Issue - meetings

There was no Planning Officer update.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 35(b) a member of the public spoke in favour of the application and a member of the public spoke against the application.

Councillor Joanna Clemens spoke to say the property in the application was enormous, going right to the boundaries, and supported the objections from Batchworth Community Council.

Batchworth Community Councillor Alan Moss said the enjoyment and view of the nearby residents was being affected by the development of this property. The Community Council believed the reduction in boundary space was not acceptable, and believed the welfare of trees on the property were being negatively affected by this development.

The Planning Officer confirmed the report addressed the issues raised.

Councillor Reena Ranger said that planning permission was approved in 2019 and there are seven or eight planning histories or enforcements since then and it didn’t seem fair for neighbours to pay for the mistakes of others, even if it was a small difference in distance.  The Councillor asked about the door that had been moved, the size of the infringement, and whether the trees being planted would last long enough to act as a screening measure.  A recent application on the same street was refused on the basis of being detrimental to the streetscene.  The Councillor suggested a site visit be made.

The Planning Officer stated the other application referenced was materially different to this one, and while appreciating the extensive planning history this application had to be judged independently on its own merits.  This application complied with space standards.

Councillor Sara Bedford asked what the minimum separation to the boundary at ground floor level was and asked if the property was within a Conservation Area.

The Planning Officer said 0.75m was the minimum distance and 1.1m was the maximum, and confirmed the property was not within a Conservation Area.

Councillor Sara Bedford said having an inferior sized side passageway can be detrimental to the residents living conditions and that the application property would be too big for the plot.

Councillor Raj Khiroya stated they put weight on the Planning Officers recommendation.

Councillor Reena Ranger, seconded by Councillor Sara Bedford, moved for a site visit to be conducted.

Councillor Chris Lloyd, seconded by Councillor Raj Khiroya, moved an amendment that the recommendation as set out in the report that Part Retrospective Planning Permission be Granted.

The proposer of the amended motion proposed a further amendment that a vote take place on the site visit motion first.

On being put to the Committee the motion to make a site visit was declared LOST by the Chair the voting being 4 For, 5 Against and 1 Abstentions

On being put to the Committee the amended motion was declared CARRIED by the Chair the voting being 5 For, 3 Against and 2 Abstentions.

RESOLVED:

That Part Retrospective Planning Permission be GRANTED subject to the conditions set out in the Officer report.