07/2017/3843/Ful
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Application Number 07/2017/3843/FUL Address Land At Olive Farm and Land North Of Methuen Drive Methuen Drive Hoghton Lancashire Applicant Galliford Try Partnerships Agent Mr Jake Crompton WYG Group Quay West at MediaCityUK Trafford Wharf Road Trafford Park, Manchester M17 1HH UK Development Erection of 70 dwellings (including 18 Affordable rent and 12 shared ownership properties) details of access, landscaping and associated works (Amended description) Officer Recommendation Approval with Conditions Officer Name Mr Chris Sowerby Date application valid 05.12.2017 Target Determination Date 06.03.2018 Extension of Time 07.12.2018 1. REPORT SUMMARY 1.1 The application is a resubmission of an application (07/2017/0621/FUL) previously refused by the Planning Committee. 1.2 The application relates to a 2.37 hectare parcel of land, flat, broadly rectangular in shape and currently used for agriculture, located to the north of an existing residential estate in Hoghton. Hedging and a number of mature trees are present along the site boundaries, none of which are subject to Tree Preservation Orders. The application site is designated as being for ‘Village Development’ under Policy B2 of the South Ribble Local Plan. 1.3 In June 2017 a previous planning application on the site for the erection of 78 dwellings (including 39 affordable dwellings) with associated access and landscaping was refused with the following reasons given: 1. The proximity of the proposed dwelling on Plot 51 to the ground floor windows serving habitable rooms on the northern side of 25 Methuen Avenue would have an overbearing effect which would be detrimental to the residential amenity of the occupiers of 25 Methuen Avenue. As such the proposed development is contrary to Policies B1 and G17 of the South Ribble Local Plan 2012-2026 and Policy 17 of the Central Lancashire Core Strategy and South Ribble Residential Design Guide SPD. 2. The proposal, by virtue of the internal dimensions of the garages on the Clyde, Ribble and Wye house types which fail to meet the recommended minimum dimensions set out in the Joint Lancashire Structure Plan "Car Parking Standards" fails to provide adequate on-site car parking contrary to Policy G17 and Policy F1 in the South Ribble Local Plan 2012-2026. 3. The proposed site layout fails to meet paragraph 9 and 56 of the National Planning Policy Framework which seeks positive improvements in the quality of the built and natural environment. The layout is of poor design that fails to respect the character and appearance of the area in terms of building to plot ratio and Design Principle 6 of the Central Lancashire Design Guide SPD. The proposal would not accord with Policy 17 of the Central Lancashire Core Strategy and Policy G17 of the South Ribble Local Plan. 4. That the increase in traffic flow within the cul-de-sac spur at the head of Methuen Drive comprising of 6, 7, 8, 9 and 11 Methuen Drive resulting from the proposed vehicular access would have a detrimental impact upon residential amenity in terms of the amount of traffic and associated noise resulting from the proposal. This is contrary to Policy B1 criterion c of the South Ribble Local Plan. 1.4 An appeal against the refusal of planning permission was lodged by the applicant to the Planning Inspectorate with this current application being submitted to run concurrent with the appeal. 1.5 In April 2018 the Planning Inspectorate issued their decision in relation to the appeal which was to dismiss the appeal on reasons 1 (impact on 25 Methuen Avenue), 2 (garage sizes) and 3 (density). The Inspector however rejected the Council’s case in relation to the fourth reason for refusal (increase in traffic flow). 1.6 On receipt of the Planning Inspector’s decision, the applicant has sought to address the three reasons for refusal upheld at appeal by way of the submission of amended plans. 1.7 The proposal is for a residential development, comprising of 70 dwellings on the site, of which 30 are proposed to be ‘affordable houses’ (16 shared ownership and 18 affordable rent). The access to serve the proposed development is from the head of Methuen Drive. Existing hedging and mature trees along the site boundaries are proposed to be retained along with supplementary planting concentrated along the eastern boundary and sections of the southern boundary. The main changes made by the applicant in response to the appeal decision can be summarised as: 1. Increasing the spatial separation distance between the midpoint of the side elevation on 25 Methuen Avenue and the side gable of the proposed Plot immediately to the north from 5.8m to 13.5m; 2. Substituting the housetypes deemed to have substandard integral garage sizes with housetypes that have larger garages to accord with adopted parking standards; 3. Reduction in the proposed number of dwellings from 78 (including 39 affordable houses) to 70 dwellings (including 30 affordable houses); 4. Re-orientation of Plots 18-26 to face a realigned proposed estate road; and 5. Terraced properties omitted from the proposed development 1.8 Knowledge in relation to planning applications for housing in close proximity to commercial kennels outside of the Borough received from Officers not involved in the previously refused planning application has also led to an earth bund and acoustic fence being proposed along the northern boundary of the site opposing Plots 20-26 and adjacent to Plot 28. 1.9 Policy B2 permits development which meets a local need, including affordable housing, provided that it can be demonstrated the development cannot be accommodated within the existing built-up area of the village or the site is preferable for the use proposed. At the request of the Inspector who oversaw the examination into the current Local Plan the requirement that “the proposed development does not include market housing” was removed from this policy, thus allowing the construction of market housing on ‘Village Development’ sites as an enabler to deliver one or more of the listed acceptable uses. An application needs to be determined on its own merit as to whether it would meet an identified need. 1.10 The evidence base supplied by the applicant and undertaken by Great Places Housing Group to demonstrate the ‘local need’ remains unchanged from the previously refused application, albeit updated to the latest figures with Strategic Housing raising no objections to the proposal confirming that the development would meet priorities outlined in the South Ribble Housing Framework 2016-2019. The Planning Inspector also did not question the issue of ‘need’ within his appeal decision in relation to the previously refused scheme instead only stating that the proposal would address “a need for affordable homes”. 1.11 Immediately to the north of the site is Cuerdale Hey Farm where, in addition to an agricultural enterprise, a cattery and kennel business is run from the site. The kennels are located in a stone barn some 26.5m away from the gable of the nearest proposed dwelling (Plot 28) with the cattery located in a separate section of the same building. Whilst a noise survey report was submitted as part of this application concerns were raised by Environmental Health at the potential of complaints being raised from future residents as a result of barking from kennelled dogs. An acoustic barrier, comprising of an earth bund and acoustic fencing ranging from 2.0m to 2.5m in height, has been proposed along part of the northern boundary at the request of Environmental Health to address this concern in addition to the re-orientation of plots 18-26 to face a realigned proposed estate road. 1.12 Of the three reasons of refusal upheld by the Planning Inspector in relation to the previously refused planning application on the site the current proposal, as amended, addresses the first reason for refusal by increasing the spatial separation distance between the nearest (rearmost) of the two windows on the side elevation of 25 Methuen Avenue and the blank side of Plot 48 to 13m which meets the recognised minimum spatial separation standards as set out in the Residential Extensions Supplementary Planning Document. The second reason of refusal has been addressed by substituting the housetypes deemed to have substandard integral garage sizes with housetypes that have larger garages to accord with adopted parking standards. 1.13 The applicant asserts that the amended proposal, which reduces the proposed number of dwellings from 78 to 70, omits terraced properties and re-orientates Plots 18-26 to face a realigned proposed estate road, overcomes the third reason for refusal relating to development density and quality of design. 1.14 With 70 dwellings on the 2.37 hectare site, the proposed development equates to 29.5 dwellings per hectare in gross density and net density (deducting the area of the landscape buffer zone) of 30.6 dwellings per hectare. The previously refused scheme for 78 units, equated to 32.9 dwellings per hectare in gross density with a net density of 34.1 dwellings per hectare. The Planning Inspector in his appeal decision in relation to the previously refused scheme that 25 dwellings per hectare density of adjacent properties on Manor Close, Manby Close, Mansfield Drive, Methuen Drive and Fox Lane “set the local context in terms of the amount of development on a plot” and that the higher building to plot ratio proposed would “result in a noticeable shift in the character and appearance at this edge of settlement location, with dwellings being far closer together than those which currently bound the site”. As a result of this, it was the view of the Planning Inspector that “the development would not reflect the site’s sensitive position between the existing urban and rural environments” and the development would therefore lead to “significant harm to the character and appearance of the area, despite the benefits stemming from the new housing”.