Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Timothy Pearman.  Councillor Brandon Clayton attended as substitute on behalf of Councillor Pearman.

To invite Councillors to declare any Disclosable Pecuniary Interests and / or Other Disclosable Interests they may have in items on the agenda, and to confirm the nature of those interests.

There were no declarations of interest.

Please see Minutes of the meeting of Planning Committee held on 27^th Octoebr 2021 attached.

RESOLVED that

The Minutes of the Planning Committee meetings held on 13^th October 2021 and 27^th October 2021 be approved as a true record and signed by the Chair.

Update Report attached.

The contents of the Update Report were noted.

Erection of 9 new dwellings

Officers presented the report and took Members through the plans and images in the Site Plans and Presentations Pack.  The application was for full planning permission to construct 9 dwellings on land situated between the A4023 Coventry Highway and the B4497 Paper Mill Drive.  The site included a dense band of trees to the south on the boundary with the Coventry Highway.  It was noted that the site was close to Arrow Valley Country Park and a footway and subway leading into the park was located on the eastern boundary of the site.

The site had previously received planning permission for a commercial use that had not been implemented, and under the Local Plan had no specific use designation.

The current application included the construction of a new access road from the  development onto Paper Mill Drive, and officers illustrated the location of the new access by reference to the photographs of the site and the detailed site layout plan. It was noted that the construction of the houses would be oriented facing onto the Coventry Highway with back gardens facing onto Paper Mill Drive; the gardens would not encroach onto the existing green highway verge which would be retained as a 4 metre wide green strip.

A 4 metre high acoustic fence was proposed on the boundary with the Coventry Highway to mitigate against traffic noise.  No objections had been received from statutory consultees including County Highways, WRS and the Council’s Tree Officer.  A number of detailed conditions were proposed to deal with issues including noise mitigation, risk of flooding and landscape and habitat management.

The site was considered to be in a sustainable location close to bus routes and safe cycling and walking, the design was acceptable, and officers were recommending approval.

At the invitation of the Chair Councillor Mike Rouse, ward Councillor for Church Hill Ward, addressed the Committee under the Council’s Public Speaking Rules.

Officers responded to questions from Members and in doing so commented as follows:-

·       That the design of the 4 metre high acoustic fence on the Coventry Highway side of the development would be finalised in consultation with WRS.

·       The boundary treatment on the Paper Mill Drive side of the site would include additional planting of native species as well as retaining existing planting. This had been designed to soften the appearance of the 2 metre fence and retain the character of the area.

·       Under proposed Condition 7 the developer would need to submit a detailed site drainage strategy for approval by North Worcestershire Water Management before proceeding any further than building the foundations.

The officer from County Highways confirmed that with regard to the potential for overspill parking onto the street, the level of parking provision of the individual dwellings met the required policy, and that there was sufficient space adjacent to dwellings 1 and 9 for vehicles to turn.

In debating the application Members referred to a number of issues including the design and appearance, the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 46.