Agenda item

3 Public Speakers

          Dilys Lownsborough, Objector

          Carol Inglis, Objector

          Jacob Goodenough, Agent

Construction of 6 No new dwelling with new access from Bilsham Road, sustainable drainage and landscaping. This application is a Departure from the Development Plan, may affect the setting of listed buildings and is in CIL Zone 3 and is CIL Liable as new dwellings.

The Principal Planning Officer presented the report with updates. This was followed by 3 Public Speakers. The Principal Planning Officer responded to a comment made regarding potential access to the crematorium by one of the public speakers, where he advised that when the crematorium application was approved there was a legal agreement implemented that stated bollards would need to be placed on Grevatts Lane west, to prevent vehicles moving in a north westerly direction, due to the safety concerns of the junction. With the new access in this application, whilst it could potentially be an alternative, the current state of Grevatts Lane west between the site and the crematorium was too rough and broken and not considered suitable for heavy traffic use, therefore currently he did not believe it could be used for access.  Members raised a number of other concerns with the application including, expressing sympathy for the residents of Yapton for the level of development in the area, concern regarding the inspector’s report where it mentioned substantial harm to the character and appearance of the area, the impact and significance on the Grade II listed Hobbs Farmhouse and the loss of agricultural land. Because of these concerns raised by Councillor Lury he proposed that a site visit be undertaken and asked for a seconder from the committee, where Councillor Woodman agreed to second this proposal.

 Further debate was requested before any vote was taken on the proposal put forward. Throughout that debate it was commented that should the application be approved would this then prompt a further application later on for an additional 69 dwellings. It was then asked for the Group Head of Planning to give members some advice regarding the weighting the committee should give in their decision making to the emerging neighbourhood development plan for the area, that had been mentioned by one of the public speakers. The Group Head of Planning advised members that as set out in the report the emerging neighbourhood plan did have sufficient weight to outweigh the presumption in favour. However, when the plan is made the policies that would be most relevant in respect of this application would be considered as out of date, due to the housing land supply being less than 3 years, he then referred to paragraph 14 of NPPF.

          Councillor Lury then readdressed the committee and reoutlined his reasoning for a site visit to be held before any decision was made. The Chair then moved to the vote to defer the decision on the application pending a site visit.

The Committee

          RESOLVED

That the application be DEFFERED to allow for a site visit for members to assess the area.