09-17-13 PLAN MINS
MINUTES OF THE PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE
HELD IN THE OLD COURT ROOM, THE SESSIONS HOUSE, LOUTH
ON TUESDAY 17TH SEPTEMBER 2013
Present Councillor R. Featherstone (in the chair)
Councillors: A.D.C. Austin, Mrs. E. Ballard JP, F.G. Coonghe, C. Green, D.J.E. Hall, G.E. Horton JP, A. Leonard JP, Mrs. S.E. Locking, Mrs. J. Makinson-Sanders, T.F. Marris, Mrs. M. Ottaway MBE, J.O. Pocklington, L.M. Stephenson, F.W.P. Treanor, N. Ward and D.E. Wing
The Town Clerk, Mrs Linda Blankley, her Secretary Mrs. Lynda Phillips, 6 members of the public and 1 member of the press were also present.
Members of the public spoke in the public forum, as follows:
· A gentleman spoke about planning application N/105/01550/13 (Land East of Church Cottage Mews).
· A gentleman spoke about his objections to wind farms being placed in and around the Louth area.
· A gentleman spoke about his objections to planning application N/105/01376/13 (Southern Gateway).
· Finally, the Mayor announced that Louth had won a Silver Gilt award in the East Midlands in Bloom Competition as well as a special award for Richard and Julie Speed for Yarn Bombing.
305. Apologies for Absence
Apologies were received from Councillors B. Burnett, F. Robertson, Mrs. P.F. Watson and J.F. Wood.
306. Chairman’s Remarks
Councillor A. Leonard JP was allowed to remark that the 1400 signatures required for the Cattle Market Petition had been easily obtained and the forms would be submitted to ELDC shortly.
The Chairman remarked that a representative to attend a meeting to be held on 26th September at 7pm in the Corn Exchange, Alford with Councillor Newton regarding parking needed to be elected. Councillors agreed that Councillors C. Green and Mrs. M. Ottaway MBE should attend.
Finally, the Chairman informed Councillors that notification had been received that the refusal of ELDC to allow the Revenue Buildings on Chequergate to be demolished had been appealed against. Following a proposal by Councillor Mrs. E. Ballard JP, seconded by Councillor Mrs. S.E. Locking it was RESOLVED that the Council’s original comments on the application should be amended slightly to include the text at paragraph 129 of the National Planning Policy Framework.
307. Declarations of Interest
The following declarations of interest were made:
a. Councillor L.M. Stephenson – agenda items 8. Planning Applications and 11. Louth Market – as a member of ELDC and the ELDC Planning Committee.
b. Councillor Mrs. E. Ballard JP – agenda item 8. Planning Applications, 1) N/105/00783/13 – 21-23 Kenwick Road – as a user of this shop and 3) N/105/01376/13 – Land rear of Agarth Farm and Southfield Farm – as an acquaintance of residents in the area who will be affected and 4) N/105/01550/13 – Mand East of Church Cottage Mews – as her daughter owns a house in this area.
c. Councillor Mrs. J. Makinson-Sanders – agenda item 11. Louth Market – as a member of ELDC.
d. Councillor G.E. Horton JP – any item from or relating to ELDC as a member of ELDC and especially agenda item 11. Louth Market – as a member of the National Market Traders Federation.
e. Councillor A. Leonard JP – agenda item 8. Planning Applications, 5) N/105/01614/13 – 4 New Street – as the owner of a restaurant in the Louth area.
308. Dispensations
There were no dispensations requested.
309. Minutes.
Following a proposal by Councillor A. Leonard JP, seconded by Councillor G.E. Horton JP it was RESOLVED by vote of the Committee that the notes of the last meeting held on 3rd September 2013 were approved as the Minutes.
310. Town Clerk’s Report on Matters Outstanding
The Town Clerk had nothing to report.
311. Applications received by the Local Planning Authority
The Committee considered the applications listed in the schedule (PA/Schedule 09-17-13) and RESOLVED:
a. 3) N/105/01376/13 – Land rear of Agarth Farm and Southfield Farm adjoining Stewton Lane and Kenwick Road also within the parish’s Legbourne and Stewton – A recorded vote was taken the results of which were as follows:
Support / Object / AbstainCllr. A.D.C. Austin / Cllr. Mrs. E. Ballard JP / Cllr. L.M. Stephenson
Cllr. Mrs. J. Makinson-Sanders / Cllr. T.F. Marris
Cllr. F.G. Coonghe / Cllr. Mrs. M. Ottaway MBE
Cllr. R. Featherstone / Cllr. J.O. Pocklington
Cllr. C. Green / Cllr. F.W.P. Treanor
Cllr. D.J.E. Hall / Cllr. N. Ward
Cllr. G.E. Horton JP / Cllr. D.E. Wing
Cllr. A. Leonard JP / Cllr. Mrs. S.E. Locking
Reasons: Louth Town Council (LTC) strongly OBJECTS to the proposals in the application for the following reasons:
This is a premature application as ELDC have not yet produced their Core Strategy which will contain proposals for housing development allocation within the district to 2026. In a response to the consultation exercise for the Core Strategy LTC considered the issue and responded such that Councillors felt that Louth could only absorb an additional 500 homes without detrimental impact on the town and local resources as Louth does not have the necessary infrastructure and facilities and there are current capacity issues with utilities that would need resolving longer term and protection measures such as the Flood Alleviation Schemes have yet to be in place. The location of any increase in housing stock would also be critical to the impact on the town itself.
LTC understands that there are currently approximately 250 ‘planning approved’ homes awaiting construction which would therefore accommodate half of that growth. There are also in excess of 500 homes for sale in the area at the moment demonstrating that there are homes available to meet residents’ needs and that the proposed number on this application far exceeds the requirement. Councillors are aware from the public meeting held that there is a requirement for affordable houses in Louth, however it is anticipated that this number may reduce as ELDC have very recently adopted a new Housing Allocation Policy and recently introduced government reforms on benefits should be considered when assessing the housing need for Louth.
The proposals indicate the possibility of the creation of a village core /heart on the outskirts of the town which will be detrimental to the character of the town by creating a suburban environment rather than supporting a central Market Town core Further to this any retail development at this location could affect the viability of the town centre shops which Louth is well renowned for and LTC wish to protect. The visual impact of the development will be of an overbearing nature due to its size and style, is on a site close to the AONB, and whilst landscaping features have been included the sheer size and scale of the project will create a negative aspect entering the town.
The development and the number of expected residents (approximately 4,000) will increase the population of Louth by around 25% and will put additional pressure on health, police, and education providers which are already stretched at the current size. This is evidenced by Consultee responses from other agencies such as the NHS and Education Authority. There is also evidence of other local developments where promised facilities such as schools and medical facilities have not materialised due to slow demand at the start up and with predicted build rates this could be the case here also.
It is a requirement under NPPF guidelines that any development does not create detrimental impact and in this case there is great concern regarding drainage and potential flooding of this area and beyond. There is ample evidence that this road and adjoining land regularly suffers from Surface Water Flooding and has been closed on many occasions. Whilst LTC is aware that mitigation measures can be introduced it has been suggested that those proposed are inadequate for the size of the development given the existing problems and that there will be a detrimental impact both up and down stream. The number of houses proposed will add to the issue by covering more of the land which currently absorbs some of the excess water. Sections of local drainage systems have been denigrated over time with ditches filled in and culverts introduced exacerbating the problem which will require full investigation.
Traffic to the development will all be directed onto the B1200 Legbourne Road which is one of the main access points from the South / South East of the town currently bringing traffic from Mablethorpe and Manby as well as the Louth bypass to the southern end of the town. Whilst the developers have proposed a roundabout to ease traffic access to and from the site it does not have any positive impact whatsoever on the volume of traffic that this estate could generate in additional to current users. Figures indicate that there could be up to 8 vehicle journeys daily generated by every property which could mean that around 7,000 extra vehicle movements take place on this road. Whilst this section of the road may be able to absorb this impact there is a knock on effect for every extra vehicle that enters the town at junctions that already suffer from congestion in particular, Stewton Lane / Newmarket, Newmarket / Church Street, Newmarket / Upgate traffic lights, Church Street / Eastgate junctions. There is also concern that the adjacent Garden Centre which generates traffic from the town and beyond would put all road users at risk with its entrance / exit being located very close to the roundabout.
Proposals for pedestrian and cycle access include the use of Railway Walk which Town Councillors feel is not of an adequate standard and is unlit thereby limiting potential use. There are also inadequate facilities for the securing of cycles in the town centre which could be in demand to support an edge of town development. Public transport links to this outlying area would also have to be improved with minimal service and small size vehicles currently being in place.
The use of valuable farm land for this development is contrary to Lincolnshire County Council policies for which Councillor Davie, Portfolio Holder for Economic Development, has publically stated that a top priority is agriculture. The loss of prime agricultural land is contrary to this policy which is also part of the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership (GLLEP) aims.
There are few employment and revenue earning opportunities within Louth, other than to create more service sector positions by virtue of the additional population produced from such an increase in housing.
The length of the stated construction phase and associated construction traffic will cause noise and general disturbance to those residents neighbouring the development boundaries and in the locality generally.
b. 6) EN010033 – Hornsea (Round 3 Zone 4) Offshore Wind Farm: Project One – object on the grounds of cumulative impact on wildlife from the project.
c. To support all other applications.
312. Planning Correspondence
The Committee noted that the following planning correspondence had been received:
a. Planning Decisions (Variances)
i. N/105/01311 and 01312/13, 2 Lee Street – has been refused by ELDC.
313. Correspondence
The Committee noted that the following correspondence had been received:
a. From: LCC Re: Temporary Road Closure – Cannon Street, Louth 14/10/2013 – 08/11/2013 – 7 days, essential maintenance work.
314. Publications Received
Councillors noted that the following publications had been received and were in the Members Room to view:
a. Clerks and Councils Direct – September 2013
b. LCR – Local Council Review Autumn 2013
315. Louth Market
Following a proposal by Councillor Mrs. J. Makinson-Sanders, seconded by Councillor Mrs. M. Ottaway MBE it was RESOLVED that following complaints from local businesses and residents Louth Town Council should invite the ELDC portfolio holder and Markets Manager, Esther Belton, to attend their next meeting to explain how they intend to stem the decline.
316. Charles Street Pond
It was agreed that the Town Clerk should seek an update from the anglers who lease the pond on the progress of improvement works asked for by anglers.
317. St Mary’s / Westgate Junction.
Following a request from Councillor Mrs. J. Makinson-Sanders it was agreed that the Town Clerk should ascertain the ownership and maintenance responsibility of the St Mary's Lane ‘triangle’ as it was felt that it is currently in a poor state.
318. Next Meeting
Councillors noted that the date of the next scheduled meeting of the new PLANNING COMMITTEE was 1st October 2013 and the Chair and Vice would be elected then.
The meeting closed at 9.13pm
Signed______(Chairman) Dated______
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