Decision details

1 Public Speaker

Cllr Alan Smith – Aldwick Parish Council

Variation of condition imposed under AW/28/19/PL relating to condition 2-plans condition (updated plans and Arboricultural Impact Assessment and Method Statement).

The Planning Area Team Leader presented the report. He updated Members that a Section 106 Agreement had been signed since the publication of the agenda and therefore the Officer recommendation had changed to conditional approval. This was followed by 1 Public Speaker.

Members then took part in a full debate on the application where a number of points were raised and responded to by Officers, including:

·       the type and maturity of the trees to replace those removed to ensure they fitted more appropriately into the locality

·       the trees having been identified as ‘amenity trees’ and any detailed tree planting plan to appreciate this

·       the detail of the tree planting plan, what it might contain and how prescriptive it might be

·       the design of the chimney and the environmental impacts of solid fuel burning

·       concern over backland development

·       who had long-term responsibility for the management of the trees

Following Members’ discussion and concern for the long-term presence of trees on this site, the Planning Area Team Leader suggested amending the second paragraph of condition 15 to include the words ‘or removed’ after ‘such trees die’ to ensure that the replacement trees could not be removed in future without being replaced. The Legal Services Manager challenged the assumption that condition 15 ensured a tree planting scheme be submitted before the felling of the trees on the site and suggested that condition 15 was further amended to include ‘the tree planting scheme is submitted before the trees are felled’.

The amended recommendations were then proposed and seconded.

The Committee

RESOLVED

That the application be APPROVED CONDITIONALLY as detailed in the report and report update subject to the conditions as detailed