Agenda item

Erection of 1 No. dwelling house

Erection of 1 No. Dwelling House

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

The Principal Planning Officer gave a detailed presentation on the main issues outlined in the report, which included photographs of the site. Members had visited the site that day and were familiar with the location and setting.

He advised that since the report had been prepared, two further objections had been received.

Councillor Wilkes, local Member stated that this development was not an extension to the Smithfield development as implied  in the Planning Officer’s report. The site was situated on the other side of the farm track and had a different access. Until 2010 a number of mature trees, including an old oak tree had been felled, and since their removal the site had been poorly managed by the developers.

In terms of planning policy he believed that the application contravened National Policy 8 and Local Plan Policy H13, and should therefore be refused on these grounds. The dwelling would be in a prominent location at the entrance to Pity Me and the design was unsuitable. Neighbouring residents did not have any objections to a property being developed on this site but to the contemporary design. He was also concerned about surface water drainage and land stability. If the application was approved he asked that a condition be included to restrict hours of working.

S Grant, the applicant’s agent stated that in-depth discussions had taken place with Planning Officers which had resulted in the submission of a revised scheme. The contemporary design of the dwelling was considered to be acceptable by Planning Officers. There would be no problems with land stability as the dwelling would be a retaining structure on site. The trees that had been removed were not the subject of a TPO but had been felled following discussion with DCC. A Management Plan was put in place but he accepted that this had failed. There was a defined need for executive dwellings in Durham and this building had been designed to showcase this. Notwithstanding the contemporary nature of the building, the developers had ensured that the design was sympathetic to the adjacent terraced properties in terms of materials used.

The Principal Planning Officer, in responding to the issues raised acknowledged that the proposed scheme was very different to the Smithfield development. He also accepted that the replanting scheme had failed, although the trees that were removed were not protected, nor were they in a Conservation Area. Landscaping was integral to the application and would be maintained for 5 years following planting. With regard to permitted development rights, he considered that it was reasonable to remove classes B, C and D, from condition 7, still leaving A and E (pt 2), as requested by the applicant. Councillor Wilkes considered that some control should be retained.

In determining the application Members considered that the proposed development would tidy an unsightly plot of land and ‘finish off’ the area.   However they considered that the concerns of Councillor Wilkes in relation to surface water drainage and a restriction on working hours should be conditioned.

RESOLVED

That the application be approved as outlined in the report, subject to the following additional conditions:-

(i)                 Scheme for the dispersal of surface water shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority prior to the commencement of the development.

(ii)               Hours of construction be conditioned.