Agenda item

Residential development for up to 150 units with all matters reserved except access.

The Committee considered a report of the Senior Planning Officer regarding an application for residential development for up to 150 units with all matters reserved except access on land to the north of Etherley Moor, Bishop Auckland (for copy see file of Minutes).

S Pilkington, Senior Planning Officer gave a detailed presentation on the application which included a site location plan, site photographs, proposed layout and street scenes. Members of the Committee had visited the site the previous day and were familiar with the location and setting.

Members were informed that since the report had been circulated two additional letters had been received from local residents. The matters raised in the letters had mostly been addressed in the report but the residents had expressed concern about the potential impact on broadband speed and capacity which was not a planning consideration. Further representations had been received from the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) which reiterated their concerns outlined in the report and stated that the application should be considered against recent case law. Escomb primary school had written a letter in support of the proposals.

The applicant had offered voluntary contributions of £150,000 towards nursery provision in the area and £100,000 for the continued operation and maintenance of Escomb village hall. Members were informed that this could not be afforded any weight in the consideration of the application.  

Councillor R Yorke, local Member addressed the Committee. The Councillor explained that he and local member Councillor C Wilson were in support of the application. The Members welcomed the reduction in the number of proposed dwellings to 150, the proposals for a landscape buffer and the pedestrian links to Escomb primary school. They also welcomed the Section 106 commitments and the additional 1.5 acres to be given to the school. There had been a number of objections to the proposed development but local Members had received numerous e-mails and telephone calls in support of the application, including from the the school. The safety of children had been of concern but the developer had worked closely with the Planning Officers to resolve this.

Michael Hepburn addressed the Committee on behalf of the applicant. He explained that the applicant had worked with Planning Officers for a number of years to address the highway and landscape impacts of the development, and noted that there were no objections from statutory consultees. All the major political parties in Central Government recognised that the country was in housing crisis and that supply should be boosted; this development would contribute to this.

With regard to highway concerns the developer would fund upgrades to junctions Maude Terrace/Greenfields Road and Woodhouse Lane/Cockton Hill.  Further mitigation at Dilkes Street roundabout was also proposed.  This scheme included physical improvements to Cockton Hill Road which had not been offered as part of the development proposal that had been refused to the south of the site, and these would have a positive impact on the road network.

The proposals would also enhance the facilities at Escomb Primary School with improved pedestrian links. Other benefits included a gift of 1.5 acres of land abutting the playing fields, and a contribution to the nursery.

During construction 30 direct jobs would be created and the developer had signed up to a local labour scheme. Spend would increase in the local area and an additional £197,000 a year would be received in Council Tax and New Homes Bonus.

Only 19 objections had been received which the developer had reviewed and had subsequently altered the proposals to address the issues of concern.

In response to questions from Councillors Richardson, Robinson and Jewell in connection with the 1.5 acres of land and the retention of the landscape buffer zone, the Members were informed that landscaping was a reserved matter which required approval from the Local Planning Authority, and should be in accordance with the indicative Landscape Parameter Plan.

Councillor Richardson expressed concern about the loss of agricultural land and the impact on the road network, referring to the application to the south of the site that had been refused by the Committee in February 2017 because of highway concerns at Cockton Hill Road.

J McGargill. Highway Development Manager responded that in respect of the refused application the developer had not offered any mitigation at Cockton Hill Road and traffic would disperse to Tindale Crescent, causing increased delays.  However the improvement scheme proposed for the site north of Etherley Moor included lane widening and a ‘mover system’ at Cockton Hill Road which should improve traffic flow, and delays should be no worse than experienced at present. There would be some redistribution of traffic heading to Tindale Crescent and the developer had offered improvements here and at the Dilkes Street roundabout to alleviate this.

Councillor Richardson was of the view that the increase in traffic would add to the bottleneck at Tindale Crescent; traffic was already nose to tail in the location, particularly at weekends.

Councillor Nicholson commented that applications of this nature on the edge of settlements were often contentious but having considered the report and the proposed road network improvements was in support of the application and moved approval.

Councillor Tinsley stated that he was satisfied with the explanation of the Highway Development Manager regarding the proposed road network improvements which would have less impact on Tindale Crescent than the application which had been refused. In terms of connectivity he felt that the potential to create pedestrian links to the school was of real benefit. This was a relatively flat site and there would be no significant landscape impacts. The buffer zone would ensure that the distinct separation between the two settlements of Escomb and Bishop Auckland would be retained.    

Following questions from the Member, the Committee was informed that the Public Rights of Way which extended up the eastern boundary and to the north of the site would be re-surfaced and links from the development to the Rights of Way would be agreed at the reserved matters stage. There were bus stops located next to the development with proposals to create 150m of footway.  

Councillor Tinsley seconded the motion to approve the application.

Councillor Bell, having listened to the advice from the Highway Development Manager and the views of local members, expressed his support to the application.

Councillor Shield expressed concern that because no weight could be given to the housing trajectory in the withdrawn County Durham Plan applications had to be considered in the context of a presumption in favour of sustainable development which in his view was an ‘open door option’. Until the County Durham Plan was in place he suggested that weight should be given to Saved Local Plan Policies.   

In response A Inch, Strategic Team Leader stated that paragraph 14 of the NPPF established a presumption in favour of sustainable development and was applied in this case as the Council could not demonstrate a five year housing supply, as explained in the report. C Cuskin, Planning and Development Solicitor added that as the Council was unable to demonstrate a five year supply of housing land, the weight that could be afforded to Local Plan Policies relating to the supply of housing was reduced.

Councillor Wilkes asked if the footpath crossing the 1.5 acres of land adjacent to the school would be ensured by condition. The Member was informed that the land would be gifted to the Council/Education Authority, and therefore a condition had not been included. However if a planning application was submitted for change of use in future, it was hoped that connectivity to the school could be ensured.

Councillor Wilkes referred to the existence of a footpath along Hallimond Road and asked if it would be upgraded if the application was granted. The Senior Planning Officer confirmed that there was a narrow footpath along Hallimond Road, however it was considered more appropriate to secure pedestrian links through the development.

Upon a vote being taken it was:

Resolved:

That the application be approved subject to the conditions contained in the report and to the completion of a Section 106 Legal Agreement to secure the following planning obligations:-

·         10% Affordable Housing Units

·         £370,520 for offsite highway mitigation works

·         £417,603 education contribution

·         £198,900 for offsite sporting and recreation provision

Voluntary contributions

·         £150,000 nursery provision in the area

·         £100,000 for the continued operation and maintenance of Escomb Village Hall

·         Provision of a targeted recruitment and training/local labour scheme.