Agenda item

19/00520/OP LAND BETWEEN CROFT LANE NORTON ROAD AND CASHIO LANE, LETCHWORTH GARDEN CITY, HERTFORDSHIRE

REPORT OF THE DEVELOPMENT AND CONSERVATION MANAGER

Outline planning application for residential development of up to 42 dwellings, all matters reserved but access (as amended by plans and information received 09-06-2020, 23-07-2020 and 10-12-2020).

Decision:

Councillor Morgan Derbyshire declared that he was acting as Member Advocate on the item and would therefore not take part in the debate and vote.

 

RESOLVED: That application 19/00520/OP be DEFERRED for the following reason:

 

To allow the Committee sufficient time to consider updated information.

Minutes:

Audio recording – 1 hour 37 minutes 21 seconds

 

Outline planning application for residential development of up to 42 dwellings, all matters reserved but access (as amended by plans and information received 09-06-2020, 23-07-2020 and 10-12-2020).

 

It was confirmed that none of the Committee Members were Hertfordshire County Councillors and therefore did not have a declarable interest as Hertfordshire County Council owned the land.

 

Councillor Morgan Derbyshire declared that he was acting as Member Advocate on this item and would therefore not take part in the debate and vote.

 

The Senior Strategic Sites Officer presented the report in respect of application 19/00520/OP and provided the Committee with the following updates:

 

·                There was a technical issue with the Planning Officer’s report in that the Conditions requested had not been fully included in the report which had been published on the website;

·                Condition 1: Reference to ‘means of access’ had been deleted and replaced with ‘internal access’, as means of access was unreserved within the application under consideration;

·                Conditions 3 and 4: reference to ‘demolition’ had been removed, as no demolition was proposed at part of this development;

·                Highways Conditions 16-21: All of the beginnings of these Conditions had been updated to include: ‘The occupation of development authorised by this permission shall not begin…’ and then continue to have exactly the same contents other than the following:

·                Condition 17: Drawing number ST-2571-22 Swept Path Analysis Croft Lane Option 7b had been added;

·                Condition 18 had been shortened and would now read as follows:

 

‘The occupation of the development authorised by this permission shall not begin until the offsite highway improvement works as indicated on drawings numbered ST-2571-21-A Means of Access Croft Lane Option 7b, ST-2571-18-B Croft Lane Access Strategy and ST-2571-22 Swept Path Analysis Croft Lane Option 7b have been undertaken. The potential footway and crossing on Norton Road (contribution towards Highway Authority) presented on drawing Croft Lane Access Strategy, ST-2571-18-B should be changed to: Provision of footway and signalised pedestrian crossing on Norton Road (the works to be undertaken under s278 works). The works shall be completed to the satisfaction of the local planning authority and highway authority before occupation of the development.’

 

Reason: To ensure construction of satisfactory development that the highway improvement works are designed to an appropriate standard in the interest of highway safety and amenity and in accordance with Policies 5, 13 and 21 of Hertfordshire’s Local Transport Plan (adopted 2018).

 

·                Former Points a, b and c of Condition 18 had been removed as they were included in up-to-date drawings, so did not need to be included in the Condition. The Condition did not reduce the amount of s278 works required or the works required on the road to make the access safe;

·                There were two additional prior to commencement Conditions: Condition 25 to ensure that the details of the offsite highway improvement works are submitted to and approved in writing by the local planning authority, the details to include surface materials, footpath surfaces, kerbs, grass verges, bollards, signage, street lighting within the site, road markings and paintings, and details of the speed tables and Sinusoidal ramps proposed offsite. This condition was to ensure that best efforts were made, in terms of fine detailing, to preserve the quality of the site surroundings as a heritage asset;

·                Condition 26 which requires that the offsite highway improvement works shown on the proposed details and plans provide details of how the trees off the site are going to be protected whilst undertaking the s278 works to improve offsite highways provision, that includes the widening of Croft Lane at the access points and the widening of the footpaths to two metres as detailed in the officer’s report and as detailed in the approved drawings.

 

Councillor Allen raised a Point of Order that with this level of change to the report, with the Committee not having had time to review it, and due to the fact that some objectors had employed highways consultants (and the changed Conditions related to highways and access), he did not think the Committee should be considering this application any further at this meeting.

 

The Legal Regulatory Team Manager and Deputy Monitoring Officer advised that deferral for the reason given by Councillor Allen was a matter for Members to decide upon. The Development and Conservation Manager confirmed that the earliest date which the Committee could consider the deferred application would be 27 May 2021.

 

The following Members commented on the proposed deferral:

 

·                Councillor David Levett;

·                Councillor Tony Hunter;

·                Councillor Mike Rice.

 

It was proposed by Councillor Daniel Allen, seconded by Councillor Val Bryant, and upon being put to the vote it was:

 

RESOLVED: That application 19/00520/OP be DEFERRED for the following reason:

 

To allow the Committee sufficient time to consider updated information.

Supporting documents: