Garage Blocks and Land Between 26 and 31 Brattle Woodchurch Kent
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Ashford Borough Council - Report of Development Control Managers Planning Committee 3rd June 2015 ___________________________________________________________________ Application Number 15/00436/AS Location Garage blocks and land between 26 and 31 Brattle, Woodchurch, Kent Grid Reference 94647/33695 Parish Council Woodchurch Ward Weald South Application Erection of 4 no. affordable dwellings including associated Description parking, refuse stores and external sheds Applicant Corporate Property Services, Ashford Borough Council, Civic Centre, Tannery Lane, Ashford, Kent, TN23 1PL Agent Corporate Property Services, Ashford Borough Council, Civic Centre, Tannery Lane, Ashford, Kent, TN23 1PL Site Area 0.27ha (a) 30/3R (b) S (c) KH&T – X NE - X EH(EP) - X Introduction 1. The application is being reported to Planning Committee as the applicant is Ashford Borough Council Corporate Property Services. Site and Surroundings 2. The application site is located within the built confines of Woodchurch at Brattle, a cul-de-sac of social housing to the southern end of the village sited around a central triangular piece of grass with open fields to the south and east. The site is within the Woodchurch Undulating Farmlands Low Weald Landscape Character Area, where the objectives are to conserve and reinforce. 3. The site consists of an area of concrete hardstanding with 18 single bay garages arranged in two blocks (currently, only 9 of these are rented out), enclosed by native hedgerow and scrub. Access to the site is provided by a single track following the common boundary of the site with No. 26. 2.1 Ashford Borough Council - Report of Development Control Managers Planning Committee 3rd June 2015 ___________________________________________________________________ 4. Brattle is largely characterised by semi-detached two storey properties, with a single block of 4no. one bed flats positioned directly west of the site. Their elevations comprise a mixed pallet of red brick, painted render, plain tile walls, some uPVC cladding, plain tile roofs with chimneys and hipped and gable end roofs and flat roof leaded canopies over the main entrances. Around the central grassed triangle, all houses have front gardens up to shared pathways. 5. A site location plan is attached as an annex to this report. Figure 1: Site location plan Proposal 6. Full planning permission is sought for a terrace of 4no. affordable dwellings. 7. The dwellings would be two storey in form arranged as a terrace facing onto the road. Their elevational treatment comprises red brick and white uPVC/powder coated aluminium windows and doors, with brick quoins over the ground floor windows and flat roof leaded canopies over the main entrances, beneath a hipped plain clay tile roof with chimneys, white fascias and soffits and black rainwater goods. Their accommodation includes a hall, kitchen, WC and open plan living/dining room on ground floor level and two bedrooms and bathroom at first floor. 2.2 Ashford Borough Council - Report of Development Control Managers Planning Committee 3rd June 2015 ___________________________________________________________________ Figure 2: Proposed elevations Figure 3: Proposed floor plans 2.3 Ashford Borough Council - Report of Development Control Managers Planning Committee 3rd June 2015 ___________________________________________________________________ 8. Each unit would have a rear garden between 7m and 16m deep, enclosed by 1.8m high timber fencing with 300mm trellis above. Each would contain an external store and there would be a shared refuse and recycling store to the eastern boundary. These stores would be timber clad with a felt roof. Figure 4: Proposed plans of external store, refuse and recycling storey and fencing 9. The existing access would be widened to provide access to 4no. parking spaces in front of the proposed dwellings. The scheme also includes the provision of 17 on-street parking spaces around the central triangular piece of grass, constructed of grasscrete or permeable paving. Pathways would link with the existing network to the front gardens of neighbouring dwellings. Figure 5: Proposed block plan 2.4 Ashford Borough Council - Report of Development Control Managers Planning Committee 3rd June 2015 ___________________________________________________________________ 10. In support of the application, the following have been submitted: • Sustainability Statement: this demonstrates that the building design of the development would meet the required 10% improvement over the Building regulations 2013 and come in line with the Code for Sustainable Homes Level 2 overall, in line with the Core Strategy. • Planning, Design & Access Statement: this claims that the survey carried out in 2002 in connection with the Woodchurch Village design Statement (VDS) concluded that there is a need for suitable affordable homes in Woodchurch. A pre-application consultation process was also undertaken with residents in the local area. • Phase 1 Desk Study Report: this concluded that in view of the history of the use of the site for domestic garaging, it is likely that the made ground soils may be contaminated by hydrocarbons and recommended that further intrusive works and laboratory testing be undertaken to determine the level of risk at the site. • Ecological Appraisal: this found the following: o the habitats on the site for invertebrates are common and widespread to not provide optimal habitat for amphibians and whilst great crested newts are unlikely to be present on the site, they are considered to be a potential receptor to this development – it is therefore recommended that reasonable avoidance measures are employed during site clearance contained in a detailed method statement; o no field signs of badgers but the site offers limited suitable foraging habitat for badgers – a pre-works badger survey is recommended to identify any change in the status of badger populations in the local area; o the existing buildings on site have low bat roosting potential and the surrounding scrub and hedgerow is not of as high quality as habitat in the local area, however a pre-works internal inspector of buildings by a bat specialist is recommended; o there is an abundance habitat to that on the site in the local area of nesting and/or foraging by a range of birds – it is recommended that vegetation clearance is undertaken outside the bird breeding season and nesting provision is incorporated in the development to provide a benefit for nature conservation; 2.5 Ashford Borough Council - Report of Development Control Managers Planning Committee 3rd June 2015 ___________________________________________________________________ o the site offers potential to support reptiles, however these are small scale and there is more suitable habitat in the wider area – clearance of suitable onsite areas during the active reptile season is recommended; o the site offers a lack of suitable habitat for brown hare; and, o the wider landscape provides similar and more suitable habitat for hedgehogs than the site, however it is recommended that any excavations left overnight should be covered or have a suitable escape ramp. Planning History 11. There is no relevant planning history. Consultations Ward Members: One of the Ward Members is a Member of the Planning Committee. Wittersham Parish Council: support the application. KCC Highways and Transportation: raise no objection subject to conditions re: construction vehicle loading/unloading and turning facilities, parking facilities for site personnel and visitors, wheel washing facilities and provision and retention of vehicle and cycle parking spaces. Natural England: no objection based upon their standing advice. Environmental Health: raise no objection but request a condition re: contamination site investigation and remediation scheme be attached to any permission granted. 30 Neighbours: 3 representations received, objecting to the application on the following grounds: • four allocated parking spaces for the new dwellings does not mean occupiers will only possess 4 vehicles; • loss of grass verges, bringing parking close to the front windows of neighbouring dwellings, invading privacy and ruining the outlook; • the loss of grass verge would reduce rather than increase available parking spaces (there is currently 26 cars parking around this area and only 21 parking spaces are proposed); 2.6 Ashford Borough Council - Report of Development Control Managers Planning Committee 3rd June 2015 ___________________________________________________________________ • currently no problem with parking and adding more housing and restricting parking to marked bays would create one; • no additional parking is proposed for 21-22 Brattle, which is the worst place for parking and fire engines, ambulances and refuse vehicles cannot get around this; and, (Development Control Manager comment: the scheme would encourage cars to park off the road, improving access for these types of vehicles) • the two bin sheds to the central dwellings are close to the bedroom window of 30 Brattle. Planning Policy 12. The Development Plan comprises the saved policies in the adopted Ashford Borough Local Plan 2000, the adopted LDF Core Strategy 2008, the adopted Ashford Town Centre Action Area Plan 2010, the Tenterden & Rural Sites DPD 2010, the Urban Sites and Infrastructure DPD 2012 and the Chilmington Green AAP 2013. 13. The relevant policies from the Development Plan relating to this application are as follows:- Ashford Borough Local Plan 2000 EN31 – Important