Agenda and minutes

There were no declarations of interest on this occasion.

To agree the minutes of the last meeting held on 17 July 2018 as a true and correct record.

The Committee considered the minutes of the last meeting held on 17 July 2018.

Resolved:  That the minutes of the meeting held on 17 July 2018 be approved and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

The Committee noted that an appeal had been lodged by Cardtronics UK Ltd against the refusal of planning permission for the retention of an ATM on the Dickson Road frontage of the premises at Café 15, 15 Cocker Street, Blackpool.

Resolved:  To note the planning appeal lodged.

The Committee will be asked to note the outcomes of the cases and support the actions of the Service Manager, Public Protection.

The Committee considered a report detailing the planning enforcement activity

undertaken within Blackpool during June 2018.

The report stated that 53 new cases had been registered for investigation, 12 cases had been resolved by negotiation without recourse to formal action and 18 cases were closed as there was either no breach of planning control found, no action was appropriate or it was not considered expedient to take action.

The report also provided comparative information for the same period last year.

Resolved: To note the outcome of the cases set out in the report and to support the

actions of the Service Manager, Public Protection Department, in authorising the notices.

The Committee will be asked to note the outcomes of the cases and support the actions of the Service Manager, Public Protection.

The Committee considered a report detailing the planning enforcement activity

undertaken within Blackpool during July 2018.

The report stated that 44 new cases had been registered for investigation, 16 cases had been resolved by negotiation without recourse to formal action and 18 cases were closed as there was either no breach of planning control found, no action was appropriate or it was not considered expedient to take action.

The report also provided comparative information for the same period last year.

Resolved: To note the outcome of the cases set out in the report and to support the

actions of the Service Manager, Public Protection Department, in authorising the notices.

To update the Planning Committee of the Council’s performance in relation to Government targets.

Mr Johnston presented the planning applications and appeals performance report.  He advised Members that the Government currently assessed performance over a two year period from 1 October 2016 to 30 September 2018.  He referred to the information in the Update Note that reported performance from the start of the two year period up to 10 August 2018 as 91% within 13 weeks or an agreed extension of time for major applications and 92% within eight weeks or an agreed extension of time for minor applications against targets of 60% and 70% respectively. He advised on the expectation that the performance would remain above target for the remainder of the two year assessment period.

The performance figures for July were also reported in the Update Note as 100% within target or an agreed extension of time for both major and minor applications.

Resolved:  To note the report.

To consider a revised draft member and officer protocol for planning for recommendation to Council.

Mr Beattie, Executive and Regulatory Manager, presented the draft Member and Officer Protocol which had been revised by officers following a focus group training session undertaken by the Committee on 8 March 2018.  The aim of the revised Protocol was to develop a clear, useable and concise document for Members of the Committee and Officers. 

At the training session Members had also expressed a desire to increase the time limit for public speaking and for consistency, apply the same time limit to ward councillors with the aim of allowing sufficient time for representations whilst maintaining focus.  Members of the Committee were asked to consider recommending to Council approval of the revised Protocol and changes to time limits for public speaking.

In response to a question, Mr Beattie reported on the intention to submit the recommendation to Council at its meeting in September 2018, subject to approval by the Committee.

Resolved: 

1.  To recommend Council to approve as part of its Constitution the revised Member and Officer Protocol for Planning.

2.  To recommend Council to adopt the revised public speaking arrangements outlined in the report, namely that the period for objectors and applicants be increased to seven minutes and the period for ward councillors be similarly limited to seven minutes.

The Committee will be requested to consider an application for planning permission, details of which are set out in the accompanying report.

The Committee considered planning application 18/0333 seeking the retention of a log flume on land to the north of South Pier.

The Chairman reported on the request by the applicant for deferral of the application due to the unavailability of the applicant’s agent.  She advised the Committee that Mr Laister, acting on behalf of Blackpool Pleasure Beach, had requested to speak in objection to the deferral.

Mr Laister, acting on behalf of Blackpool Pleasure Beach, raised an objection to the deferral.  The main reasons were that deferral would result in a further extension in the length of time that the log flume would be in place, following the expiration of the temporary permission and that this would also cover the remainder of the main holiday season. A further concern related to the requirement for works being undertaken on the pier that had formed part of the justification for granting temporary permission and these had not been undertaken by the applicant.  He asked the Committee to consider refusing the applicant’s request to defer.

The Committee considered the applicant’s request to defer and the objections made by Mr Laister on behalf of Blackpool Pleasure Beach. Whilst the Committee acknowledged the concerns raised by the objector, Members were also mindful that this was the first request for deferral made by the applicant and in the interests of fairness it was appropriate to allow the opportunity for the applicant’s agent to attend and speak on the applicant’s behalf.  Members felt that, should the Committee be minded to defer the application, it would need to be considered at the next meeting.  Members also requested that it be made clear to the applicant that any further requests for deferral would not be looked upon sympathetically.

Resolved: To defer the application to the next meeting on 18 September 2018.

Background papers:  Applications, plans and replies to consultations on the application.

The Committee will be requested to consider an application for planning permission, details of which are set out in the accompanying report.

The Committee considered planning application 18/0077 for the erection of four detached dwellinghouses, two with integral garages and two with detached garages, with associated landscaping and access from Stockydale Road on the land adjacent to 27 Stockydale Road.

Miss Parker, Senior Planning Officer, provided the Committee with an overview of the application and presented an aerial view of the site, site location and layout plans and elevational plans of the proposed dwellinghouses. She advised that permission had previously been granted for residential development on the former Baguleys Garden Centre site and that this included the application site.  The Committee was reminded that in August 2017 it had refused permission for four houses on the application site on highway safety grounds and Miss Parker reported on the amendments made to the plans in terms of improved visibility and provision of safer pedestrian access in response to concerns raised at that time.  The scale of the development had also been amended to better reflect the character of this part of Marton Moss and reduce potential traffic congestion and parking issues.  Miss Parker referred to the ongoing dispute over land ownership and reminded Members that land ownership was not a planning consideration.  Miss Parker reported on the Local Planning Authority’s duty in terms of ecology and biodiversity and the opportunity to address concerns through appropriate conditions.

Ms Baron, public objector, spoke against the application and raised concerns mainly relating to the proposed access from Stockydale Road which in her view would result in a potential increase in traffic and adversely impact the safety of pedestrians and cyclists.  A further concern related to the impact on the rural environment from the proposed removal of the hedgerow.

Mr Boniface, the applicant’s agent, spoke in support of the application and reported on the consultation undertaken with the Council’s highways and planning officers to address concerns and reported on amendments made to the plans to improve highway and pedestrian safety. In his view the proposal represented sustainable development of an acceptable size and scale with no highway safety or environmental impact.

In response to questions from the Committee, Mr Patel, Network Planning and Projects Manager, reported his view that the proposal met required standards in terms of level of car parking provision and road width and considered that the increase in vehicle movement from the proposed development could be accommodated on the highway.  He acknowledged that during recent work on Midgeland Road, the volume of traffic on Stockydale Road had increased due to drivers who knew the area using it as a short cut.

The Committee carefully considered the application.  It expressed concern at the current uncertainty with regards to land ownership, however, it noted that this was not a planning consideration.  Miss Parker advised of the opportunity, if permission was granted, to attach a Grampian condition to prevent development on land not controlled by the applicant.

The Committee had regard to the amendments made to the proposal to address highway safety concerns and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.