Issue - meetings

                        The Planning Officer reported some amendments to the Conditions.  The first alteration was to Condition 2 to clarify that the restriction on the number of attendees to 12 applies between 5.30pm and 9.30pm Monday to Friday evenings and also on Saturday afternoons - this was to ensure that the Condition reflected the existing situation limiting the number of attendees on these days and times.  The second alteration was Condition 3 to remove the reference to Wards Councillors.  This wording had been carried over from a previous planning permission but officers did not consider this particular stipulation was precise or necessary.  There was also a spelling error in Condition 3 and it should read “this permission shall ‘enure’…” removing the word ensure. 

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

                        Ward Councillor Matthew Bedford referred to the front elevation of the hall on the plans.  The single story element of the hub at the side was where meeting rooms 1 and 3 were.  If it was only changes to those rooms there would not be an issue.  But within the main building was room 2 with the bay window, which was integral to the house and below where the resident lived.  If you walked into the hall of the resident you could see on the right hand side the doorway into that room which although boarded up the doorway had remained.  There was an internal wall between the house and the meeting room which was below the main bedroom of the resident.  There was no sound insulation between the meeting room and the resident above and you can hear the noise from the meeting room upstairs which could be extremely intrusive and disturbing.  The Councillor had contacted Watford Community Housing Trust (WCHT) and asked them if they were prepared to put in sound proofing but after some time they had advised they had no plans to do this.  The Councillor did not feel they had been helpful in their approach and urged the Committee to consider what restrictions can be included and would be appropriate for that room which was very much internal into the house.

                        Councillor David Raw asked if officers could confirm how long this building had been in use for and the changes being proposed.

                        The Planning Officer advised that the building had previously been a Doctors surgery until 1975 when it changed to an office.  It became an Estate Management office in 1989 and had always been for non-residential use.  The proposed changes related primarily to the number of people allowed in the rooms.  The existing use had a number of restrictions which included only being able to use between 8.30am to 17.30 Monday to Friday and not at all on Saturdays and Sundays.  It was able to be used Monday to Friday evenings and Saturday afternoons for meetings and that element was not proposed to be changed so the general hours of use would not change.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 51