Agenda item

REPORT OF THE DEVELOPMENT AND CONSERVATION MANAGER

Erection of up to 100 dwellings with means of access from Turnpike Lane including associated landscaping, drainage, car parking; infrastructure and all ancillary and enabling works following demolition of all existing structures (all matters reserved except means of access).

RESOLVED: That application 25/02401/OP be GRANTED planning permission subject to:

a) The completion of a satisfactory legal agreement and the Applicant agreeing to extend the statutory period in order to complete the agreement if required; and

b) Providing delegated powers to the Development and Conservation Manager to:

(i) Resolve outstanding matters and financial contributions including a late request from Ickleford Parish Council; and

(ii) Update conditions and informatives with minor amendments as required; and

c) The conditions as set out in the report of the Development and Conservation Manger.

Audio recording – 4 minutes 29 seconds

N.B. Councillor Louise Peace declared an interest as Member Advocate Objector and moved to the public speaking gallery.

The Senior Planning Officer provided a verbal update on matters relating to Application 25/02401/OP and advised that:

· S106 requests had been received from Ickleford Parish Council, which had been published with the supplementary documents.

· The recommendations should be amended to include the provision of delegated powers to the Development and Conservation Manager to review the S106 requests and agree payment for any Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) compliant requests.

· The Applicant had circulated a briefing note directly to Members, and this was available to view on the Council website.

· A new neighbour representation had been received, which provided neutral comments and did not raise any new issues that had not been addressed in the report.

The Senior Planning Officer then presented the report in respect of Application 25/02401/OP accompanied by a visual presentation consisting of plans and photographs.

The following Members asked questions:

· Councillor Daniel Allen

· Councillor Ruth Brown

· Councillor Mick Debenham

· Councillor Martin Prescott

· Councillor Caroline McDonnell

· Councillor Nigel Mason

In response to questions, the Senior Planning Officer advised that:

· Horses grazed on the land, but the space was not used for agriculture.

· There was approximately 70 metres between the most southern point of the site and the Hitchin settlement boundary.

· The report concluded that the site was classified under the Green Belt despite the Applicant making a submission that the land was Grey Belt.

· Keeping the southern half of the site free of built form carried significant weight in favour of the application under the Green Belt Assessment.

· On-site open space would be gained through this application as most of the site was currently inaccessible to the public.

· It was roughly 150 metres from the first dwelling on Old Hale Way to the last dwelling on Arlesey Road, although the nearest dwelling to Hitchin was likely to be in Ickleford Bury.

· An active travel pathway would run through the development and link the east and west sides of the site.

In response to questions, the Development and Conservation Manager advised that:

· The Illustrative Masterplan would be a material planning consideration in any future reserved matters application, and a Master Compliance Statement would be required by recommended condition, but granting outline planning permission would not tie reserved matters to the Illustrative Masterplan.

· The extent of built form was set out in the submitted Parameter Plan, which would be an approve plan.

· This scale of development should be deliverable within 5 years, but it would depend on several factors including the approval of reserved matters.

· As it had been designated as Green Belt land in the Local Plan, the site would remain Green Belt until any Green Belt Review and new Local Plan determined otherwise.

In response to questions, the Principal Planning Officer advised that:

· There would be 200 metres between the onsite developable area and the Hitchin settlement boundary, which was defined by the playing fields of The Priory School.

· The division between the north and south parts of the site indicated the stance of the Council on where the Green Belt and Grey Belt were separated.

The Chair invited the Public Objector, Ickleford Parish Councillor Kathy Goldie to speak against the application. They thanked the Chair for the opportunity and provided the Committee with a verbal presentation, and highlighted the following:

· Ickleford was already suffering from overdevelopment, saturation of traffic, pollution and sewage overflow.

· The application would significantly harm the Green Belt, in addition to the open character and appearance of Ickleford, which would contradict the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).

· This development and others nearby would add to runoff water that was polluting the River Oughton.

· Serious flooding occurred onsite during storms as evidenced by photographs.

· The development would be unsustainable as it failed to offer a choice of transport modes, and more than 200 vehicles resulting from the development would bring danger to neighbours, road users and pedestrians on Turnpike Lane.

· Infrastructure in Ickleford and Hitchin, such as water networks, schools, hospitals, and dental and GP surgeries were insufficient and would not cope with the influx of new residents.

· Public transport was also inadequate to cater for commuting and school children.

· This development and others proposed would constitute roughly 600 homes, which would destroy the village and its boundary with Hitchin to the south.

· Ickleford had already contributed adequately to the five-year housing land supply and housing need would be better met through proper, planned developments.

· The Green Belt land should be protected from development to preserve and enhance the nature within the area and decrease pollution.

The following Members asked points of clarification:

· Councillor Daniel Allen

· Councillor Martin Prescott

· Councillor Nigel Mason

In response to points of clarification, the Parish Councillor Goldie advised that:

· Sewage overflow resulting from rain deluge had been reported in Laurel Way, Duncots Close and Lower Green, and had destroyed gardens and risen within homes.

· Flooding took place to the west of the site and photographs showed waterlogging on Bedford Road due to pipe blockages.

· Ickleford had a high water table and measurements for this application had been taken during a dry period in April the previous year.

· Anglian Water had not accounted for rain deluge in the area when accepting these new homes into their system.

The Chair thanked Parish Councillor Goldie for their verbal presentation and invited the Member Advocate Objector, Councillor Louise Peace to speak against the application. They thanked the Chair for the opportunity to speak and provided the Committee with a verbal presentation, and highlighted the following:

· Officers involved with the application should be thanked for writing a comprehensive report and arranging a site visit for Members of the Committee.

· Delivery of 100 homes with 50% affordable housing carried significant weight, but even with the tilted balance applied, it was believed that the harms outweighed the benefits.

· The development was outside the Ickleford settlement boundary and contrary to Policy SP2 in the Local Plan, therefore, it would significantly harm the Green Belt.

· Ickleford already suffered from excessive traffic, and 492 vehicle movements generated by the development would push the mini roundabout on Arlesey Road to peak capacity during school pick up times.

· 3 crashes had been documented on Crash Maps at the roundabout on Bedford Road.

· There was no cycle infrastructure on Arlesey Road or Bedford Road to help cyclists access Hitchin.

· Site access would cause the loss of 6 mature trees on Turnpike Lane and the Tree Preservation Orders on those had not been considered.

· No reference to the River Oughton being a chalk stream had been made in the Drainage Strategy, and runoff from the attenuation basin would pollute this.

· The chalk stream had only been given local importance in the Ecology Report.

· Wildlife would be impacted by the 14.65% on-site biodiversity net loss, and further adverse ecological impacts had been detailed in the Ecology Report.

· Contrary to the report, there was no shortage of brownfield sites in Ickleford and Hitchin, and 199 dwellings could be built on sites allocated within the Local Plan, which would more than meet the housing need identified by the Ickleford Neighbourhood Plan.

· Approving a development on open land in the Green Belt would fail to encourage the recycling of derelict and other urban land as described in the report.

In response to a point of clarification asked by Councillor Daniel Allen, Councillor Louise Peace advised that the Ecologist had confirmed that otter spray had been found in the area.

The Chair thanked Councillor Peace for their verbal presentation and invited the Public Supporter, Millie Dodd to speak in support of the application. They thanked the Chair for the opportunity to speak and provided the Committee with a verbal presentation, and highlighted the following:

· They were the Account Director at Just Build Homes, who focused on reaching residents who did not typically engage with the planning consultation process.

· Just Build Homes had engaged with residents in the determination period of the application to hear why residents supported the application, and all responses received had been made available on the planning portal.

· Reasons for supporting the application included tackling the housing crisis through the provision of affordable homes, and the creation of open green space with a playground that would create a community feel.

· Granting permission for this application would provide an opportunity for home ownership to existing residents of Ickleford.

In response to points of clarification asked by Councillor Martin Prescott, Ms Dodd advised that:

· Just Build Homes spoke on behalf of supporters for local house building as evening committee meetings were not accessible for most residents.

· They also worked on behalf of local authorities, developers and housing associations to provide more representation of community voices in the planning process.

In response to points of clarification asked by Councillor Martin Prescott, the Development and Conservation Manager advised that a public supporter did not have to live locally to be able to register to speak, and the assessment of planning consultation responses was based upon the content of the comments, rather than the number of responses.

In response to further points raised by Councillor Martin Prescott, the Locum Planning Lawyer advised that points of clarification should relate to points raised in the verbal presentation, rather than what the rights of the speaker were to speak at the Committee.

The Chair thanked the Ms Dodd for their verbal presentation and invited the Agent to the Applicant, Kathryn Ventham to speak in support of the application. They thanked the Chair for the opportunity to speak and provided the Committee with a verbal presentation, and highlighted the following:

· The recommendation to grant permission had been made due to very special circumstances as the benefits outweighed the adverse impacts of the application.

· Benefits of the application included the delivery of 100 homes, of which 50% would be affordable, which was 10% above policy requirement. Significant open space and a green route through the site connecting to existing developments would also be delivered

· The development would be enclosed on three sides by existing development and the water course to the south would provide a natural boundary.

· While substantial weight had been given to harm caused to the Green Belt, the site-specific circumstances showed that the benefits outweighed the harms.

· Built development had been contained to Grey Belt land and public access in the form of a park had been provided to make development acceptable in the Green Belt across the whole site.

· This development was of high-quality and would fit into the existing built form of Ickleford.

· Consultation responses had confirmed the suitable and sustainable location of the site, with only 30% being occupied by built development.

· Connection points at the site boundary with Ickleford Mill would ensure good connectivity between the two developments.

· £3.6M in financial contributions would be made in total.

· A significant contribution towards the delivery of affordable housing would be made by this site, and the collective benefits would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the harms.

The following Members asked points of clarification:

· Councillor Mick Debenham

· Councillor Martin Prescott

In response to points of clarification, Ms Ventham advised that:

· There would be a requirement to remove some trees near the site access, but the other trees would be retained, and additional tree planting would be investigated.

· They would anticipate the completion of the development by 2029 if the application was granted planning permission.

N.B. Following the conclusion of public speaking, Councillor Louise Peace left the Council Chamber for the remainder of the item.

Councillor Nigel Mason proposed to grant permission with the amendment suggested by the Senior Planning Officer in their verbal update, and this was seconded by Councillor Emma Fernandes.

The following Members took part in the debate:

· Councillor Daniel Allen

· Councillor Ruth Brown

· Councillor Mick Debenham

· Councillor Clare Billing

· Councillor Emma Fernandes

· Councillor Martin Prescott

· Councillor Caroline McDonnell

· Councillor Nigel Mason

The following points were made as part of the debate:

· Delivery of 100 homes and 50% affordable housing would be of significant benefit.

· Allocated sites in the Local Plan should be built on first rather than speculative sites like this one.

· 70 metres was not very far to the nearest development and Ickleford would soon be swallowed by Hitchin if applications like this one continued to be granted permission.

· The benefits and harms of the application were finely balanced.

· This development was positive as it would provide green open space to the public without built development being in open view.

· Reserving the southern portion of the site for green space was positive and safeguarded Ickleford from being absorbed by Hitchin.

· The Applicant had put a lot of thought into the application and it would be of benefit to the community.

· There would be a loss of grazing fields and natural habitat at the southern end of the site as it would be landscaped.

· It was close in proximity to Laurel Way, which had reported sewage issues.

· Adding approximately 200 vehicles to Turnpike Lane was not desirable.

In response to additional questions from Councillor Martin Prescott, the Development and Conservation Manager advised that:

· It would not be appropriate to pre-judge decisions on any pending applications, and each application would be considered on its own merits. Therefore, granting planning permission on this application would not set a precedent for decisions on future applications.

· From memory, the Icknield Neighbourhood Plan detailed that there were roughly 884 dwellings in the village, which might exclude the Burford Grange development.

Having been proposed and seconded and, following a vote, it was:

RESOLVED: That application 25/02401/OP be GRANTED planning permission subject to:

a) The completion of a satisfactory legal agreement and the Applicant agreeing to extend the statutory period in order to complete the agreement if required; and

b) Providing delegated powers to the Development and Conservation Manager to:

(i) Resolve outstanding matters and financial contributions including a late request from Ickleford Parish Council; and

(ii) Update conditions and informatives with minor amendments as required; and

c) The conditions as set out in the report of the Development and Conservation Manger.

N.B. Following the conclusion of the item, there was a break in proceedings. The meeting reconvened at 20:33 and Councillor Louise Peace returned to the Chamber.

25/02401/OP LAND SOUTH OF TURNPIKE LANE, ICKLEFORD, HERTFORDSHIRE

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