Agenda item

Having declared an interest in this agenda item, Councillor Brandon Clayton retired from the Planning Committee and took no part in the debate or decision thereof.

The application was being reported to the Planning Committee because the application had resulted in a formal objection being received (which was not resolved through Officer negotiation) from a statutory consultee.

Officers presented the report and in doing so, drew Members’attention to the presentation slides on pages 31 to 40 of the Site Plans and Presentations pack.

The application was for the Agricultural Barn at Moors Lane, Feckenham, Worcestershire, B96 6JHand sought the demolition of the existing buildings and the erection of a new dwelling with associated works.

Officers detailed to Members the site location on page 32 of the Public Reports pack and its proximity to local residences along Moors Lane, which was identified as a bridleway.

The application sought to demolish two existing farm buildings at the site and replace them with a singular central dwelling, Officers detailed that there was an extant approved planning permission for the conversion of the existing buildings into a 3-bed dwelling. Officers further detailed that the new proposed dwelling would be a 5-bed dwelling and would be constructed with brick and weatherboard with a tiled roof.

Officers requested an additional Condition which required that the existing buildings be removed prior to commencement and an amendment to a condition to include an additional plan reference.

At the invitation of the Chair, the applicant Mr Richard Eost, addressed the Committee in support of the application.

Officers clarified the following points after questions from Members.

• the site was approximately half a mile from the main road and that there were no obvious dedicating passing points for vehicles apart from various site access points along its length.
• Moors lane was only adopted by WCC Highways for around a third of the distance to the site, therefore, the road maintenance was shared by the adjacent properties.
• That although there were fields immediately adjacent to the property, there were other properties before and after the site along Moors Lane.
• That there was a statutory consultee objection from WCC highways, which deemed the location unsustainable, this was also the position of the Council. However, as there was an accepted fallback position with the previously approved application, on balance the application was seen as acceptable by Officers.

Members then debated the application.

Members expressed a concern with the bridleway and how the property would be serviced especially in regard to refuse collection. It was detailed that the council owns a range of vehicles for different jobs/road Conditions and that the other properties along moors lane were being serviced.

Members were happy with the application in that when comparing it to the existing fallback position there was a reduction in the building footprint on the site, this enhanced the openness of the area and therefore supported the countryside policy.

On being put to a vote it was

RESOLVED that

having had regard to the development plan and to all other material considerations,planning permission be GRANTED subject to:

• The Conditions as outlined on pages 44 to 47 of the Public Reports Pack
• an additional Condition and an amendment to a Condition as proposed by Officers regarding the demolition of the buildings as detailed in the preamble above.