained within the Neighborhood Plan which Mr Gibbons quite correctly quotes in his letter. I am writing this as a resident that was deeply involved with both the ''Made'' Neighbourhood Plan (NP), and the Village Design Statement (VDS) that preceded it, and it in no way represents the opinion of any other members of the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group nor Idmiston Parish Council. I also wish to place on record that at no time did any members of the NP Steering Group exercise their right as parishioners to vote on any matter contained in the NP, At the conception of the NP, it was agreed to investigate all sites within the Parish of Idmiston that met the criteria as defined on page 7 of the final NP. This says of these sites that “These were assembled from the sites submitted to Wiltshire Council in their 2012 call for sites, those that had been the subject of failed planning applications for housing and those which the owners had given consent for inclusion in the exercise.” These 26 sites were then presented to the parishioners at a public workshop on 6 September 2014. It was at that stage the site which this planning application refers to, which is shown as site G1 in the NP, was considered by the parishioners as being suitable for development. During the next two years the draft NP evolved, using all the guidelines that Wiltshire Council provided us with, and incorporating feedback from questionnaires and meetings. It was during this period, that ‘Policies’ were initially created, and subsequently more closely refined, again following all the recommendations of both Wiltshire Council, and the consultants who we employed to assist us. The 10 sites that had been finally selected for potential development in 2014 were then subjected to a report which was commissioned from Indigo Landscape Architects Limited to test whether development in these locations could possibly be accommodated without impacting on the landscape and visual settings of the villages – see NP page 13. The conclusion was “It is not predicted that the development of these sites would adversely affect the landscape or visual setting of the villages or cause intervisibility between any of the villages“ The draft NP had to be approved by both Wiltshire Council, and also pass investigation by an independent inspector. Only then, could we present this to both Idmiston Parish Council and local parishioners, to see if they wished us to submit the NP to Wiltshire Council in order that it could be ‘Made ‘and thus have the force of statute accorded to it. This duly happened in 2017 I hope that I have explained how a site that is now in breach of the NP policies, was both offered up, and voted on, long before those same policies were created. SUPPORT I fully support this revised application to build on this plot of land. This has been an eyesore for some years, and the applicant has taken on board all the previous reasons for refusal, and presented a considerably smaller development which I believe will actually enhance the village. The very small amount of associated vehicular traffic that this development will create, using an existing entrance, is insignificant compared to the traffic at the junction with Gomeldon Road caused by the local school. On reservation that I have is to ensure that the requirement for adequate visibility of traffic approaching up the hill from Winterbourne meets the necessary criteria, and will continue to do so in the future when and additional trees become fully mature. Highways: West Gomeldon does not have a settlement boundary and as such I have concerns with regards to sustainability relating to the Wiltshire Core Strategy, Core Policy 60 and 61 which seeks to reduce the need to travel particularly by private car, and support and encourage sustainable, safe and efficient movement of people and goods. I shall be guided by you on this matter. However should you be minded to approve the application, please can I be supplied with a drawing indicating the visibility from the vehicle access in both directions. A further plan showing visibility splay was requested and submitted, following this Highways raised no objections subject to conditions Archaeology: Objection As explained in earlier advice given on proposed development area, the site has high potential for significant heritage assets with an archaeological interest.