Agenda item

Construction of 16no. dwellings and associated works

The Committee considered a report of the Planning Officer which provided details of an application for the construction of 16no. dwellings and associated works at land west of 20 Durham Road, Wolsingham (for copy see file of minutes).

S Pilkington, Principal Planning Officer, provided a detailed presentation of the application which included a site location plan, aerial photograph and photographs of the site.

The Principal Planning Officer confirmed that in addition to the conditions outlined in the report, he sought permission from the Committee for delegated authority with regards to a number of detailed conditions regarding drainage and landscapes.  In the event of approval, the conditions would be finalised between the Planning Authority and Chair and Vice Chair of the Committee.

K McGill had attended on behalf of the Applicant to answer questions.

Councillor Brown had noted in the report that the Applicant had committed to ensuring Policy 29 was adhered to and that calculations had not been undertaken as the properties were bespoke, however she did not see a condition despite the report alluding to this in paragraph 126 of the report.

The Principal Planning Officer advised that a condition would be added to agree CO2 emissions as per County Durham Plan.

Councillor Brown asked whether this condition would override building regulations which were changing in June 2023 and the Principal Planning Officer advised that if permission was granted, the conditions would remain however N Carter, Planning and Development Solicitor advised that the condition imposed was based on the current building regulations requirement but the developer would be required to comply with any changes to building regulations at the build stage.

Councillor Savory advised that as Local Member she was aware of the development which had been talked about locally, for a considerable number of years.  This was a close community and if there were any objections to the development there would have been comments in the community.  She had not heard any comments and therefore assumed that locals were not against the proposal and therefore moved approval as per the Officer’s recommendation.

The proposal was seconded by Councillor Atkinson.

Councillor Brown queried whether the site was within village boundaries and the Principal  Planning Officer advised that it was outside of the village boundary, however the County Durham Plan did no longer set boundaries, instead the policy ensured that a site was well related to the existing area and with landscaping and design layout, it was concluded to be acceptable.

Councillor Oliver expressed the need for additional housing in Wolsingham and this site was well connected with a shop and petrol station opposite.  He concluded the location to be satisfactory and supported the application.

Resolved

That the application be APPROVED subject to conditions outlined in the report,  a S106 agreement to secure:-

·        3 Affordable Housing units

·        £33,108 education contribution

·        £29,249 Open Space, Sport and Play Provision contribution

·        £8000 Habitat Mitigation

And the addition of the following condition;

·        Prior to the construction of the dwellings above base course level, a scheme to achieve a reduction in CO2 emissions of 10% below the Dwelling Emission Rate (DER) against the Target Emission Rate (TER) based on the 2013 edition of the 2010 Building Regulations shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the local planning authority. The development shall thereafter be carried out in accordance with the approved details.

Reason: In order to achieve the C02 reductions are required by Policy 29 of the County Durham Plan