Agenda item

To consider a report by the Head of Planning.

 

The Committee considered application 3/21/0668/FUL, designed to extend the existing single storey building and change use to that of hand car wash facility at land at rear of 5 High Street (High Street Car Park) Wimborne Minster. The town did not currently have such a car wash within its vicinity.

 

With the aid of a visual presentation, and taking account the detail in the report, officers provided context of what the main proposals, principles and planning issues of the development were. The presentation focused on not only what the development entailed and its detailed design, but what effect it would have on local amenity and the character the area, taking into account the policies against which this application was being assessed.

 

Plans and photographs provided an illustration of the location, orientation,

dimensions and appearance of the facility; access and highway arrangements; what screening there would be and the development’s setting within that part of Wimborne Minster town centre.

 

Officers showed the development’s relationship with other adjacent   development in the town centre – that lay within the Conservation Area of Wimborne and Colehill. High Street Car Park - in which the facility would be sited - was located to the rear of the eastern side of Wimborne High Street, being accessed by a narrow lane which passed between No 5 and No 7 High Street. Views into the site and around the site was shown, which provided a satisfactory understanding of all that was necessary. Four parking spaces would be lost as a result of the proposal.

 

In summary, the officer’s assessment considered the acceptability of the proposal in relation to the Development Plan on the basis that:-

·        on balance the principle of the development is considered to be in accordance with saved policy WIMCO23 which provides that the High Street Car Park shall be used for car parking.

·        The proposed hand car wash will not have a significant impact on Highway Safety.

·        The proposal will not harm the historic significance of Wimborne Conservation Area.

·        The proposal will not cause significant harm to the amenity of neighbouring development in terms of noise and disturbance.

·        There are no material considerations which would warrant refusal of this application

 

For these reasons the proposed development was considered to be acceptable and in accordance with the development plan and so this formed the basis of the recommendation being made by officers to approve the application.

 

The Committee were notified of written submissions and officers read these direct to the Committee – being appended to these minutes. 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.

 

Formal consultation had seen no objection in principle from Wimborne Minster Town Council although some concerns remained about access issues and, particularly, that Dorset Council Highways had raised no objection to the proposal

 

The opportunity was then 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.

 

Some important points raised, some of which they considered still required clarification, were:-

•    how access arrangements and traffic flows would be managed and what effect there would be on the highway network, the car park and the access lane itself and how this had been assessed

•    how surface water and drainage issues would be satisfactorily managed, particularly as the site was in close proximity to the River Allen

·        how the constraints of the site could be managed and how manoeuvring of vehicles could be satisfactorily managed to ensure that congestion was kept to a minimum or, ideally, avoided altogether.

·        what considerations had been given to the effect this would have on the Wimborne Conservation Area.

 

Officers addressed the questions raised – and what clarification was needed - providing what they considered to be satisfactory answers, which the Committee understood to be, and saw, as generally acceptable.

 

Of importance was that officers considered that the assessment made by the Highways Officer that the highway and traffic management issues could be successfully accommodated as part of the development should be reassuring to Members and that, to improve access arrangements, provision would be made to install a mirror to assist motorists at the ‘dog-leg’ approach to the facility to better anticipate incoming and outgoing vehicles.

 

Officers were confident that regarding those issues and concerns raised by Members, the application of the conditions and informative notes to any grant of permission would satisfactorily address all of those issues. 

 

One of the two local ward Members, Councillor Shane Bartlett, considered that the proposal would have a detrimental effect on the conservation area and its appearance. Along with the concerns about access and site constraints, he felt unable to support the application.

 

From debate, the majority of the Committee considered that what was being proposed was contrived and expressed concern at the access arrangements, considering these to be inadequate for what was necessary to be able to operate the facility satisfactorily. Concern was also raised that the constraints of the site would not provide for the necessary safe or practical manoeuvring of vehicles that would be required to access the facility, with the probability of significant congestion from queuing and manoeuvring vehicles at that point. Members also felt that those arrangements could seriously compromise safety of pedestrians, given that the car park was a well-used pedestrian route across town. On that basis, whilst they saw the benefits of such a facility within the town, they considered the proposal, as it stood, to be unacceptable.

 

Having had the opportunity to discuss the merits of the application and an

understanding of all this entailed; having taken into account the officer’s report

and presentation; the written representations; and what they had heard at the

meeting, in being proposed by Councillor Shane Bartlett and seconded by

Councillor Robin Cook, on being put to the vote, the Committee agreed unanimously - by 9:0 - to be minded to refuse permission. 

 

The Head of Planning, having considered the representations and the officer’s presentation and having taken into account the views of the committee, made the following decision under delegated authority.

 

That the application be refused for the following reasons:- 

·        The site is too constrained for the proposed development to function well and without conflict with the existing use of the site as a car park.  As a consequence the development would fail to function well or add to the overall quality of the area contrary to paragraph 130 of the National Planning Policy Framework 2021.

 

·        The proposal would lead to the loss of parking spaces contrary to saved policy WIMCO23 of the East Dorset Local Plan 2002.

 

·        The proposal fails to demonstrate that it would not lead to a significant increase in vehicular traffic entering the site, increasing the risk to the safety of vehicles and pedestrians passing through the site and past the junction of the site access with the High Street.  As such the proposal is contrary to Policy KS11 of the Christchurch and East Dorset Local Plan 2014.

 

·        The vehicle exit from the proposed car wash building would appear as an industrial and utilitarian construction in views from the High Street causing harm to the historic setting and significance of the Conservation Area and adjacent Listed Buildings.  As such the proposal would lead to less than substantial harm to the significance of  designated heritage assets that is not outweighed by a public benefit contrary to paragraph 202 of the National Planning Policy Framework 2021.