DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE 16th APRIL 2018 Case No: 17/02688/FUL (FULL PLANNING APPLICATION) Proposal: CHANGE OF DESIGN TO DWELLING HOUSE PREVIOUSLY APPROVED UNDER APPLICATION 16/01036/FUL Location: LIVING ACCOMMODATION 2 HILTON ROAD FENSTANTON Applicant: MS LORRAINE MOONEY Grid Ref: 531485 268416 Date of Registration: 29.01.2018 Parish: FENSTANTON RECOMMENDATION - APPROVE The application is reported to the Development Management Committee as the Parish Council has an opposing view to that of the officer recommendation which is to approve the application. 1. DESCRIPTION OF SITE AND APPLICATION 1.1 The site lies within the Fenstanton Conservation Area, no. 4 & No.9 Hilton Road are Grade II listed buildings to the North West and north east of the site. The site is mainly laid to lawn with trees within the grounds, there are two access points to the site from Hilton Road. The site is not within a Flood Zone or in an area liable to flooding in the SFRA. There is a mix of residential and commercial properties within the locality, with a car park located close to the south eastern boundary. The A14 trunk road lies further to the south of the site. 1.2 The application proposes to make a number of largely cosmetic changes to the design of the dwelling house previously approved under application 16/01036/FUL. The proposal also seeks to change the external materials of the proposed dwelling and remove a number of trees which were to be retained under the previous consent, as well as retaining some trees which were to be removed under the last application. The changes are summarised below: - The addition of a window and a canopy over a door on the side (east) elevation - The addition of a canopy over the door on the front (North) elevation. - The removal of a window from the rear (South) elevation - The use of Cambridge Burwell white brickwork, Larch Wavey edge timber cladding, buff clay pantiles, and timber window casements. - Removal of a Horse Chestnut tree, two Sycamore trees and the retention of a Walnut tree, Old apple tree and two Fir trees 1.3 No changes are proposed to the siting or scale of the proposed dwelling. Like the previous application, the existing site would be sub- divided. No. 2 Hilton Road and the proposed new property would have separate access points, and 2 parking spaces provided for both. The shop and post office would remain on the ground floor of No. 2 Hilton Road. 2. NATIONAL GUIDANCE 2.1 The National Planning Policy Framework (2012) For full details visit the government website https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-communities- and-local-government 3. PLANNING POLICIES 3.1 Saved policies from the Huntingdonshire Local Plan (1995) • En2: “Character and setting of Listed Buildings” • En5: “Conservation Area Character” • En6: “Design standards in Conservation Areas” • En9; “Conservation Areas” • En18: “Protection of countryside features” • En20: “Landscaping scheme” • En25: “General Design Criteria” • H32: “Subdivision of curtilages” • H33: “Subdivision of curtilages in conservation areas” 3.2 Saved policies from the Huntingdonshire Local Plan Alterations (2002) • HL5: “Quality and density of development” 3.3 Adopted Huntingdonshire Local Development Framework Core Strategy (2009) • CS1: “Sustainable development in Huntingdonshire” • CS3: “The Settlement Hierarchy” • CS10: “Contributions to Infrastructure Requirements” 3.4 Draft Huntingdonshire Local Plan to 2036: Proposed Submission 2017 3.5 Huntingdonshire's Local Plan to 2036: Proposed Submission 2017 was approved for publication at the Council meeting on the 13th December 2017. In view of the advancing stage of the Plan and the consistency of its policies with those in the National Planning Policy Framework, the policies in Huntingdonshire's Local Plan to 2036: Proposed Submission 2017 should be afforded significant weight. • Policy LP 1: "Amount of Development" • Policy LP2: "Strategy for development" • Policy LP4: "Contributing to Infrastructure Delivery" • Policy LP6 "Waste Water Management" • Policy LP8: “Key service Centres” • Policy LP12: "Design Context" • Policy LP13: "Design Implementation" • Policy LP14: "Placemaking" • Policy LP15: "Amenity" • Policy LP16: "Surface Water" • Policy LP18: "Parking Provision and Vehicle Movement" • Policy LP33 " Trees, Woodland, Hedges and Hedgerows" • Policy LP36 "Heritage Assets and their setting" 3.6 Housing Supply Policies - In order to satisfy the requirements of the NPPF to boost housing supply the Council must demonstrate an up- to-date five year supply of deliverable housing sites to meet its objectively assessed need, with an additional buffer to ensure choice and competition in the market for land; this requirement is set out in paragraph 47 of the NPPF. Due to under delivery in recent years the buffer to be applied for the District is 20%. The December 2017 Annual Monitoring Review applies the 20% buffer and demonstrates that the Council has a five year supply of housing land. 3.7 The Development Plan policies relevant to the supply of housing (En17 and H23 of the Huntingdonshire Local Plan (HLP) and CS2 and CS3 of the Huntingdonshire Core Strategy (HCS)) were set against a lower Objectively Assessed Need figure such that strict application of these policies would result in failure to achieve the objectively assessed housing need figure that the Council currently has identified as part of the emerging Local Plan to 2036. These policies are therefore no longer fully up-to-date or consistent with the NPPF and, at this time and until the Council adopts the Local Plan to 2036 with up-to-date policies, the 'tilted balance' as set out within the 4th bullet point of para. 14 is engaged. For decision-taking this means granting permission in instances where the Development Plan is absent, silent or relevant policies are out-of-date unless any adverse impacts would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits (having regard to the Framework policies taken as a whole), or specific polices of the Framework indicate development should be restricted. Footnote 9 to the Framework provides some examples of these restrictive policies, the most relevant in this case being "the impact upon designated heritage asset to which is not outweighed by public benefits" 3.8 Supplementary Planning Documents (SPD) and Guidance: • Huntingdonshire Design Guide SPD (2017) • Huntingdonshire Townscape and Landscape Assessment SPD 2007 • Developer Contributions SPD 2011 • Cambridgeshire Flood and Water SPD 2017 • Huntingdonshire Tree Guidance Note 3 • December 2017 Annual Monitoring Review regarding housing land supply Local policies are viewable at https://www.huntingdonshire.gov.uk 4. RELEVANT PLANNING HISTORY 4.1 16/01036/FUL - Demolition of existing sorting office building. Partitioning part of the garden to 2 Hilton Road and the construction of a new dwelling house. - Approved 5. CONSULTATIONS 5.1 Fenstanton Parish Council – Objects (COPY ATTACHED) Although the change to the design of the house was acceptable the removal of trees was not. The initial design had been opposed by a parishioner at both PC and HDC level. However the design was passed by HDC but HDC inferred a tree preservation order would be place on the trees. Just one year later the design has been resubmitted and the trees are to be removed. Horse chestnut trees have already been removed to get planning permission for the house. The trees are a particularly lovely feature in the village and can be seen from all around. Removal would change the skyline and aspect of the area. Councillors present at the meeting recalled the request for trees to be preserved; the trees were in a preservation area. Trees cannot be cut down with permission or unless a tree surgeon demands it. The application is refused on the grounds that this is a conservation area and there had been previous reassurances that the trees would not be removed. Officers have addressed these comments in consultation with the Council’s tree officer within the report. 5.2 Cambridgeshire County Council Local Highway Authority – No objections, comments summarised below: The accesses have not changed from that previously given permission, therefore the LHA have no comments to make regarding this latest iteration of house design. 5.3 HDC Landscape Officer - No Objections, recommended hard and soft landscaping condition. 5.4 HDC Tree Officer – No Objections, recommended tree protection conditions 6. REPRESENTATIONS 6.1 There have been two objections received from 4 Hilton Road, Fenstanton and 5 High Street Fenstanton. These are summarised below: *The retention of remaining quality trees was part of the last proposal and there was support for using Tree Preservation Orders. *They are part of the ecological and environmental infrastructure that supports abundant wildlife, provide privacy and screening for surrounding houses, sound attenuation and pollution absorption. *Trees removed six months before seeking planning permission in 2016 *The sparse Heritage Statement does not address the wider impact of the removal of the trees apart from local shading. *No objection to the other aspects of the application *Hope to see tree protection conditions *Surprised social rented accommodation being made by other than a social landlord or local housing authority. 7. ASSESSMENT Background 7.1 A previous application granted planning permission for a single dwelling under reference 16/01036/FUL in 2016. The current proposal seeks to make a number of changes to the previous planning consent. Many of these changes are fairly small, mostly cosmetic changes, however some of them are material and therefore require either a section 73 application or a new full planning application, which has been submitted. The proposed changes are outlined below: - The addition of a window and a canopy over a door on the side (east) elevation - The addition of a canopy over the door on the front (North) elevation. - The removal of a window from the rear (South) elevation - The use of Cambridge Burwell white brickwork, Larch Wavey edge timber cladding, buff clay pantiles, and timber window casements.