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Report for Jerah, 55 Ochil Road, Menstrie

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Report for Jerah, 55 Ochil Road, Menstrie THIS PAPER RELATES TO ITEM 5 CLACKMANNANSHIRE COUNCIL ON THE AGENDA Report to Planning Committee of 16th April, 2009 Subject: Erection of 6 No. Houses at Jerah, 55 Ochil Road, Menstrie (Ref:09/00037/FULL) Applicant: Mr W McLaren and Sons Agent: Machin Associates, 30 Ludgate, Alloa Prepared by: Grant Baxter, Principal Planner Electoral Ward: Clackmannanshire West 1.0 Purpose 1.1. The purpose of this report is to assess and make a recommendation on the planning application to erect 6 dwellinghouses on land at Jerah, 55 Ochil Road, Menstrie. The assessment concludes that the proposed development complies with Development Plan policies, and taking account of existing permissions already in place, can be recommended for conditional approval. 1.2. The report summarises the planning history of the site, the comments received from consultees and one neighbour and the relevant sections of the Development Plan. 2.0 Recommendations 2.1. The application is recommended for APPROVAL subject to the following conditions:- 1. Before any works commence on site a construction (and demolition) management plan shall be submitted for the written approval of the Council. Thereafter construction (and demolition) shall be carried out in accordance with the approved plan. The plan shall include details of the means by which the existing vehicular and pedestrian access to the Ochil Hills to the west of the site shall be maintained during the construction phase. 2. Before any works commence on site, samples of external finishing material shall be submitted for the written approval of the Council. Sample details shall include the following: a. Wet dash render to external house walls. b. Natural slate roof cladding. c. Natural timber external doors, windows and dormer face and haffits. For avoidance of doubt, all finishing materials shall accord with the approved details submitted under the terms of this condition. 3. Before any work starts on site, details of a scheme for the discharge of surface water from roads, footpaths, gardens and roofs shall have been submitted to and approved in writing by the Council. Thereafter, the scheme shall be implemented in accordance with the approved details. The scheme shall be designed in accordance with the principles set out in the "Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems, Design Manual for Scotland and Northern Ireland", and shall be in place prior to occupation of the first new house within the proposed development. 4. Before any works commence on site, a details of landscaping, boundary treatment and hard surfacing shall be submitted. The details shall include the following: (a) Details of plant species, size, planting distance, means of protection and arrangements for the successful establishment of native tree and shrub planting. (b) Details of existing trees to be retained/lopped/topped/felled. (c) Natural rubble stone walls and/or beech/hawthorn hedging to the boundaries highlighted in GREEN on the stamped approved Proposed Site Layout plan. (d) Timber post and wire fencing and/or beech/hawthorn hedging to the boundaries highlighted in YELLOW on the stamped approved Proposed Site Layout plan. (e) Stone setts to the access road, parking and turning areas. Once approved, the development shall be completed in accordance with approved details and all planting shall be carried out within the first planting season following occupation of the first proposed new house. 5. Before the occupation of the first new house within the proposed development all roads, footpaths (including remote footpath link to Ochil Road), turning areas and parking shall have been completed in accordance with the details shown on the stamped approved Proposed Site Layout plan. 6. Demolition and construction work on the site shall only take place between the hours of 08.00am to 06.00pm Monday to Friday and 8.00am to 1.00pm on Saturday and at no time on Sundays or local bank holidays. For the following reasons: 1. In the interests of road/pedestrian safety and residential amenity. 2. In the interests of visual amenity and local environmental quality. 3. In the interests of residential amenity. 4. In the interests of visual amenity and local environmental quality. 5. In the interests of road and pedestrian safety. 6. In the interests of residential amenity. 3.0 Background to the Proposals 3.1. The planning application site is mainly an agricultural paddock and garden ground located off a private track served from Ochil Road, Menstrie. The site contains one main building, (a single storey farm cottage) and two smaller outbuildings. The access track serving these cottages continues through the site and forms the lower section of a track into the Ochil Hills to the north. A more recent diversion to this track has been formed to the west of the cottage which provides public access into the hills. 3.2. The site is generally level and approximately 0.235ha in size, and is in a generally residential area, with the northern site boundary forming the edge of the settlement of Menstrie at the foot of the Ochil Hills. It is therefore within the village boundary as shown in the Local Plan. 3.3. Planning consent was granted in May 2008 for erection of four houses within the site and sub-division/alteration of the existing cottage into two houses (a total of 6 houses on the site), in the form of three pairs of semi-detached, one and a half storey houses. These would be served off an upgraded access road and a landscaped parking courtyard. 3.4. Following this approval, an application was submitted in June 2008 seeking demolition consent for the cottage. This application was supported by a survey by a chartered surveyor which concluded that the overall condition of the cottage was very poor, with an internal layout that did not suit sub-division and that the costs associated with conversion/renovation would be high. The building is neither listed nor within a conservation area and consent for demolition was approved in August 2008. 3.5. The current application proposes an amendment to the existing permissions on the site. Two of the proposed houses are in the same position as already approved. Two are proposed on the footprint of the existing cottage. The two easternmost cottages have changed from a pair of cottages running on the east-west axis to an L-shaped plan. The access, parking and landscaped courtyard arrangements generally reflect those already approved. 4.0 Consultations 4.1. Roads and Transportation have no objections. The access proposals are as previously required by Roads and Transportation. The existing and proposed properties should be accessed via an appropriately designed and constructed adoptable access road. 4.2. Sustainability - The site is now included in the Consultative Draft Local Plan for 6 units, and provided planning conditions reflect those previously applied, no objections in principle. 4.3. Scottish Water have no objections although final connection cannot be guaranteed at this stage. A separate drainage system is required to deal with surface water drainage. 4.4. Waste Management have no objections and advise that kerbside refuse collection should be in accordance with the Council's Supplementary Advice Note on this matter. 4.5. Land Services have no objections. 4.6. Access Officer - No additional comments to previous advice that the path to the west of the site which provides access to the hill and is a possible core path should be kept open and free from obstruction. Comment: The site layout plan shows this path retained within the layout. The development does not encroach on its route. 5.0 Representations 5.1. A total of 7 neighbouring proprietors were notified of the planning application. In response, one letter of objection has been received on behalf of Mr and Mrs Sorowka, 5 Ochil Road, Menstrie. 5.2. The key issues can be summarised as follows:- • The proposed development is contrary to the Clackmannanshire Local Plan Policy RES 2 Brownfield Development. A portion of the site is in agricultural use, is not brownfield land and therefore should not be favoured for development. Comment: Policy RES2 gives priority for development on brownfield sites but also supports the development of underused land and property within settlement boundaries. In this case, whilst the site may be largely agricultural land, both it and the existing vacant dwellinghouse on the site are underused land within the Menstrie settlement boundary. Accordingly, the proposal complies with this policy. • The proposed development is contrary to Local Plan Policy RES4 Infill and Backland development. The proposals represent backland development and parking facilities have been compromised and do not comply with the Council' standards. Plot ratio and garden ground standards do not meet the Council's policies in terms of 25% plot rations. This element of the objection also contains a comparison between proposed garden ground standards and those in certain plots surrounding the site. Comment: Policy RES4 on Infill and Backland Developments supports such proposals where they will meet the requirements of the related supplementary Advice Note and in particular must:- (a) Not result in the loss of open space that is of value to the community. In this case the proposal does not result in the loss of open space and would retain access to the Ochil Hills. (b) Where garden ground is to be sub-divided to achieve an acceptable standard of amenity for the new development and ensure there is no significant loss of standard of amenity for existing properties. The proposal does not comprise the sub-division of garden ground. (c) Proposals must provide appropriate access and parking to meet the Council's Development Roads Guidelines and Specifications. Roads and Transportation have been consulted on the application and, as noted above, have no objections to the proposals, including the provision of parking.
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