Agenda item

To consider a report by the Head of Planning.

The Committee considered application 3/19/2437/RM on a proposal for a development comprising 312 dwellings, public open space, vehicular, cycle and pedestrian access, connections to the SANG, landscape planting and surface water attenuation features at land west of Cranborne Road, Wimborne Minster.

 

For the Committee’s understanding the Outline Planning Permission - 3/14/0016/OUT -established and formalised the principle of the development of a new neighbourhood on 24.3ha of agricultural land north of the urban area of Wimborne as allocated by policy WMC7 of the Christchurch and East Dorset Local Plan. The approval established the principle of development to be guided by three parameter plans dealing with land use, movement into and within the site and landscape.  This was the fourth reserved matters application submission in respect of the residential development granted in Outline and the relevant planning history was set out for information.

 

The site was allocated for residential development in the Christchurch and East

Dorset Local Plan Part 1 - Core Strategy 2014 through Policy WMC7 (North

Wimborne New Neighbourhood) and provided for:-

 

• The principle of residential development for up to 630 dwellings on the wider

Wimborne New Neighbourhood site was agreed under outline planning

application 3/14/0016/OUT.

• Adequate biodiversity mitigation being secured at outline planning stage through

planning conditions and a Section 106 Agreement. A Suitable Alternative Natural

Greenspace (SANG) would be provided to the north and east of the site. This

met the requirements of the Habitat Regulations.

• The number of residential units and mix of unit sizes were considered to be

appropriate for the site.

• The legal agreement secured 32% affordable housing - with 70% for affordable

rent proposal and 30% as shared ownership. 10% of the affordable housing was

to be provided to ‘M4(2) Cat 2 Accessible and Adaptable Standard’, providing

accommodation for people with disabilities. In combination with the affordable

housing proposed in the earlier approved phase 1, the proposal aligned with the

legal agreement requirements.

• The proposed highway layout was acceptable with sufficient parking being proposed for the dwellings.

• The proposal was considered to be acceptable in its design and general visual

impact to an extent that would not warrant refusal.

• The proposed landscaping of the site was considered to be acceptable in its design

and general visual impact to an extent that would not warrant refusal.

• The proposal was considered acceptable and there are no material

circumstances which would warrant refusal of this application.

 

This application now sought approval for all of the Reserved Matters for the development; pertaining to access, layout, scale, appearance and landscaping – as defined and identified in the national planning practice guidance.

 

A package of contributions, both financial and associated development was to be secured through CIL/Section 106 legal agreement as part of 3/14/0016/OUT, including:-

• 32% affordable housing (approximately 200 dwellings)

• Provision of land for the construction of a new three form County first school to replace Wimborne First School

• Funding towards primary and secondary education

• Funding towards highway infrastructure improvements in Wimborne and Colehill

• Funding to secure the creation and management of the Suitable Alternative

Natural Greenspace (SANG)

• Provision and management of public open space

• The provision of an open space corridor incorporating play spaces

• Funding for the Council or their nominee to maintain play spaces and the open space corridor

• The construction of a pedestrian bridge across the River Allen (subject to

planning) or a financial contribution towards its provision

• Provision of land set out for allotments and the construction of an allotment

pavilion

• Funding towards sports facilities in Wimborne and Colehill

• Funding for community facilities in Wimborne and Colehill

• The implementation of the Travel Plan

 

with those benefits being subject to a number of trigger points,

 

With the aid of a visual presentation, officers provided context of what the main proposals, principles and planning issues of the development were; how these were to be progressed; how the development would contribute to meeting housing needs; and what this entailed. The presentation focused on not only what the development entailed and its detailed design, but what effect it would have on residential amenity and the character the area.

Plans and photographs provided an illustration of the location, orientation, dimensions – form, bulk, size and mass - and appearance of the development and of the individual properties, with examples being given of how typical detached, semi-detached, terraced and apartment block properties were designed, along with their ground floor plans; how it would look; proposed street scenes; the materials to be used; how utility services would be provided and accommodated and by whom; access and highway considerations; the means of landscaping, screening and tree cover, and its setting within that part of Wimborne and the wider landscape – particularly within the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

 

Officers showed the development’s relationship with other adjacent residential development and how the buildings were designed to be in keeping with the characteristics of the established local environment. The characteristics and topography of the site was shown and its relationship with the highway network and to properties in the adjoining roads in particular. Views into the site and around it were shown, which provided a satisfactory understanding of all that was necessary.

 

In summary, officers planning assessment adjudged that the overall design of the development was considered to be largely acceptable, with all, significant, planning matters having been appropriately, or adequately, addressed.

 

Formal consultation had seen no objection from Wimborne Minster Town Council and no comment from Colehill Parish Council either. The Environment Agency were of the view that the original strategy was considered acceptable in principle, subject to clarification about exceedance of the system and overland flow routes. Whilst the engineering of drainage solutions was likely to be able to be achieved, other outstanding drainage matters required clarification.

 

Natural England, the County Archaeologist, Wessex Water and Sembcorp Bournemouth Water Ltd had made no comment on this application.

 

Whilst it was acknowledged the applicant had not succeeded in mitigating all of the impacts of the harm to the Conservation Area (CA) and some concerns in relation to the AONB still remained, the approved Outline application identified harm to the CA in relation to this western parcel to be as less than substantial and that visual effects on the AONB would be negligible.

 

Having assessed the material considerations as outlined within the report

above, overall, the reserved matters submitted for the second tranche of 312

residential units for the western parcel were found, on balance, to be

acceptable and sufficiently compliant with national and local planning policies

that refusal would not be warranted. On balance, it was considered the proposal accorded sufficiently with the approved Design Code and outline parameters to be deemed acceptable any harm caused would be outweighed by much needed housing supply secured on this strategic allocated site, and so this formed the basis of the officer’s recommendation in seeking approval of the application.

 

An adjoining local Ward member for Colehill and Wimborne Minster East, Councillor Maria Roe, took the opportunity to ask that consideration be given to greater energy efficiency arrangements in the development and that what was being proposed could be improved upon. The chairman reminded the committee that even if this was the case, there currently was no Council policy that could be applied to require this.

 

The other adjoining member for Colehill and Wimborne Minster East, Councillor Janet Dover, was concerned at the traffic which would be generated by the development adversely impacting the rural lanes to the north of Colehill parish. Officers considered that there was no reason to believe this would the case given the traffic and parking assessment made, but advised that should those concerns remain once any development was established, the Parish council could ask for this to be addressed subsequently.

 

The Committee were then notified of those written submissions received and officers read these direct to the Committee. Having heard what was said, officers responded to some of the pertinent issues raised, being confident that each one could be addressed by the provisions of the application.

 

The Vice-Chairman - who was also one of the two local ward members for Wimborne Minster – whilst understanding the benefits of the principle of the application – still had misgivings over how it was to be applied and asked for further consideration to be given to the density and congestion of the site and the maintenance and management of it, particularly; the management of and accessibility to local green space; the condition and quality of the children’s play provision and how this would be maintained; the acceptability of unadopted roads and how these would be managed and maintained long term; how refuse collections were to be managed; how the proposed social courtyard could be safely and easily accessed given the local highway layout; the height and prominence of the first block of buildings adjacent to the Cranborne Road and the impression this gave to the accessibility of the site from the south; how drainage and surface water would be adequately managed to ensure the local chalk stream to the west of the site did not become contaminated and; that the inclusion of a greater number of chimneys in the design would complement those of already established dwelling in that part of Wimborne.

 

Given all this, so that this could all be satisfactorily address before he considered further consideration of any approval could be made, he proposed that further consideration of the application be deferred until more detail was available and the matters raised duly considered and addressed. This view was shared by the other Ward member for Wimborne Minster, Councillor David Morgan and, accordingly, Councillor Robin Cook seconded the proposal to defer, on that basis.

The opportunity was the given for members to ask questions of the presentation and what they had heard, in seeking clarification of aspects so as to have a better understanding in coming to a decision. Officers addressed the questions raised providing what they considered to be satisfactory answers. In particular though – as well as the issues raised by the Vice-Chairman - concerns remained at what the energy provision was and how the design of dwellings could possible accommodate more efficient means of achieving this.  Accordingly they agreed that issues which still needed to be addressed - for clarification and better understanding purposes - before they were able to come to any decision should cover:-

·       Highway:

-          Whether private roads can be specified to adoptable standards even if not adopted

-          Pedestrian and cycle routes to be addressed due to lack of connectivity

·       Drainage - Impacts on the River to be confirmed and considered

·       Waste collection - areas where private waste collection is required to be discussed and resolved with DWP if possible

·       Design:

-         Revised design required for the ‘Amherst’ apartment to the south east, possibly a stepped approach to height also landmark building so sensitive to view as leaving Wimborne.

-         Further chimneys to be added across the scheme

-         Urban square design to be reconsidered to address road issues and provide better social space

·         Landscape - Boundary to the west to be reinforced

·       Energy statement - Provisions within the energy statement to be reconsidered

·       Lighting -Removal of PD of further lighting to be considered

 

Whilst officers took the opportunity to address the issues raised as far as they were able in what considerations had been given to this in their report and presentation, having had the opportunity to discuss the merits of the application; having taken into account the officer’s report and presentation, the written representations; and what they had heard at the meeting in taking account of the views of the two Ward members and the adjoining Ward members and what they considered to be the outstanding issues which remained to be addressed, and being proposed by Councillor Shane Bartlett and seconded by Councillor Robin Cook, on being put to the vote, the Committee agreed unanimously that the application should be deferred, pending those issues being satisfactorily considered and addressed so that they might have this information to consider in coming to their decision on the application.

Resolved

That application 3/19/2437/RM be deferred on the basis that more information and clarification was necessary on the outstanding issues below before any decision could be reached by the Committee:-

-        Highways:

o   Whether private roads can be specified to adoptable standards even if not adopted

o   Pedestrian and cycle routes to be addressed due to lack of connectivity

-        Drainage:

o   Impacts on the River to be confirmed and considered

-        Waste collection:

o   Areas where private waste collection is required to be discussed and resolved with DWP if possible

-        Design:

o   Revised design required for the ‘Amherst’ apartment to the south east, possibly a stepped approach to height also landmark building so sensitive to view as leaving Wimborne.

o   Further chimneys to be added across the scheme

o   Urban square design to be reconsidered to address road issues and provide better social space

-        Landscape:

o   Boundary to the west to be reinforced

-        Energy statement:

o   Provisions within the energy statement to be reconsidered

-        Lighting:

o   Removal of PD of further lighting to be considered

 

Reason for Decision

So that information and clarification could be understood, assessed and considered by the Committee before any decision was reached.