Agenda item

Development of 9 affordable dwellings and associated access onto Pardys Hill. Outline application with all matters reserved. As amended by plans received 7/11/2018

The report detailing an outline application for a development of 9 affordable dwellings and associated access onto Pardy’s Hill with all matters reserved was presented by the Senior Planning Officer.

He verbally reported the contents of the Update Sheet which had been circulated prior to the committee meeting. 

An application for the site had previously been submitted for 12 dwellings and subsequently refused in 2017, on appeal the Inspector dismissed the appeal and the reasons were incorporated within the report.  The revised application for 9 new homes was considered acceptable as there had been a 25% reduction in the number of dwellings and the reasons for the previous refusal had been addressed, the smaller application area was considered appropriate for the Green Belt area. 

Oral representation in opposition to the application was received from Mr J Goddard, Mr R Lee and Cllr D Sowry-House on behalf of Corfe Mullen Parish Council.  Their main concerns focussed on the site not being in a sustainable area which would necessitate the ownership of cars as public transport in the area was poor.  They also voiced opposition to building on the Green Belt.

Mr R Henshaw the Agent and Mr K Hodder the Applicant both addressed the committee in support of the application.

In response to speaker comments the Development Management Manager addressed the committee.  Although the application site was not the best location for affordable housing, the Appeal Inspector was clear that the site met the exception requirements and this had not been a reason for refusal.   Recommended conditions had been included to ensure that the flood risk was suitably dealt with and she urged the committee members to approve the development.

To clarify the Parish Council’s comments that they were in the process of investigating alternative sites for affordable housing,  the Development Management Manager reported that there had been no affordable housing delivered in the area for c15 years, the application before committee now was policy compliant and should be determined in accordance with the Local Plan and the Inspector’s decision.

Members did have some concerns about the location, access to local amenities and flooding, however they accepted that the Appeal Inspector had not specified these as reasons to refuse the application.

Proposed by Cllr Dyer, seconded by Cllr Cook

Decision: that the application be delegated to the Development Management Manager to grant subject to the successful completion of a S106 Legal Agreement to secure;

1.    All the dwellings to be affordable in perpetuity and to meet the NPPF’s definitions of social-rented and low-cost housing

2.    Strategic Access Management and Monitoring contribution in relation to mitigation for the proposal’s impact on Heathland Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

And the conditions outlined in the appendix to these minutes.

Or

If a Section 106 Legal agreement and other information set out below are not secured by 30^th July 2019, Refuse planning permission as the proposal would:

• Fail to secure the appropriate affordable housing provision in accordance with Core Strategy affordable housing exceptions site Policy LN4

• Fail to provide avoidance measures identified as necessary to mitigate the impact of the development, in combination with other plans and projects, on the integrity of the designated site as set out in the Dorset Heathlands Planning Framework Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) 2015-2020