Page No 140

REPORT OF THE CHIEF PLANNING OFFICER – Date 8th November 2004

Community / Code No / Applicant / Recommendation / Page No
ISY / P/ 2003/0758 / Mr & Mrs S.N.R. Brunt / GRANT / 3 - 10
RHO / P/ 2004/0017 / Cannon Kirk (Northern Ltd) / REFUSE / 11 - 18
RHO / P/ 2004/0212 / Mr Gwyn Davies / REFUSE / 19 - 21
BRO / P/ 2004/0476 / Mr C Lloyd / REFUSE / 22 - 24
LLR / P/ 2004/0690 / Denise Stevenson / GRANT / 25 - 28
WRO / P/ 2004/0926 / Mr Trevor Symmonds / GRANT / 29 - 37
BRY / P/ 2004/0971 / Bwlchgwyn Primary School / GRANT / 38 - 40
ROS / P/ 2004/0973 / Mr P R Kilgannon / GRANT / 41 - 43
OVE / P/ 2004/0998 / Amy May Caswell / GRANT / 44 - 49
OVE / P/ 2004/0999 / Amy May Caswell / GRANT / 50 - 53
RUA / P/ 2004/1012 / Castlemead Homes Ltd / GRANT / 54 - 61
RUA / P/ 2004/1014 / Castlemead Homes Ltd / GRANT / 62 - 67
RHO / P/ 2004/1024 / Mr E W Phillips / GRANT / 68 - 72
RHO / P/ 2004/1025 / Mr E W Phillips / GRANT / 73 - 75
WRR / P/ 2004/1048 / New Road Baptist Church / GRANT / 76 - 78
OVE / P/ 2004/1070 / A & R Homes / GRANT / 79 - 81
GWE / P/ 2004/1105 / T R Edwards Esq / GRANT / 82 - 84
BRO / P/ 2004/1122 / Russell H Jones / GRANT / 85 - 89
BRY / P/ 2004/1153 / Brymbo Developments Limited / GRANT / 90 - 93
PEN / P/ 2004/1180 / Mr Roger Owen Evans / REFUSE / 94 - 96
BRY / P/ 2004/1184 / Mr & Mrs Conway / GRANT / 97 - 100
WRA / P/ 2004/1187 / Mr Andrew Martin Ould / GRANT / 101 - 103
GRE / P/ 2004/1194 / Mr N Cunningham / GRANT / 104 - 108
GRE / P/ 2004/1202 / Mr & Mrs A K Jones / REFUSE / 109 - 112
LLA / P/ 2004/1218 / Wrexham County Borough Council / GRANT / 113 - 115
GRE / P/ 2004/1220 / Pathfinder Pubs / GRANT / 116 - 118
GRE / P/ 2004/1221 / Pathfinder Pubs C/O
Miss Julie Ashby / GRANT / 119 - 121
LLR / P/ 2004/1227 / Mr E C Austin / GRANT / 122 - 125
GWE / P/ 2004/1309 / Mr B Edwards / GRANT / 126 - 127
MAE / P/ 2004/1350 / Mr & Mrs P Lindsay / GRANT / 128 - 130

Total Number of Applications Included in Report – 30

All plans included in this report are re-produced from Ordnance Survey Mapping with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. Ó Crown Copyright. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown Copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings.

WCBC Licence No. LA0902IL

All plans are intended to be illustrative only and should be used only to identify the location of the proposal and the surrounding features. The scale of the plans will vary. Full details may be viewed on the case files.

APPLICATION NO:
P/2003 /0758
COMMUNITY:
Isycoed
WARD:
Holt / LOCATION:
Park Farm Bowling Bank Wrexham
DESCRIPTION:
Change of use of redundant agricultural buildings to 5 no. dwellings and garages. Alteration to existing vehicular access and installation of sewage treatment plant.
APPLICANT(S) NAME:
Mr & Mrs S.N.R. Brunt / DATE RECEIVED:
23/06/2003
CASE OFFICER:
JGK
AGENT NAME:
ISP Architects

______

THE SITE

Park Farm, Isycoed.

PROPOSAL

As above.

HISTORY

None.

DEVELOPMENT PLAN

Outside of any settlement limit and in open countryside as shown in the Wrexham Unitary Development Plan. UDP Policies PS2, GDP1, EC12 and H3. Local Planning Guidance Notes 3 – Barn Conversions and 13 – Housing in the Countryside.

CONSULTATIONS

Community Council: No representations on this proposal.

Local Member: Notified 27.5.02

Public Protection No objections but recommends notes to applicant re. storage/spillage of agro-chemicals, percolation test and survey to identify any presence of asbestos.

Highways: No objection in principle but recommends conditions and note to applicant

Environment Agency: Flood risk assessment required. Asks for conditions to be attached to any permission re. design and location of tank for the storage of oils, fuels or chemicals, provision of surface water regulation system and the provision of foul drainage scheme or private plant.

Site Notice: Expired 18.07.03.

Adjoining Occupiers: Comments/objections received as follows:

§  Very small lane which floods frequently in winter

§  When in flood traffic goes through the village

§  Unacceptable increase in volume of traffic

SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS/ ISSUES

Background: The proposal is for the conversion of redundant farm outbuildings to six dwellings. They are built of facing brick with asbestos sheet roofing. They are structurally sound with the main block arranged in an L shape with two other buildings immediately to the west. All these are to form the six converted units with an additional existing building to the south forming garages.

Policy: Wrexham Unitary Development Plan policies and detailed guidance allow for the possibility of redundant buildings in the countryside to be converted to residential use (Policy H3 and Local Guidance Notes 3 and 13 refer). However, the building must be: traditional and of permanent materials; structurally sound and capable of conversion without extensive rebuilding tantamount to the erection of a new dwelling; retain any inherent characteristics; and not result in an undesirable intrusion into the landscape or create access problems (Policy PS2, GDP1, H3 and LPG Note 3 refer). I consider that the scheme meets most of these requirements and give detailed consideration as follows:

Residential Use: Policy H3 (a) states that, where there is no longer an agricultural need for the buildings, alternative non-residential uses should have proved inappropriate. This issue has not been addressed at Park Farm because the application has now been under consideration for 16 months with only 5 months since the UDP became operational. In these circumstances and at this late stage I consider it would

be unreasonable for the Council to now require the applicant to demonstrate that non-residential uses could not be accommodated in the buildings.

Design: Following pre-application discussions with the applicant’s agent and a number of more recent discussions, the conversion scheme is now acceptable. It retains many of the existing openings and features, and minimises the creation of new openings/doors. No extensions are proposed. I have conditioned the submission of design details regarding the windows and rainwater goods.

Highways: The roads serving the site are narrow single-track lanes and in some instances of poor horizontal alignment particularly along the approach from the north. Traffic speeds along the approaches are likely to be low. The applicant has control of sufficient land to provide recommended visibility splays. It is expected that traffic generated from the site will in general use the northern section of the single unclassified road to make access to the principal road A534. I have discussed the highway issues at length with the Council’s highway department and the following conditions are recommended to ensure:

·  The construction of passing places between the application site and the A534

·  Adequate width of access road with visibility splays

·  Provision of adequate on site parking and turning

·  Provision of a means of enclosure not exceeding 1m in height

Flood Risk: The existing buildings lie outside the known historic floodplain. Nevertheless, a Flood Risk Assessment has since been submitted and based on the findings and conclusions of the report the Environment Agency does not object to the proposal in principle. The applicant has confirmed the acceptance of additional Environmental Agency requirements. The development is in accord with UDP Policy EC12.

Conclusion: The important objective of Local Plan policies and associated guidance is to achieve a scheme that ensures that the finished product looks like a converted barn/outbuildings rather than a new dwelling. Discussions have taken place to achieve a more satisfactory conversion scheme. Concerns over highway and window/rainwater goods details are to be addressed. I therefore recommend accordingly.

RECOMMENDATION That permission be GRANTED

CONDITION(S)

1. The development hereby permitted shall be begun before the expiry of five years from the date of this permission.

2.  The development shall only be carried out in strict conformity with the details shown on the approved drawings and in the application documentation.

3. No facing materials shall be used other than materials matching those used on the existing building.

4. The vehicle parking and turning facilities indicated on the approved plans shall be laid out in accordance with the approved plan (Drawing No. 5989/L(2)03). Such facilities shall be made available for those purposes prior to occupation of the first unit and shall thereafter be maintained.

5. The access roads serving the site shall be not less than 4.1 metres in width and hard surfaced for a minimum distance of 10 metres back from the highway.

6. To the south of the northern access to the site from a point on the centreline of the access 2.4 metres back from the nearside edge of the carriageway to a point on that same edge of carriageway 45 metres from the access all obstructions to visibility shall be completely removed including the grubbing up of hedge/tree roots.

7. At the sharp bend between the two accesses between points on the centreline of the road 33 metres all obstructions to visibility shall be completely removed and any new boundary enclosure erected along this sightline.

8. A scheme to provide passing places in the verge of the unclassified road midway between the site and the classified road junction to the north shall be submitted for the approval of the Local Planning Authority. The approved scheme shall be completed prior to the occupation of the first unit.

9. No part of the development hereby permitted shall be commenced until full details of both hard and soft landscape works for the site have been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The works shall be implemented in accordance with such details as approved.

10. No part of the septic tanks or private treatment systems (including ancillary soakaway systems) shall be sited within 10 metres of any watercourse, ditch or surface water feature nor within 50 metres of any water abstraction or well.

11. Notwithstanding the provisions of the Town and Country Planning Act General Development Order 1995 (or any order revoking or re-enacting that order) no tank for the storage of oils, fuels or chemicals shall be erected within the curtilage of a dwelling house unless it is sited on an impervious base and surrounded by impervious walls. The volume of the bunded compound should be at least equivalent to the capacity of the tank plus 10%. All filing points, vents gauges and site glasses must be sealed with no discharge to any watercourse, land or underground strata. Associated pipework should be located above ground and protected from accidental damage.

12. No development approved by this permission shall be commenced until a scheme for the provision and implementation of a surface water regulation system has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority and the Environment Agency. Such a scheme shall be implemented to the reasonable satisfaction of the Local Planning Authority prior to the construction of any impermeable surfaces draining to the system.

13. No development approved by this permission shall be commenced until a scheme for the conveyance of foul drainage to a private treatment plant has been submitted to and approved by the Local Planning Authority. No part of the development shall be brought into use until such treatment plant has been constructed.

14. Inspection manholes shall be provided and clearly identified on foul and surface water drainage systems, in accordance with a scheme to be submitted to and approved by the Lcoal Planning Authority.

15. A bat roost report shall be undertaken by specialist consultants to be able to assess the likely impacts of the proposal on any statutory protected species can be

assessed. The report must also propose and deliver appropriate conservation schemes and 'Reasonable Avoidance Measures' and be submitted to and approved by the Local Planning Authority. Any mitigation measures required shall be implemented in accordance with timescales to be agreed as part of the measures before development commences on site.

16. No part of the development shall be commenced until details of window/door design and specification of rainwater goods have been submitted and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The development shall only be carried out in strict accordance with such details as are approved.

REASON(S)

1. To comply with Section 91(3) of the Town and Country Planning Act, 1990.

2. To ensure a satisfactory standard of appearance of the development in the interests of the visual amenities of the area.