Agenda item

19 additional dwellings and substitution of 136 house types within Phase 6 of planning permission 7/2012/0030/DM (erection of 365 dwellings).

The Committee considered a report of the Senior Planning Officer regarding an application for 19 additional dwellings and the substitution of 136 house types within Phase 6 of planning permission 7/2012/0030/DM (erection of 365 dwellings) at Development Lane, former Thorn Lighting, Merrington Lane Industrial Estate, Spennymoor (for copy see file of Minutes).

L Eden, Senior Planning Officer gave a detailed presentation of the application which included an aerial image of the site, site layout, site photographs and a view from within the development which showed a typical streetscene.

The Senior Planning Officer informed the Committee of the following updates to Conditions in the report:

·         Condition 3 – a Construction Management Plan had been agreed so this Condition needed amending;

·         Condition 7 – the location of the play area had moved to accommodate the drainage scheme and this would require a change to the approved plans in Condition 2.

Councillor Maddison. Local Member, informed the Committee that, while she was a Member of Spennymoor Town Council, she had not been involved in the vote when this application as considered by that Council.  She would address the Committee about the application and would not vote on it.

There had been several recent applications in the area for additional properties within developments.  There were now an additional 1,700 properties scheduled to be built in the Spennymoor area and this would place significant pressure on the infrastructure, for example schools and GP surgeries and there was currently a lack of industrial sites in the town.

The Senior Planning Officer replied that the application would secure a s106 contribution of £87,096 towards primary education accommodation and £68,510 for improving offsite open space and recreational provision.  The NHS had been consulted on the application and had offered no comments and therefore no contribution towards health provision had been sought.

Ms A Ward, Planning Manager at Barratt Homes addressed the Committee.  This development would create a distinct high quality space and this application would allow for an increased number of smaller houses, both for starter homes and as homes to downsize to.  The additional 19 houses would result in the reduction of open space on the development but a s106 payment was being offered to mitigate this loss.  The applicant supported the officer recommendation that the application be approved.

Councillor Shield requested the Senior Planning Officer to display the diagram showing the schematics and outline parking provision and asked how many spaces were proposed per house.  The Senior Planning Office replied that the application had been assessed by highways officers and that sufficient parking was being proposed to meet the Council’s specifications.

Councillor Shield, while acknowledging that the application had no objections from internal consultees, expressed concern over the parking aspect of the application, because if parking on the development was not right this could lead to neighbourhood disputes.

J McGargill, Highway Development Manager replied that the application met the Council’s minimum parking standards per unit and also proposed visitor parking spaces.  There were 17 additional spaces proposed over and above the Council’s minimum standards.

Councillor Clare referred to paragraphs 89 and 90 of the report regarding the loss of open space and asked how much this loss was in absolute terms.  The applicant had stated that the proposed additional 19 houses was a response to market needs and Councillor Clare asked whether, if the Council applied the Strategic Housing Market Assessment to the proposal, it would say that the 19 extra houses were appropriate to the market.

The Senior Planning Officer replied that there had been a number of re-plans on this site overall which had resulted in a collective loss of open space of some 1,700 m² and a s106 payment was proposed to mitigate the impact of this.  However, significant areas of green space remained on the development.  There was no policy on housing mix but the range of properties proposed on the development was an acceptable mix.

Councillor Richardson commented that the application was for 2 bedroomed starter homes and asked that developers made these properties larger than they currently were because smaller houses had an impact on family harmony.

Councillor Jewell informed the Committee that he had listened to the debate about the application.  While he agreed that increased numbers of houses would increase pressure on the infrastructure in the area, there would also be an opportunity to develop amenities because developments tended to be led by population numbers.  Therefore, development should be seen as an opportunity as well as a threat.  Councillor Jewell moved the recommendation in the report.

Councillor Tinsley considered it appropriate to comment on the issue raised by Councillor Richardson regarding house sizes.  The average house size of new build properties in the UK was 76 m² compared to 87 m² in Ireland, 109 m² in Germany and 115 m² in Holland.

Councillor Clare informed the Committee that he had a lot of sympathy with the issue of house size raised by Councillors Richardson and Tinsley and hoped that the housing provider would give this due consideration.  The open space provision met the Council’s Open Space Needs Assessment and proposed parking provision met the Council’s minimum parking standards.  Councillor Clare seconded approval of the application.

Resolved:

That the application be approved subject to the completion of a Section 106 agreement to secure the following:

·                 £87,096 towards primary education accommodation

·                 £68,510 for improving offsite open space and recreational provision

and the Conditions contained in the report, as amended.

Councillor Robinson vacated the Chair and left the meeting.

Councillor F Tinsley in the Chair