Agenda item

Erection of 79no. dwellings including associated infrastructure works

Consideration was given to a report of the Senior Planning Officer regarding an application for the erection of 79no. dwellings including associated infrastructure works (for copy see file of Minutes).

S Pilkington, Senior Planning Officer gave a detailed presentation on the application which included photographs of the site. Members had visited the site and were familiar with the location and setting.

The Officer advised Members of an on-line petition and the receipt of a further 3 letters of objection since the report had been circulated. The letters raised the following issues which had been addressed in the report:-

·         Loss of Green Wedge

·         Loss of residential amenity

·         Highway safety

·         Inadequate infrastructure

·         Housing need

·         Potential impact on wildlife and fauna, including Great Crested Newts

Members were also advised of a minor amendment to conditions 2, 4, 5, 6, 14 and 15. The reference number of the Soft Landscaping Plan had been amended to take into account minor revisions to the scheme.  

A Glenwright, Highways Officer addressed the concerns raised in relation to highway matters and stated that the application was supported by a Transport Statement. Initial proposals for traffic calming measures along Travellers Green and Clarence Chare had been withdrawn following a traffic speed survey carried out by Durham County Council which found that vehicles were travelling at 3% below threshold speeds.

With regard to concerns expressed about on-street car parking, Assistant Traffic Officers had confirmed in September 2014 that no complaints had been received.

The existing highway infrastructure could accommodate additional vehicle flows. Travellers Green and Clarence Chare had additional access points to the north at Gilpin Road and Balliol Road, and improvement works were proposed at the junction of Travellers Green, Gilpin Road and Clarence Chare.

The Highways Authority was satisfied that this was an accessible site which was reasonably connected to transport infrastructure. On balance there were no highway grounds to refuse the application.

Councillor Dixon referred to on-site parking provision and the Highways Officer confirmed that the proposals were deemed to be acceptable, in line with DCC standards. Notwithstanding this, at 6.2m wide, Travellers Green/Clarence Chare was capable of accommodating some on-street parking and local bus services. 

Councillor Dixon then referred to the lack of affordable housing and asked the applicant’s representative to address why this had not been offered.

The applicant’s representative explained that a requirement for affordable housing would render the scheme economically unviable, and this had been tested through a viability assessment with DCC. Gleeson Homes’ ethos was to provide housing priced at the lower end of the market and to offer incentive schemes such as Help to Buy.

Councillor Boyes expressed disappointment at the lack of affordable homes but appreciated the comments by the agent about the type of ‘starter homes’ to be provided.

In response to a question from the Member, the Committee was advised that a Section 106 Agreement to secure a financial contribution of £79,000 was proposed towards the provision/maintenance of open space and recreation facilities in the immediate area.

Councillor Clare stated that, until a recent newspaper article about the proposals residents had raised little comment on the application. The article had prompted an on-line petition which included 94 names, and the concerns of residents was evident by those who were in attendance at the meeting. He understood that their chief concern was the loss of a greenfield site in the town which was allocated as Green Wedge. In the Local Plan the Green Wedge was located along the length of the A167 so this would represent a significant loss to the community in that respect.   

However he did not think that this was sufficient to overturn the Officer’s recommendations for approval. Newton Aycliffe was a main town in the industrial heart of County Durham, on which the prosperity of the County depended. The town had to make provision for industry and housing as it continued to grow.

The type of low cost housing proposed was welcomed and desperately needed. The Committee had heard that the viability of the development would be affected if affordable housing provision was required.

He was satisfied that every attempt had been made to separate the housing from the A167 by means of an acoustic barrier, and a barrier of vegetation and trees. This piece of Green Wedge differed to the remaining sites along the A167 in that the others all continued to be used. This was former allotment land and had fallen out of use. It was now a redundant site.

The proposals were fully in line with the NPPF and had to be considered against a Green Wedge Policy in a Local Plan dating from 1995, which carried little or no weight. Despite the strong arguments from residents he considered that there were no grounds to overturn the Planning Officer’s recommendation and moved approval of the application.

In response to a question from Councillor Dixon about the inclusion of conditions to protect the amenity of residents during the construction period, the Senior Planning Officer advised that Environmental Health had regulatory powers to deal with matters such as working hours and highway cleansing. It was therefore not deemed necessary to control this by way of condition.

Following a question from Councillor Wilson regarding the comments from the Council’s Ecologists in paragraph 43 in the report, the Senior Planning Officer advised that Great Crested Newts had not been found on the site and the Ecology Section had requested the use of a method statement to mitigate any residual risk.

Councillor Nicholson stated that, having visited the site, he had some concerns about the road network but these were alleviated by the comments of the Highways Officer. He also noted the comments made regarding the relevance of this section of the Green Wedge against other areas along the A167, and seconded approval of the application.

Councillor Davidson made the comment that the site was situated between a wooded area and a play area, and would be separated from the A167. The site benefitted from a substantial access road and he was pleased to note that footpath improvement works were proposed.

Resolved:

That the application be approved subject to

(i)            the conditions outlined in the report, and to conditions numbered 2, 4, 5, 6, 14 and 15 being amended as reported;

(ii)          the completion of a satisfactory Section 106 Legal Agreement to secure a financial contribution of £79,000 towards the provision/maintenance of open space and recreation facilities in the locality and entering into a training, recruitment and management employability plan.