Issue - meetings

Recommendation: That subject to the recommendation of approval/no objection from the Landscape Officer and the Environmental Health Officer, that the application be delegated to the Head of Regulatory Services to GRANT PLANNING PERMISSION subject to conditions as set out below and any additional conditions as requested by the Landscape Officer and Environmental Health Officer.

Scott Volker, Principal Planning Officer provided the following update:

Comments received from Environmental Health Officer who raised no objection subject to three conditions requiring submission of a remediation strategy prior to commencement of the development; verification report prior to occupation and condition relating to the discovery of unexpected contamination during construction works.

Informative 6 is to be deleted as the application is not subject to s.106 agreement.

Members expressed concerns regarding the location of the refuse bin that has been planned for the site. Members highlighted issues related to the accessibility of the bin store for refuse lorries, emphasising that the current location could block traffic on the mini roundabout and cause parking issues. Additionally, there are concerns that the visibility of the bin store may encourage fly tipping, and that residents may struggle to access the bins if they are not positioned correctly.

Members of the Committee requested clarification on these issues, particularly, the refuse lorry’s ability to access the bins safely.

The case officer responded, explaining that officers had been engaging with the developer with regards to provision of a turning space for lorries, which had been required by Hertfordshire County Council as one of the conditions.

The area to the front of plots 4-6 would be sufficiently sized for a box lorry, such as a supermarket delivery truck to maneuver and exit safely in forward gear, and for refuse and larger vehicles. There was a discussion with the agent regarding the removal of the two most southern parking spaces to facilitate the turning space. The agent had been working with their team and had worked on a tracking system for larger vehicles that could adequately maneuver and turn around within the space. Therefore, officers can request a further plan from the agent to clearly define the area as a turning space, mark it, and condition it to be a turning space, which would enable refuse vehicles to enter and exit in forward gear, and then it would enable the refuse collection team to collect the bins individually from the front of the properties.

The case officer further clarified that bin storage for plots 1-3 will be within their rear gardens, while plots 4-6 will have designated bin storage areas on the left side of plot 4. If the bins for plots 1-3 are stored in the rear gardens and only brought out on collection day, it would eliminate the need for the bin stand area, and plots 4-6 would benefit from their bin stand to the front of plot 4.

Members argued that the current design is inadequate, and bins could potentially block the pavement on collection day. A dedicated bin store is needed that could accommodate three wheelie bins, as storing the bins in rear gardens and trying to navigate them from the rear, through parked cars is impractical.

There were further issues raised by Members with the accessibility of the bin store for plots 4-6, as the plans currently show steps down to the bin  ...  view the full minutes text for item 46