Agenda and decisions

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.

There were no apologies for absence.  

To take as read and approve as a true record the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on the 25 February and 06 March 2025.

RESOLVED:That the Minutes of the Meetings of the Committee held on 25 February and 6 March 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.

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.

To receive petitions, comments and questions from the public.

The Chair confirmed that the registered speakers were in attendance.

REPORT OF THE DEVELOPMENT AND CONSERVATION MANAGER

Erection of three detached dwellings (1 x 3-bed,1 x 4-bed and 1 x 5-bed) and with associated infrastructure and landscaping

RESOLVED: That application 24/02606/FP be GRANTED planning permission subject to the reasons and conditions set out in the report of the Development and Conservation Manager, with the following amendment to Condition 10 and the addition of Conditions 20 to 23 as follows:

‘Condition 10:

No dwelling hereby permitted shall be occupied until the vehicle to vehicle inter-visibility splays of 2.4 metres by x 57 metres to the eastern direction and 2.4 metres by x 59 metres to the western direction shall be provided and permanently maintained as shown on the drawing (Ref-196661-001), Within which, there shall be no obstruction to visibility between 600 mm and 2.0 metres above the carriageway level. These measurements shall be taken from the intersection of the centre line of the permitted access with the edge of the carriageway of the highway respectively into the application site and from the intersection point along the edge of the carriageway.

Reason: To ensure construction of a satisfactory development and in the interests of highway safety in accordance with Policy 5 of Hertfordshire's Local Transport Plan.

Condition 20:

No development shall take place (including any ground works, site clearance) until a Biodiversity Method Statement has been submitted to and approved in writing by the local planning authority. The Statement shall be informed by the November 2024 Ecological Assessment Report and include the following:

a) Review of site potential and constraints.

b) Details of any necessary working methods to prevent harm to wildlife.

c) Type and source of materials to be used where appropriate.

d) Persons responsible for implementing the works.

The Method Statement must include a timetable for the delivery of measure on site and any agreed measures are to remain on site thereafter.

Condition 21:

No development shall take place until an Ecological Enhancement Plan (EEP) for the creation of new wildlife features such as hibernacula, the inclusion of integrated bird/bat and bee boxes in buildings/structures, as informed by the November 2024 Ecological Assessment Report, has been submitted to and approved in writing by the local planning authority. The agreed measures are to be implemented on site prior to the first occupation of the first dwellinghouse hereby approved and shall remain on site thereafter.

Condition 22:

The effect of paragraph 13 of Schedule 7A to the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 is that planning permission granted for the development of land in England is deemed to have been granted subject to the condition "(the biodiversity gain condition") that development may not begin unless:

(a) a Biodiversity Gain Plan has been submitted to the planning authority, and

(b) the planning authority has approved the plan.

The planning authority, for the purposes of determining whether to approve a Biodiversity Gain Plan if one is required in respect of this permission would be North Herts Council.

There are statutory exemptions and transitional arrangements which mean that the biodiversity gain condition does not always apply.

Based on the information available this permission is considered to be one which will  ...  view the full decision text for item 6.

REPORT OF THE DEVELOPMENT AND CONSERVATION MANAGER

To consider confirmation of Tree Preservation Order TPO/00216 (2024) – G1 – 8 Oak Trees.

RESOLVED: That TPO/00216 was CONFIRMED.

INFORMATION NOTE OF THE DEVELOPMENT AND CONSERVATION MANAGER.

To provide Members with a quarterly update on planning enforcement.  

The Principal Planning Officer (Conservation and Enforcement) presented the Information Note entitled ‘Planning Enforcement Quarterly Report – Part 1’.

To consider passing the following resolution: That under Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972, the Press and Public be excluded from the meeting on the grounds that the following report will involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 7 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the said Act (as amended).

RESOLVED: That under Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972, the Press and Public be excluded from the meeting on the grounds that the following report will involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 7 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the said Act (as amended).

INFORMATION NOTE OF THE DEVELOPMENT AND CONSERVATION MANAGER.

To provide Members with a quarterly update on planning enforcement.  

The Principal Planning Officer (Conservation and Enforcement) presented the Information Note entitled ‘Planning Enforcement Quarterly Report – Part 2’.