Agenda and minutes

Members are asked to declare any interests in the items under consideration and in doing so state:

(1) the type of interest concerned either

(a)   personal interest

(b)   prejudicial interest

(c)    disclosable pecuniary interest (DPI)

and

(2) the nature of the interest concerned

If any member requires advice on declarations of interests, they are advised to contact the Head of Democratic Governance in advance of the meeting.

There were no declarations of interest on this occasion.

To agree the minutes of the last meeting held on 5 November 2019 as a true and correct record.

The Committee considered the minutes of the last meeting held on 5 November 2019.

Resolved:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 5 November 2019 be approved and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

The Planning Committee received a report on the planning appeals lodged and determined since the last meeting.

The report stated that an appeal had been lodged by Ms Diane Hutchinson against

the refusal of planning permission for the erection of a single-storey side extension

at 39 Melbourne Avenue, Blackpool.

The report also confirmed that an appeal against the Council’s decision to refuse

planning permission for the erection of a dwellinghouse on land between Longfield

and No. 21 Robins Lane, Blackpool had been dismissed by the Planning Inspectorate.

A further appeal against the Council’s decision to refuse planning permission for the retention of a log-flume ride at South Pier, Promenade, Blackpool had also been dismissed by the Planning Inspectorate.

Resolved:  To note the report.

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 the summary of planning enforcement activity within Blackpool during October 2019.

The report stated that 52 new cases had been registered for investigation, four cases had been resolved by negotiation without recourse to formal action and 28 cases had been closed as there had either been no breach of planning control found, no action was appropriate or it had not been considered expedient to take action.

The report also stated that one Enforcement Notice had been served in October 2019.

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.

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 the summary of planning enforcement activity within Blackpool during November 2019.

The report stated that 29 new cases had been registered for investigation, 19 cases had been resolved by negotiation without recourse to formal action and 62 cases had been closed as there had either been no breach of planning control found, no action was appropriate or it had not been 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.

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 the summary of planning enforcement activity within Blackpool during December 2019.

The report stated that 16 new cases had been registered for investigation, 16 cases had been resolved by negotiation without recourse to formal action and 50 cases had been closed as there had either been no breach of planning control found, no action was appropriate or it had not been 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.

To receive a quarterly update on the Council’s performance in relation to Government targets.

The Committee considered an update report on the Council’s performance against Government targets for the third quarter of the 2019/2020 financial year.

The report stated that for the quarter October – December 2019, the Council’s

performance in terms of speed was 88% of major applications determined within 13

weeks or an agreed Extension of Time against a target of 60% and 88% of non-major applications determined within 8 weeks or an agreed Extension of Time against a target of 70%.

Resolved:  To note the report.

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 19/0588 requesting permission for the erection of three detached bungalows with associated access road.

Miss Parker, Head of Development Management, provided the Committee with an overview of the application and presented an aerial view of the site and the proposed site layout and location plans.  She advised that the site was located in a designated area of countryside and outlined the broad principles of Policy NE2 of the Local Plan that sought to direct development to brownfield sites to safeguard the character of the countryside.  She referred to the officer’s recommendation to refuse the application as it represented inappropriate development in the countryside and referred to the technological information received raising highway safety, drainage and flood risk concerns.  Ms Parker reported on a further objection received from Natural England that could potentially be overcome but it had not been considered reasonable to request further work to be undertaken in view of the current recommendation for refusal.  This also applied to the potential to redesign the property closest to the road to address visual impact.

Councillor Singleton, Fylde Borough Councillor for Staining and Weeton Villages, spoke in objection to the application.  His main concerns related to flooding in the area and its impact on local residents, the location of the proposed development within open countryside and his view that the proposed development would join Staining to Blackpool.  Councillor Angel, Staining Parish Council, also spoke in objection to the application highlighting the rural setting and character of the area and his view of the impact on local residents from the proposed development in terms of noise and disturbance and loss of light and privacy.  Mrs Knowles, local resident, also spoke in objection to the application highlighting the detrimental impact she had experienced personally from flooding.  Mr Titford, local resident, spoke against the application highlighting the need to preserve the biodiverse character of the area and his view of the detrimental impact of the proposed development on local habitat.  Mr Monks, local resident, spoke in objection to the application advising on his recent move into the area and questioned the health and safety of building more properties when in his view the current drainage capacity was insufficient for the existing properties.

Miss Parker, Head of Development Management, advised the Committee of e-mail correspondence she had received from highways and drainage officers since publication of the Update Note stating that further research had indicated that a potential solution may be available to overcome the objections regarding flooding.  However, she highlighted that this potential solution had not been investigated and was not included in the application currently before Committee.  She reminded Members that the concerns regarding the impact on the character of the area and highway safety remained unchanged.

Mr Beardmore, applicant, spoke in support of the application.  He highlighted other developments in the countryside area which represented a departure from policy.  He referred to a shortfall in housing provision and the benefit of the proposed development in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

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 19/0720 requesting permission for the erection of a four/ five and six storey block 34 self-contained apartments including refuse store, cycle store, landscaping and vehicular access from Norbreck Road with car parking for 30 vehicles to the rear. (Resubmission planning application 19/0382).

Miss Parker, Head of Development Management, provided the Committee with an overview of the application and presented aerial and street views of the site, the proposed site layout and location plans and visual images of the proposed development.  She reported on the potential for the development to bring back into use a derelict area of land and the significant amendments made by the applicant in response to officer’s concerns since initial submission of the application.  Ms Parker advised that the level of parking provision was below the maximum requirements for the scale of the development, however, in her view this was considered acceptable given its accessible location.  She also acknowledged that the housing mix fell short of the standard requirement as defined in Core Strategy Policy CS13, but considered that this was outweighed by the benefits of the proposed development.  Ms Parker referred Members to the information in the Update Note that detailed the agent’s agreement to pay contributions to public open space and off-site highway works.  The Update Note also stated that based on a viability assessment it had been accepted that contributions towards education or affordable housing could not be made if the scheme was to remain viable.  She also referred to the relatively recent requirement for financial contribution towards local healthcare and the expectation that this would also be financially unviable for the proposed development.  Ms Parker summarised by reporting on her view of the benefits of the proposed development in terms of its design, its lack of unacceptable detrimental impact on the amenity of the residents of nearby properties and the opportunity to bring a vacant site back into use.  On balance, in Ms Parker’s view, the benefits of the proposed development outweighed the requirement for financial contributions towards housing and education and recommended the application for approval, subject to the proposed conditions being attached to the permission if granted.

Responding to questions from the Committee, Ms Parker explained the viability assessment calculations made on behalf of the applicant had been verified by officers who were satisfied that they accurately assessed the viability of financial contributions.

Mr Carter, Applicant’s Agent, spoke in support of the application, and advised on the significant amendments made to the application by the applicant to ensure that it accorded with both local and national policies.  He also highlighted the applicant’s significant level of financial investment in the scheme and provided his view of the benefits of the proposed development for both the area and the town.

The Committee considered the application and commented positively on the design of the proposed development and the improvement it would bring to the area.  It also noted the benefit of the proposed development in terms of local employment during construction.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

To note the date of the next meeting as Tuesday 11 February 2020.

The Committee noted the date of the next meeting as Tuesday 11 February 2020.