Agenda item

Construction of 9no. residential dwellings (Use Class C3), with associated rerouting of public footpath, access, parking and landscaping works at Land Adjoining Sarratt Lane, Loudwater.

Recommendation: that planning permission be refused.

The application was for construction of 9no. residential dwellings (Use Class C3), with associated rerouting of public footpath, access, parking and landscaping works at Land Adjoining Sarratt Lane, Loudwater.

The Planning Officer provided the following updates:

·       Further to the publication of the report, two additional ecology reports had been received. These related to dormice and badgers. Having reviewed their findings, officers were satisfied that the matter could be dealt with by condition, and as such reason for refusal 5 (ecology) would fall away.

·       Ecology would also be removed from the weightings at the end of the report which were summarised in the table at 7.15.22.  However, this did not change the overall conclusion and recommendation for refusal.

·       One further objection had been received since the publication of the report.  However, this did not raise any new material considerations which had not already been addressed in the report.

·       Following its recent adoption, the Sarratt Neighborhood Plan was now to be afforded full weight as a material consideration. Relevant policies were considered to include:

Policies 2 (Design), 4 (Housing mix), 5 (AH), 6 (Biodiversity), 8 (RoW) and 10 (Car parking).

Reason for refusal 2 should be updated to include Policy 2 and the design guidance.

Reason for refusal 3 should be updated to include Policy 5 (AH).

Reason for refusal 6 should be updated to include Policy 10 (highways).

A local resident spoke against the application.

Councillor Oliver Cooper spoke on the application.

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

·       A speaker commented that Sarratt Lane was a very narrow, single track lane with no pavement or street lighting and minimal passing places.  The application site was therefore not appropriate for 9 large houses.  Objections were made on the grounds of traffic congestion; unsuitability of the lane for heavy construction vehicles and the likely damage which would arise; the unsustainable location of the site; adverse impact on the character of the area; lack of infrastructure capacity; lack of compliance with the Sarratt Neighbourhood Plan; and ecology impacts of the proposal to divert the wooded public footpath.  These comments were endorsed by Committee Members.

·       A Committee Member noted that objections had been received from Sarratt Parish Council, Hertfordshire Highways, the Conservation Officer, the Lead Local Flood Authority and the Landscape Officer, as well as 71 public objections.

·       A speaker commented that the site adjoined Chorleywood, which also had an up-to-date Neighbourhood Plan.  In addition to the recently adopted Sarratt Neighbourhood Plan, the proposal was also not compliant with a number of policies within the Chorleywood Neighbourhood Plan.   Comment was also made that both areas had been subject to a number of applications which, had they all been approved, would have resulted in a level of housing delivery which would have by far exceeded their allocations.

Councillor Lloyd moved, and Councillor Drury seconded, that the application be refused for the reasons set out in the report and with the following amendments:

(i)          removal of reason for refusal 5; and

(ii)         amendment of reasons for refusal 2, 3 and 6 to include reference to the Sarratt Neighbourhood Plan.

 On being put to the vote this was carried, the voting being unanimous.

RESOLVED: that the application be refused for the reasons set out in the report and with the following amendments:

(i)          removal of reason for refusal 5; and

(ii)         amendment of reasons for refusal 2, 3 and 6 to include reference to the Sarratt Neighbourhood Plan.