Agenda item

Residential development of 165 dwellings with associated infrastructure and landscaping.

The Committee considered a report of the Senior Planning Officer regarding an application for a residential development of 165 dwellings with associated infrastructure and landscaping on land to the west of Valley Road, Pelton Fell (for copy see file of Minutes).

Members of the Committee had visited the site and were familiar with the location and setting.

S Pilkington, Senior Planning Officer provided a detailed presentation of the application which included a site location plan, aerial photograph, illustrated site access point, site layout, proposed junction arrangements, typical elevations and the proposed offsite highways mitigation works in Chester le Street town centre.

The Senior Planning Officer informed the Committee that the proposed level of affordable housing for the development was 15%, which was in line with Policy HP13 of the Chester le Street Local Plan, and not 20% as stated in the recommendation of the report.

Councillor A Bell sought clarification of the location of the proposed signalised junction.  Upon being provided with this, Councillor Bell commented that traffic lights were much needed at the junction.

Councillor Richardson asked whether access to the adjacent agricultural fields would be maintained.  The Senior Planning Officer replied that the proposed emergency access could also be used for agricultural access and fields to the south of the development would be accessed via other fields.

Councillor Jewell referred to paragraph 57 of the report and the problem of off-road motorcycles utilising the adjacent Congburn Woods and asked whether any contribution towards this problem would be available.  He also referred to highways concerns regarding visibility out of the proposed junction.

The Senior Planning Officer replied that any s106 contributions needed to be directly related to the development and that no contribution was proposed to address the off-road motorcyclist’s problem.  Highways were satisfied with the visibility splays from the proposed junction subject to the proposed access improvement works.

Councillor Wilkes expressed surprise that the application had only attracted 10 letters of objection.  The site was already developed along two sides and the land was not green belt.  Councillor Wilkes noted that no feedback had been received from the NHS and asked whether there was a capacity issue in the area and also asked whether there was sufficient capacity ion local schools to accommodate the development.  Councillor Wilkes referred to the proximity of the development to the pond and asked whether there was sufficient distance to protect the great crested newts.

The Senior Planning Officer replied that the NHS had been consulted on the proposed development but no comments had been received.  There were two doctors surgeries in the village.  The Schools Placement Officer had confirmed there were sufficient primary and secondary school places to accommodate the development.  Referring to great crested newts, the Senior Planning Officer reported that the majority of these were in a larger pond to the south of the development and added that the Council’s Ecology Officer had raised no objection to the development.

Moved by Councillor A Bell, seconded by Councillor I Jewell and

Resolved:

That the application be approved subject to the completion of a Section 106 Legal Agreement to secure the provision of:

-15% affordable housing on site;

-  £168,251 towards open space and sporting provision within the Electoral Division;

-  £35,000 to implement access control measures on the Waldridge Fell SSSI; and,

-  £142,219 towards the formation of a dedicated cycle route from Pelton Fell to the C2C route and improved pedestrian links through Congburn Dene to Waldridge Lane.

-  The provision of a Targeted Recruitment and Training Scheme

and subject to the conditions contained in the report.