Agenda item

Erection of dwelling and garage.

The Committee considered a report of the Planning Officer regarding an application for the erection of a dwelling and garage on land to the west  of the Weardale Inn, Ireshopeburn (for copy see file of Minutes).

A Caines, Principal Planning Officer gave a detailed presentation of the application which included a site location plan, aerial photographs of the site, views across the site, views towards the Methodist Chapel, proposed site plan, and plans and elevations.

Mr N Page informed the Committee that he had registered to speak on the application but no longer wished to do so.

Councillor Shuttleworth informed the Committee that he was the local Member for the application site and moved approval of it.

Councillor Clare provided the Committee with details of the history and significance of the area, including the history of lead mining in and its association to education and Methodism.  Councillor Clare considered that the application was for a modern residential building with a zinc roof, which was described as a risky design strategy at Paragraph 45 of the report.

There was no mention of the sustainability of the development in the design and access statement and nor was there any mention of the impact the proposed dwelling may have on tourism in the area.  There was a need to resist infill development such as this along the A689.

There was a need to protect conservation areas and the application did not mention a conservation area appraisal.  There was no appreciation of the impact on views of High House Chapel nor the impact on New House which was only 370 metres from the proposed development.

Policy BE6 of the Wear Valley District Local Plan was clear that new development in the conservation area would require the use of local materials.  Councillor Clare questioned whether the development should be sited where it was proposed due to its proximity to a listed building and also questioned whether it was sufficiently sympathetic to the AONB building regulations and conservation area regulations.  The application failed to appreciate the heritage assets of the area, would result in harm to the setting of a listed building, would be harmful to the conservation area and did not respond to local character and history.

Councillor Tinsley informed the Committee that he considered the application to be positive and that sufficient measures had been taken to reduce the impact of the development.  The development had been set back in mitigation and it was the view of officers that the setting of the listed building had been addressed.  Councillor Tinsley referred to design guidance which outlined there was a place for appropriate contemporary design.

Councillor Atkinson seconded approval of the application.

Upon a vote being taken it was

Resolved:

That the application be approved subject to the conditions contained in the report.

Councillor Tinsley left the meeting