Issue - meetings

Retrospective temporary change of use of land to construct access track for construction vehicles to facilitate developments at Bullsland Farm (for a further 2 years).

Recommendation: That Planning Permission be granted for a temporary period (2 years).

The application was for a retrospective temporary change of use of land to construct an access track for construction vehicles to facilitate developments at Bullsland Farm, Bullsland Lane, Chorleywood for a further two years.

The application had been called in by Chorleywood Parish Council due to concerns regarding the access no longer being temporary if an additional three years were granted, and Green Belt concerns.

The Planning Officer reported Condition 2 was to be updated to require all soft landscaping works approved by the condition to be carried out before the end of the first planting and seeding season following the restoration works, and to remove reference to first occupation of any part of the buildings.

Should permission be granted, the date referred to at Condition 3 would also need to be amended to refer to a date 2 years in advance of the date on which the temporary grant of planning permission was given.

Parish Councillor Jon Bishop of Chorleywood Parish Council spoke against the application.

Martin Crook, agent, spoke in favour of the application.

A Committee Member commented that he considered that the extension request was reasonable, with the applicant only having been granted one year’s temporary approval when the application had been considered by the Committee previously.

Another Committee Member raised concern about the potential for the applicant to continue to seek further extensions.

In response to questions and comments the Planning Officer commented that whilst temporary permission for two years had been refused previously, further information had been submitted and considered which had altered the view of the Planning Officer.  This was set out in the report and had included consideration of highway safety, and the fact that the land would be able to be fully remediated afterwards which tempered the harm to the Green Belt and the character of the area.

Committee Members also discussed the amount of time which would be needed to restore the land, noting that this could take at least a year depending on weather conditions, and that newly planted vegetation sometimes failed to establish.  The Committee considered that Conditions C2 and C3 should be amended to reflect the required timescale for restoration of the land, with revised wording to be circulated to Committee Members for agreement. 

Note: the wording subsequently circulated is shown below:

Condition 2: Soft landscaping

Prior to the expiration of the two-year temporary period as set out within Condition 3, a soft landscaping scheme specifying the re-seeding of the land and proposed enhancement planting within the site, shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.

All soft landscaping works approved by this condition shall be carried out before the end of the first planting and seeding season immediately following the completion of the restoration works secured by Condition 3.

Notwithstanding the management of the land as set out within the Grassland Restoration Plan, following the removal of the temporary haul road if any of the proposed soft landscaping, are removed, die,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 72