Agenda item

Private dwelling house.

The Committee considered the report of the Senior Planning Officer regarding an application for a private dwelling house at Grange Farm, Old Cassop (for copy see file of minutes).

Members had visited the site the previous day and were familiar with the location.

The Senior Planning Officer gave a detailed presentation on the application which included photographs of the site. Members were advised that the local residents group, Save Old Cassop Conservation Area (SOCCA), had submitted a list of suggested conditions which they would wish to see imposed on the application should permission be granted. Several of the conditions would not be viable and others were already covered by the conditions detailed within the report.

Ms S Walker, local resident, addressed the Committee to speak in objection to the application. Ms Walker advised that she was representing SOCCA, who wished to see the application opposed in its entirety.

The main concerns related to road safety and were concerns which were shared by local Members Councillors M Williams and J Blakey.

Members were advised that the revised parking area for the proposed development, would cut across a pasture which in the last few months had been used for grazing horses, donkeys and sheep. Ms Walker highlighted that the developers had already eroded the pasture by extending the garden to the rear of Grange Farm onto the field, without any application for change of use. Members were advised that Grange Farm had also been significantly extended to include an additional 2 storey house or business premises, for which no planning application had been submitted. Ms Walker advised that those works had been extensive and had materially affected the visual impact on the hamlet as well as the pasture land to the rear of the farm. Approximately 4 mature trees had also been uprooted and destroyed despite Old Cassop being a conservation area.

Ms Walker referred to a query of ownership of the land on which the developers previously wished to remove trees and make it a car park area to service the proposed property. Members were advised that whilst that land was unregistered, generations of residents had been happy for it to remain so. There was no query of ownership, however the developers were attempting to take land that they clearly did not own.

In referring to paragraph 4 of the officers report, Ms Walker advised that the reference to the proposal being an “infill plot” was disputed. Ms Walker referred to a previous planning application for a property in the hamlet which had been refused by the local authority and dismissed on appeal. That proposed development had been a much smaller site, not visible from the road and not on pasture land. Ms Walker suggested that the current application had a much greater impact on the conservation area, community and upon the open aspect of the hamlet’s street scene.

Members were advised that the occupier of the property adjacent to the application site had been faced with many issues and had been forced to amend her application and plans just for a small sun room, which again was much less invasive and risk filled than the current plans.

MS Walker advised that SOCCA felt there had been a lack of regard for Highways reports regarding access to the hamlet. Members were advised that passing places were already barely adequate for the volume of traffic from residents, vehicles from 2 working farms and then all the oil and sewerage tankers servicing the hamlet. There was no mains gas to Old Cassop, as such all residents had to have fuel delivered by a tanker.

Although the officers report suggested that the addition of a single dwelling house would not result in increased pressure on the highway, Ms Walker advised that in reality, the Committee were actually considering 2 additional properties. From that, the impact on the highway was not to be underestimated.

Members were advised that it was already a logistical nightmare for the existing farmers to take deliveries from heavy vehicles and drivers unfamiliar with the hamlet often caused a total blockage as they were unable to manoeuvre on the steep winding bank. Ms Walker advised that several vehicles had to retrieved from the drainage ditches in the past.

Ms Walker advised that during the refurbishment of Grange Farm, 3 contractor vans had blocked the road leading to the junction with Quarrington Hill and over the course of the recent weekend, the road had been treacherous due to rainfall and flooding.

Members were advised that Old Cassop formed part of the Cassop Vale walk and it led to the bridle path which meant that numerous cyclists, walkers and riders passed through the hamlet. Ms Walker suggested that increased traffic would hamper that and present a clear increased risk to all the regular non-resident road users.

Ms Walker referred to paragraphs 20 and 21 of the City of Durham Local Plan, which referred to the affect on trees and hedgerows. Members were advised that the application did not have an updated tree report and the existing plan still earmarked shrubs and trees in the land which did not belong to the developer.

Furthermore, Ms Walker highlighted that there was no mention of the two trees which were currently situated on the land where the dwelling was to be built. SOCCA hoped those trees would not be destroyed.

Ms Walker referred to paragraph 22 Policy E22 which specifically dealt with conservation areas. Members were advised that it was the residents view that filling in the open land would have a detrimental and irrevocable effect on Old Cassop.

In relation to paragraph 15 of the officers report, Ms Walker refuted the comment of the applicant that the community of Old Cassop was stagnant.

Councillor M Williams, local Member, addressed the Committee. He advised that although the developer had contacted him direct several times, he could not support the application on the grounds of highway safety. Members were advised that there had been a number of road traffic accidents in and around Old Cassop and Councillor Williams, in calling for the application to be refused, quoted Policy 34 which referred to the detrimental effect of traffic.

The Senior Planning Officer responded to the points raised as follows:-

·         Extension to existing farm – Members were advised that there had been extension work to the existing farm building which was currently the subject of an enforcement case;

·         Ownership dispute – It was confirmed that the access point to the development was unregistered land and as such the plans had been revised accordingly;

·         Previous appeal decision – Members were advised that the 2006 application elsewhere in the hamlet which Ms Walker had referred to, had been refused because it was not deemed to be infill. However the current application before Committee was infill and the Design and Conservation Officer was satisfied with the proposed scheme;

·         Highways – The Highways Officer acknowledged that the approach on the single track road was very narrow and required the use of informal passing places. Furthermore it was acknowledged that the A181 junction was uncomfortable to use however while there had been an accident in that area, it was not associated with turning from the junction. It was reported that there had been only 1 road traffic incident in that area during the past 5 years. The Highways Officer reiterated that on balance, the additional 8 trips per day which would be generated because of the application, did not give cause for concern.

Councillor Kay acknowledged the comments of the Highways Officer, however was uncomfortable with the road being only single track and that it was used by farm vehicles and tankers. In response to a query from the Committee, Ms Walker advised that each dwelling in Old Cassop would require 1-2 visits per annum by a sewerage tanker and 1 visits per annum by an oil tanker.

The Senior Planning Officer clarified that the original application had been for 13 dwellings however that had been withdrawn by the applicant.

Councillor Laing highlighted that during the site visit the previous day, the site visit bus had been required to change position 3 times because of traffic needing to pass by.

Seconded by Councillor Laing, Councillor Kay moved that the application be refused.

Upon a vote being taken it was:-

Resolved: That the application be Refused on the basis that it contradicted saved policies E7, E22, H13, T1 and T8.