Agenda item

            (Prior to consideration of this application, Councillor Mrs Yeates had declared a personal interest and spoke to the item before leaving the meeting and she took no part in the debate or vote.

            Councillor Edwards had declared a personal interest and remained in the meeting and took part in the debate and vote.)

            BE/135/18/PL – Hybrid Application comprising of Outline application for the principle of employment uses B1-B8.  Full application for Class B8 warehouse with fuel-island and car parking (Unit 2), 2 No. Class B1/B8 employment units with associated parking and servicing (Units 6 & 7), Class A1 retail food store with car parking and servicing (Unit 8), 2 No. drive thru units with car parking and servicing (Units 4 & 5), car showroom, workshops (including MOT testing), vehicle storage, external display areas, service areas and parking (Unit 9) together with access roads, associated ground and engineering works, landscaping and ancillary works.  This application affects the character and appearance of the Shripney Conservation Area and a Public Right of Way, Salt Box Field, Land off Rowan Way, Bersted

          This application had been considered at the meeting on 5 June 2019 and had been deferred as the details of the surface water drainage plans were outstanding and required further assessment.

          The Principal Strategic Planner now represented an updated report which detailed the applicant’s revised drainage strategy and associated plans and calculations and was able to confirm that, as a result, the Environment Agency had withdrawn its objection.  The detail of the revised strategy was included in the update report.

          In addition, Members were appraised of the following:-

·        Amended Site Masterplan Block Plan  (Rev C) and an updated Phasing Plan (Rev C), which ensured that the site layout accorded with the revised drainage strategy.  These were listed in Condition 2 in the Full application and in Condition 4 in the Outline application, together with an additional informative.

·        Two additional conditions relating to the opening hours at the Foodstore (Unit 8) and the Car Showroom (Unit 9).

·        Two letters of representation from local residents regarding traffic congestion and quantum of development, which had been previously addressed at the meeting on 5 June 2019.

·        Amendments to conditions as set out in the update report.

·        A summary of updated consultee comments, with resultant amended conditions where relevant.

·        An officer’s report update was circulated at the meeting which detailed amendment to Condition 23 of the Full application, which was considered necessary to enable further discussions to take place on the best route for the footpath connection between the site and Bersted Brooks/Rowan Park.

The Engineering Services Manager was pleased to confirm that, since the last meeting, the drainage matters had moved on significantly and officers were now quite happy with the proposal.

            In commencing the debate, Members thanked the Principal Strategic Planner for an excellent report and, although reservations were still expressed with regard to flooding, traffic issues and the impact of the development on the Conservation Area, the Committee accepted the drainage mitigation that had come forward and

RESOLVED

That the application be approved as detailed in the report update.