Item 4 REPORT TO: Planning Committee REPORT NO. HEP/11/16 DATE: 3 May 2016 REPORTING OFFICER: Head of Environment and Planning CONTACT OFFICER: David Williams (Ext 8775) SUBJECT: Development Control Applications WARD: N/A PURPOSE OF THE REPORT To determine the listed planning applications. INFORMATION Detailed reports on each application together with the recommendations are attached. RECOMMENDATION See attached reports. BACKGROUND PAPERS None. Page 7 REPORT OF THE HEAD OF ENVIRONMENT AND PLANNING 3rd MAY 2016 Community Code No Applicant Recommendation Pages RUA P/2014 /0342 LOXLEY HOMES GRANT 9 – 24 MR STEVE DOBIE WRO P/2015 /0580 LANGLEY ESTATES GRANT 25 – 32 MR NORMAN FEARN GWE P/2015 /0790 GOWER HOMES LTD GRANT 33 – 53 MR MICHAEL FORGRAVE WRO P/2015 /0890 BRIDGEMERE LAND GRANT 54 – 71 PLC & MACBRYDE HOMES LTD ISY P/2016 /0004 MR STEWART GRANT 72 – 81 RAWSON COE P/2016 /0097 MR NEIL MATTHEWS GRANT 82 – 85 WRA P/2016 /0196 MR MAREK GRANT 86 – 90 ZUKOWSKI CHI P/2016 /0219 KRONOSPAN LTD GRANT 91 – 98 WRO P/2016 /0229 MR & MRS LEE GRANT 99 – 103 JONES BRY P/2016 /0264 MR NICK WOOLLEY GRANT 104 – 113 BRO P/2016 /0279 MR & MRS ALEC GRANT 114 - 119 STEPHENSON Total Number of Applications Included in Report - 11 All plans included in this report are re-produced from Ordnance Survey Mapping with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. Crown Copyright. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown Copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings. WCBC Licence No. LA0902IL All plans are intended to be illustrative only and should be used only to identify the location of the proposal and the surrounding features. The scale of the plans will vary. Full details may be viewed on the case files. Page 8 REPORT OF THE HEAD OF ENVIRONMENT AND PLANNING 3rd MAY 2016 APPLICATION NO: LOCATION: DATE RECEIVED: P/2014 /0342 WALLED GARDEN, WYNNSTAY 14/05/2014 HALL ESTATE, RUABON, WREXHAM LL14 6LD COMMUNITY: CASE OFFICER: Ruabon DESCRIPTION: MP ERECTION OF 7 DWELLINGS - PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO A WARD: PART IMPLEMENTED APPROVED AGENT NAME: Penycae & Ruabon RESERVED MATTERS MR OLIVER COTTON South APPLICATION DATED 4 DECEMBER HULME UPRIGHT 2006 REF RUA P/2005/0432. APPLICANT(S) NAME: MR STEVE DOBIE LOXLEY HOMES ______________________________________________________________ P/2014/0342 THE SITE Application site PROPOSAL As above. Page 9 REPORT OF THE HEAD OF ENVIRONMENT AND PLANNING 3rd MAY 2016 HISTORY P/2000/0813 Outline application for the recreation/re-introduction of original kitchen garden, link garden and associated garden structures and erection of 8 No. dwelling houses (as enabling development to finance repair work to historic environment). Granted 8.11.2004 P/2005/0432 Recreation/re-introduction of kitchen garden, link garden and associated garden structures and erection of 8 no. dwelling houses (as enabling development to finance repair work to historic environment). Reserved matters approved 4.12.2006 P/2014/0241 Proposed amendment to a part implemented approved reserved matters application dated 4 December 2006 ref RUA P/2005/0432. The amendment is to reduce the size of units 1 and 2 as well as incorporate garden rooms in accordance with the information submitted. Withdrawn. DEVELOMENT PLAN Outside of settlement limit, within Special Landscape Area. The site adjoins several listed buildings and is within a Grade I historic park and garden. Policies PS2, PS4, GDP1, GDP2, EC5, EC9, EC11, CLF6, H5, T8 and T9 of UDP are applicable CONSULTATIONS Community Council: Consulted 15.5.14. Consulted regarding the submission of amended plans 26.8.2014 Local Member: Notified 15.5.14. Notified regarding the submission of amended plans 26.8.2014 Highways: No recommendations on highways grounds. Public Protection: Consulted 15.5.14 NRW: No objection. NRW have records of great crested newts (GCN) within approximately 50m of the site, and it is possible that GCNs may cross/use the development site. To ensure that the development has no detrimental impact on the favourable conservation status of the GCN population, we request that a Reasonable Avoidance Measures Strategy (RAMS) is agreed to the satisfaction of the local authority prior to the commencement of any further development on site. Welsh Water: Consulted 15.5.14 Ramblers Association: Consulted 15.5.14 Cadw: Have made the following comments: Page 10 REPORT OF THE HEAD OF ENVIRONMENT AND PLANNING 3rd MAY 2016 - We understand that the applicant has been working with the Council to reduce the impact of the revised scheme on the setting of the grade I registered park and garden and we note that the overall footprint and height of the dwellings has been reduced, and the reduced ornamentation simplifies the design. We consider that these elements, together with the removal of vehicles and domestic clutter from view, improves the revised scheme; - However, we remain of the view that the proposed dwellings are still large units with a rather ‘suburban’ feel. It is likely they would sit more sympathetically within the historic setting and hierarchy of estate architecture if the design had more of an estate cottage appearance. We note that the consented application (P/2005/0432) appears to be largely single or one and a half storey units and we would like to know the extent to which this approach has been considered in the development of the revised application as lower units may sit more sympathetically in the historic walled garden setting; - If the Council is minded to grant consent for the revised scheme, we consider it would be important to ensure that individual buildings remain as designed and that inappropriate additions and alterations are firmly controlled. We therefore suggest that, if possible, the council consider the removal of permitted development rights for any future development of any consented dwellings. Welsh Historic Gardens Trust: Strongly object for the following reasons: - The International CAPABILITY BROWN Tercentenary Festival in 2016, CB300, will raise awareness of the value of the work of Capability Brown and the need for its proper protection and conservation; - WHGT continue to have strong objections to the inappropriate amended scheme for this unsympathetic new build Page 11 REPORT OF THE HEAD OF ENVIRONMENT AND PLANNING 3rd MAY 2016 which fails to enhance the historic environment; - WHGT Clwyd committee have met and considered this revised scheme which was also discussed with experts at a WHGT national planning seminar. Whilst the revised footprint is now smaller than the earlier design, the new scheme is considered far too suburban for such a special site. WHGT are of the opinion that the previous design with its glassy conservatory style was more appropriate to this walled garden environment; - It remains inexplicable that the first scheme gained planning consent given all the flaws that are accurately detailed in Steve Dobie’s letter of Jan 20 2016: the failure to address parking and waste management, over fenestration and ornamentation, adverse impacts on neighbouring Rose Cottage and Georgian House and no link or coherent relationship to the Pleasure Ground; - The revised plan in this application lacks any elegance or symmetry. The particularly poor landscaping and siting of the garages is a concern. Garages for units 1, 6 and 7 and the store by unit 6 are scattered and visually exposed as they protrude into the garden. They fail to be properly integrated into the scheme; - Capability Brown took down buildings which were ugly, in the wrong place or interrupted the view. Landscaping and design next to the work of Brown and Wyatt needs to have a finesse and elegance; - The revised elevations are too solid and lack symmetry, both individually and as an overall scheme. The revised plan shows typical suburban two storey modular building units rather than a more classical and elegant integrated and centralised design; - Wynnstay is the only notable Capability Brown site in North Wales and very probably the only Grade I site in the world where any development is being considered in a Brown walled garden; Page 12 REPORT OF THE HEAD OF ENVIRONMENT AND PLANNING 3rd MAY 2016 - The original outdated enabling development, RUA P/2000/089, was tied to a 106 Agreement. According to the fourth schedule: the gardens shall be fully restored in accordance with a detailed scheme prior to the first occupation of any of the buildings; - In 2012 on a site visit WHGT members saw that Unit 8, Watkin Manor, the first completed residence of this development was occupied whilst the planting and the landscaping of the garden remain unfinished. Although the restoration of the North fruit wall, part of the enabling development, has been praised, the Loxley restoration of the chapel / former orangery and construction of Unit 8 is not satisfactory; - In the construction of Unit 8 an original eighteenth century compartment wall within the Grade I walled garden was destroyed, thus harming the very heritage the enabling scheme was meant to save. The prefab replacement wall falls far short of what would normally be considered an acceptable restoration in a Grade I site and this too has degraded the landscape; - Underground garaging and waste management is the only reasonable solution for any development on this site. This would solve both these major problems, provide for visitors and allow for a high standard of architecture with better spacing and landscaping appropriate to a garden landscaped by Britain’s foremost 18th century garden designer. There is already a tunnel at Wynnstay built to hide what was considered unsightly in the past so there is a precedent for going underground to hide what is unsightly today. Extraneous garden walls are an inadequate and inappropriate solution to dustbin management on this nationally important site; - The proposed individual suburban gardens do not sit well in this landscape.