Agenda item

Erection of 47 two storey dwellings with associated access, open space and parking.

Erection of 47 two storey dwellings with associated access, open space and parking

Consideration was given to the report of the Principal Planning Officer (Durham Area) which recommended approval of the application.

This application had been deferred on 14 June 2011 and the Principal Planning Officer gave a detailed presentation on the main issues outlined in the report, which included photographs of the site.

Mr Caudwell-Smith, on behalf of the applicants stated that since the deferral in June 2011 the applicants had taken on board the comments submitted and had made a number of amendments to the application.

The development would clean up a brownfield site, provide open space, support local shops and businesses and strengthen the community of Coxhoe. They had also agreed to make a financial contribution towards art/environmental improvements in the village. The construction of the development would create local employment and would attract £480k in retail expenditure per annum.

He continued that this was also an opportunity to provide further work for Hellens employees in the current economic climate, the majority of whom lived in the County, in the former Easington District.

In response to a question concerning affordable housing the Principal Planning Officer confirmed that viability was now a material planning consideration in respect of the formulation of affordable housing provision, particularly in the current economic market. The difficulty with this site was the cost of decontamination and remediation which would make the provision of affordable housing financially unviable.

A Member referred to the ‘haul road’ which was used by vehicles to access the recycling plant and asked if it was possible to impose a planning condition to ensure that it remained open. The Member was advised that this was not something which could be controlled by planning condition but that Highways had no proposals to close the road.

Councillor Taylor thanked the Officer and local Members for their work on this.

RESOLVED

That the application be approved subject to the conditions outlined in the Officer’s report.