Planning Application - School Playing Field, Green Lane West, Rackheath NR13 6LU
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Planning Application - School Playing Field, Green Lane West, Rackheath NR13 6LU Planning Statement – Erection of one dwelling September 2016 School Playing Field, Green Lane West, Rackheath Planning Statement Issue Sheet Report Prepared for: Mr D Jeans School Playing Field, Green Lane West, Rackheath Planning Statement September 2016 Prepared by: Signature: Name: Ian Reilly Title: Senior Planner Date: September 2016 Approved by: Signature: Name: Philip Atkinson Title: Director Date: September 2016 Contents 1 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND 4 1.1 PURPOSE OF THE STATEMENT 4 1.2 RELEVANT PLANNING HISTORY 4 1.3 PRE-APPLICATION 5 2 PROPOSAL 5 2.1 SITE CONTEXT AND LOCATION 5 2.2 PLANNING APPLICATION SUBMISSION 6 2.3 PROPOSAL 6 3 PLANNING POLICY CONTEXT 6 3.1 PRIMARY LEGISLATION 6 3.2 NATIONAL PLANNING POLICY FRAMEWORK (NPPF) 7 3.3 JOINT CORE STRATEGY (JCS) 8 BROADLAND DISTRICT 8 3.4 COUNCIL LOCAL PLAN 8 4 PLANNING ASSESSMENT 9 4.1 THE PRINCIPLE OF DEVELOPMENT 9 4.2 DESIGN AND LANDSCAPE 10 4.3 HIGHWAYS 12 4.4 SELF-BUILD 13 5 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 13 5.1 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 13 5.2 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATION 13 School Playing Field, Green Lane West, Rackheath Planning Statement 1 Introduction and Background 1.1 Purpose of the Statement 1.1.1 Lanpro Services have been instructed by the applicant, Mr Dennis Jeans, to submit a planning application at the School Playing Field, Green Lane West, Rackheath. 1.1.2 The purpose of this statement is to: Provide for a review of the relevant background Provide site context Describe the proposal Address the relevant adopted Development Plan policies Examine any further material planning considerations Address matters raised through the previous application process. Provide a justified recommendation 1.1.3 Should consultation responses be forthcoming from this submission which require to be addressed Lanpro Services will lead on the resolution of these matters. We would request that consultation responses are sent directly to us upon their receipt at Council. 1.2 Relevant Planning History 1.2.1 The adjacent school house was granted planning permission for conversion to residential use through applications 20061802 and 20071284, we understand that the later application was the one implemented. Neither decisions or available reports make reference to the associated playing field. 1.2.2 Planning Application 20081501 proposed to erect a two storey dwelling in the central part of the site. The dwelling included a two car garage and a high pitched roof; the proposed roof form is considered to be uncharacteristic of the immediate housing stock. The frontage of the dwelling incorporated a large gable projection and by virtue of the scale of the dwelling and the garages the plot and streetscene was over dominated by built form. 1.2.3 The Council refused planning application 20081501 on 8 December 2008 with the following matters raised: The site is outside the development boundary and there are no reasons provided to justify the dwelling. The site contributes to the visual break between the industrial estate and the existing residential development and that the erosion of this visual separation would harm the rural character of the immediate area. The Highway Authority objected due to visibility issues. The Highway Authority noted that due to the volume of traffic using this section of road and the fact that this route is used by Heavy Goods Vehicles travelling to the industrial estate a visibility splay of 120m x 2.4m must be provided. Insufficient information had bene provided to address this matter and therefore the Council determined that the access is inadequate and would be detrimental to highway safety. 1.2.4 The applicant appealed the decision and the Planning Inspector dismissed the appeal (APP/K2610/A/09/2105386). 1.2.5 The Inspector highlighted, and subsequently quoted, only one area of national policy in her assessment. It is therefore considered that the aim of Planning Policy Statement 7: Sustainable Development in Rural Areas (PPS7) was paramount in her decision making: ‘New building development in the open countryside away from existing settlements, or outside areas allocated for development in development plans, should be strictly controlled; the Government’s overall aim is to protect the countryside for the sake of its intrinsic character and beauty, the diversity of its landscapes, heritage and wildlife, the wealth of its natural resources and so it may be enjoyed by all’. 1.2.6 Planning application 20151844 proposed the siting of a temporary unit to provide creche/nursery facility, erection of a 1.6m high perimeter fencing and formation of grasscrete car parking area. The application was refused under delegated authority on 12 January 2016. 1.2.7 The decision notice advised the following as the reasons for refusal: The site is in an unsustainable location outside of the development limits and the proposal would cause adverse impacts The development would result in additional built form and commercial activity in the countryside The proposal would lead to significant intensification in the use of an access onto Green Lane West which would cause interference with the safe and free flow of traffic on this route; the use of Green Lane West as a busy HGV route is also highlighted. The application was considered to provide insufficient standards of on-site parking and manoeuvring. The application documents did not demonstrate that the applicant had control over a sufficient amount of land to provide the required visibility splays. 1.2.8 The decision notice confirmed that the Local Planning Authority believes that the application could not be amended to overcome the ‘in principle’ concerns detailed above and therefore they refused the application. 1.3 Pre-application 1.3.1 Prior to submitting this application Lanpro Services have been in contact with Broadland DC. These discussions have focused around the principle of developing the site for residential purposes rather than a commercial use, as previously proposed. 1.3.2 Formal pre-application discussion have taken place (ENQ20160337) and the Council Planning Officer has advised that the principle of development is considered to be acceptable. In response to concerns raised by the Planning Officer there have been some amendments made to our draft scheme with regards to the roof pitch. 1.3.3 The Highway Authority have advised that they could not support the scheme prior to the completion of the NDR / Green Lane West works. 2 Proposal 2.1 Site Context and Location 2.1.1 The application site is located to the north west of the established Rackheath Industrial Estate and is surrounded by residential property. The junction of Green Lane West and Wroxham Road is situated to the north west of the site. 2.1.2 To the south west of the site on Green Lane West is the village hall and playing fields. Beyond that to the south is the part of the settlement known as New Rackheath, this includes the primary school. 2.1.3 The application site addresses Green Lane West on its western boundary and is separated from the Old School House and former Headmasters House to the north by a narrow lane adjoining the site boundary. Behind the Old School and House and Headmasters House is further residential development which wraps around the junction of Green Lane West and Wroxham School Playing Field, Green Lane West, Rackheath Planning Statement Road; with access points onto both roads. The Hill Top Cafe is situated on the southern side of Wroxham Road. 2.1.4 On the western side of Green Lane West, opposite the site, are further residential properties with vehicular access points onto Green Lane West. The western side of Green Lane West also incorporates a footpath which connects the Wroxham Road/Green Lane West junction with all of the services and facilities in Rackheath. 2.1.5 The dwellings surrounding the site are a mixture of styles with a varying use of materials, scale and orientation. 2.1.6 To the east and south of the site are mature trees and vegetation which effectively screen the site from the industrial estate and wider countryside. The site is currently open to view from the roadside with herras fencing erected for security. There is an established access onto Green Lane West at the north western corner of the site. 2.1.7 The site is grassed and contains an exposed concrete base which previously hosted a mobile classroom. The site slopes gently from north to south with the concrete base located in the north eastern corner and prominent from the roadside view. 2.2 Planning Application submission 2.2.1 The application is accompanied by the following plans: Location Plan Existing site plan Proposed site plan Proposed elevations Proposed Internal floor layout 2.2.2 The development is not of a scale or use that requires for a design and access statement to be provided. However, matters related to design and access are considered within this statement. 2.3 Proposal 2.3.1 The planning application proposes to provide for a single detached 1.5 storey three bedroom dwelling with an integral garage. 2.3.2 The dwelling is proposed to be set back from the road side and cover the existing concrete base. The site would be accessed from Green Lane West via an existing access point which is currently used for maintenance purposes. 2.3.3 The application does not propose to place any landscaping within the immediate frontage and the application does not require for the removal of any trees. 2.3.4 The dwelling would be constructed using a mix of red facing brick, render, tiles and timber. 3 Planning Policy Context 3.1 Primary Legislation 3.1.1 Under Section 38 of The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 (‘The 2004 Act’), the determination of planning applications must be in accordance with the approved development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise.