Agenda, decisions and draft minutes

Members are required to notify any substitutions by midday on the day of the meeting.

Late substitutions will not be accepted and Members attending as a substitute without having given the due notice will not be able to take part in the meeting.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Amy Allen, Sadie Billing and Tom Tyson.

Having given due notice, Councillor Mick Debenham substituted for Councillor Sadie Billing and Councillor Jon Clayden substituted for Councillor Tyson.

Audio recording – 1 minute 51 seconds

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Amy Allen, Sadie Billing and Tom Tyson.

Having given due notice, Councillor Mick Debenham substituted for Councillor Billing and Councillor Jon Clayden substituted for Councillor Tyson.

To take as read and approve as a true record the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on the 13 February 2025.

RESOLVED:That the Minutes of the Meeting of the Committee held on 13 February 2025 be approved as a true record of the proceedings and be signed by the Chair.

Audio Recording – 2 minutes 12 seconds

Councillor Nigel Mason, as Vice-Chair, proposed and Councillor Ruth Brown seconded and, following a vote, it was:

RESOLVED:That the Minutes of the Meeting of the Committee held on 13 February 2025 be approved as a true record of the proceedings and be signed by the Chair.

Members should notify the Chair of other business which they wish to be discussed at the end of either Part I or Part II business set out in the agenda. They must state the circumstances which they consider justify the business being considered as a matter of urgency.

The Chair will decide whether any item(s) raised will be considered.

There was no other business notified.

Audio recording – 3 minutes 1 second

There was no other business notified.

Members are reminded that any declarations of interest in respect of any business set out in the agenda, should be declared as either a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest or Declarable Interest and are required to notify the Chair of the nature of any interest declared at the commencement of the relevant item on the agenda.  Members declaring a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest must withdraw from the meeting for the duration of the item. Members declaring a Declarable Interest, wishing to exercise a ‘Councillor Speaking Right’, must declare this at the same time as the interest, move to the public area before speaking to the item and then must leave the room before the debate and vote.

(1)   The Chair advised that, in accordance with Council Policy, the meeting would be recorded.

(2)   The Chair drew attention to the item on the agenda front pages regarding Declarations of Interest and reminded Members that, in line with the Code of Conduct, any Declarations of Interest needed to be declared immediately prior to the item in question.

(3)   The Chair clarified matters for the registered speakers.

(4)   The Chair advised that Section 4.8.23(a) of the Constitution applied to the meeting.

Audio recording – 3 minutes 6 seconds

(1)   The Chair advised that, in accordance with Council Policy, the meeting would be recorded.

(2)   The Chair drew attention to the item on the agenda front pages regarding Declarations of Interest and reminded Members that, in line with the Code of Conduct, any Declarations of Interest needed to be declared immediately prior to the item in question.

(3)   The Chair clarified matters for the registered speakers.

(4)   The Chair advised that Section 4.8.23(a) of the Constitution applied to the meeting.

To receive petitions, comments and questions from the public.

The Chair confirmed that the registered speakers were in attendance.

Audio recording – 4 minutes 48 seconds

The Chair confirmed that the registered speakers were in attendance.

REPORT OF THE DEVELOPMENT AND CONSERVATION MANAGER

Outline planning application with all matters reserved other than means of access, for the erection of up to 900 dwellings (including affordable housing and self/custom build units), provision of a primary school, provision of a neighbourhood centre including community building, and provision of open space areas across the site, together with associated drainage, land works and utilities works. This application is accompanied by an Environmental Statement (as amended by Transport Technical Note received 03 February 2025).

RESOLVED: That Application 23/02935/OP be GRANTED subject to:

(a)     The completion of a satisfactory legal agreement and the applicant agreeing to extend the statutory period to complete the agreement if required: and

(b)     Providing delegated powers to the Development and Conservation Manager to (i) resolve outstanding matters including financial contributions and (ii) update conditions and informatives with minor amendments as required: and

(c)     Conditions set out in the report of the Development and Conservation Manager: and

(d)     Amendments and additions to that report as set out in the supplementary report of the Development and Conservation Manager.

Audio recording – 5 minutes 7 seconds

The Project Officer drew attention to the updated matters that were set out in the Addendum to the report and advised that:

·             The development was located on an allocated site in the adopted Local Plan.

·             The site had been removed from the greenbelt allocation and because of this, greenbelt impact would not be a policy consideration for the application. 

·             This was an Outline Application with all matters reserved except for the means of access.

·             Details of the application included principal land use for up to 900 homes with the consideration of community, educational and commercial elements and details of 2 vehicular access points to the site.

·             Landscaping, appearance, layout and scale would be dealt with in future reserved matters applications in the event of approval.

·             Need for primary care health facilities had been raised by several third-party consultees including Graveley Parish Council.

·             The development created a need for 215m² primary care floor space but typically a viable GP surgery would have 400m².

·             The NHS sought health infrastructure from this development in the form of a medical facility with approximately 630m² floor space to accommodate additional patient numbers from this development, other developments and the projected need going forward.

·             As Community Infrastructure Levy Regulations only allowed for impacts from the proposed development to be mitigated, the 415m² difference between the needed and requested floor space would require capital funding from other sources such as the NHS, existing local GP practices and s106 contributions from other developments.

·             The s106 contributions for this site should be drafted so that on-site facilities were provided in the first instance.

·             If this could not be secured, the NHS ICB had requested just over £1.5M to digitise the offsite or remove to secure offsite storage for existing patient records and the reconfiguration, refurbishment or extension of vacated space at the Canterbury Way Surgery. This would create additional patient facing clinical rooms for GPs and support staff to accommodate the expected additional patient numbers from future housing growth in and around Graveley.

·             Discussions around the delivery timing of the community hub, its location and the funding shortfall to facilitate the preferred on-site option for this would need to take place in the future.

·             Regarding Highways conditions, s106 clauses were yet to be agreed with Active Travel England and Members were asked to include delegated powers within this application to allow officers to continue to deal with this matter.

Following this, the Project Officer presented the report in respect of Application 23/02935/FP supported by a visual presentation consisting of plans and photographs.

The following Members asked questions:

·             Councillor Ruth Brown

·             Councillor Jon Clayden

·             Councillor Louise Peace

·             Councillor Ian Mantle

·             Councillor Nigel Mason

·             Councillor Martin Prescott

·             Councillor Mick Debenham

In response to questions, the Project Officer advised that:

·             Crime related issues were not something for Members to consider on this application as the Design Code would address these in future applications for the site.

·             The County Council had  ...  view the full minutes text for item 145.

REPORT OF THE DEVELOPMENT AND CONSERVATION MANAGER

To update Members on appeals lodged and any decisions made.

The Development and Conservation Manager provided an update on Planning Appeals.

Audio recording – 57 minutes 12 seconds

The Development and Conservation Manager presented the report entitled ‘Planning Appeals’ and advised that:

·             One appeal decision had been allowed and related to the conversion of a former ground floor commercial building to a dwelling house in High Street, Baldock. The reasons for the inspectors allowing the appeal were set out in the right column of the table in the report.

·             Three appeals had been lodged, the most notable being against the objection to planning permission for a solar farm at Land North East of Wandon End. A four-day Public Inquiry would commence on 17 June and a planning consultant, landscape architect and barrister had been appointed as advocates for this.

The Chair reminded Members of the Public Inquiry that would take place on 29 April for the proposed 42-dwelling residential development on Land East of Rhee Spring and Orwell View, Royston Road, Baldock.