Issue - meetings

Retrospective: installation of parcel locker facility at 57 - 59 High Street, Abbots Langley.

Recommendation: that retrospective planning permission be granted subject to conditions.

Councillor Cooper re-joined the meeting.

The application was retrospective for installation of a parcel locker facility at 57 - 59 High Street, Abbots Langley.

Officers reported that since the previous committee meeting, the applicant had provided details of a revised external appearance for the locker in order to address the committee’s previous concerns.  A grey colourway was now proposed, in place of the existing yellow.  An assessment of the impact of the new colourway was given in the report and officers remained of the opinion that the proposal was acceptable.

Councillor Jon Tankard spoke on the proposal.

Committee Members asked questions about the detail of the application which were responded to by officers.  The Committee’s discussions included the following:

·        A Committee Member commented that the new colourway represented an improvement.  However, the Conservation Officer had considered that the proposal would result in less than substantial harm to the Conservation Area and this should be given great weight.  Whilst the service which the locker provided was of great benefit to the community, there was no shortage of land available on which it could be sited and alternative locations could be considered.  For this reason, the Committee Member considered that the less than substantial harm to the Conservation Area was not outweighed by the benefit to the local community.   This was supported by another Committee Member who commented that the proposal did not preserve or enhance the Conservation Area and by virtue of its prominence and proximity to listed buildings caused harm to the Conservation Area.

·        Another Committee Member considered that alternative locations which had been suggested such as the rear of the retail premises or the car park were not suitable and would not represent an improvement.  The issue of the reasonableness of seeking further changes to the application, given the previous deferral and the fact that the structure was in place, was discussed.  Officers clarified that the Committee could only consider the application before it, but it was open to Members to refuse it if grounds were considered to be sufficient.  It would be open to the applicant to challenge any refusal by way of an appeal.

·        A Committee Member commented that most, if not all, of the centre of Abbots Langley was in the Conservation Area and so other nearby locations would likely give rise to similar concerns.  There were other areas where a locker could cause significantly more harm to the Conservation Area.  The Member considered that on balance, given the more muted colourway and the benefit which the locker provided to residents, the proposal was acceptable.

Councillor Drury moved, and Councillor Gazzard seconded, that retrospective planning permission be granted subject to conditions.  On being put to the vote this was carried, the voting being 9 in favour, 1 against and 0 abstentions.

RESOLVED: that retrospective planning permission be granted subject to conditions.