Meeting documents

Apologies were received from Ms N Glover and Mr D Shakespeare.

To disclose any Personal, Disclosable or Prejudicial Pecuniary Interests.

There were no declarations of interest.

The minutes of the meeting of the Development Control Committee held on 1 July 2019, to be confirmed as a correct record.

CC/0013/19 – Amersham School - Mr D Periam, Planning Lead Officer, updated the Committee that the Secretary of State had not intervened and that the planning permission had been issued.

RESOVLED:  The minutes of the meeting held on 1 July 2019 were AGREED as an accurate record and were signed by the Chairman.

Mr D Periam, Planning Lead Officer, reported that since the publication of the report contained in the agenda pack the applicant had submitted a Construction Traffic Management Plan and a School Travel Plan.  Mr Periam had circulated an addendum to the committee members which would be attached to the minutes.  The Flood Management Team had considered the additional information submitted referred to in paragraph 8.27 of the report and had no objection subject to a condition as set out in Appendix A of the addendum.

Mr Periam provided a short presentation of a number of photographs showing the location of the school, application site, footprint of the new building, existing school buildings, the former disused allotment area and housing near the school.  Mr Periam advised that the school was in the Green Belt.  The hedge had been trimmed so there were more open views from the upper floors; however the hedge provided screening to the ground floor rooms of nearby housing.  There would be no change to the access off Orchard End Avenue.

Members of the committee raised and discussed the following points:

• A member of the committee stated that protection of the hedge would be important to residents but there was no condition on an agreement of the height of the hedge.  Mr Periam confirmed that a condition could be included to maintain the hedge at a certain level.
• It was noted that a member of the committee considered it would be a positive change for the school.

Ms J Caprio, District Lawyer and Legal Services Manager, clarified that the members of the Development Control Committee would be voting on the recommendation to approve planning permission subject to the schedule of conditions listed in Appendix A of the addendum with an additional condition to maintain the hedge at a certain level in order to provide screening for the nearby residents.

RESOVLED:  The Development Control Committee APPROVED application number CC/0046/19 - Proposed new single storey self-contained 6th Form block comprising four classrooms, common room, office, intervention room, toilets and storage. External areas comprising fenced in teaching area connected to new building, patio and planting beds at Stony Dean School, Orchard End Avenue, Amersham, subject to the amended conditions as set out in Appendix A of the addendum:

1.    The development to which this permission relates must be begun before the expiration of three years from the date of this permission.

Reason:  To prevent the accumulation of unimplemented planning permissions, to enable the Local Planning Authority to review the suitability of the development in the light of altered circumstances and to comply with the provisions of Section 91(1) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

2.    The development shall not be carried out other than in accordance with the following drawings:

PJT10117-MCA-ZZ-GF-DR-A-1001- Proposed Ground Floor Plan

PJT10117-MCA-ZZ-XX-DR-A-0003 - Site Plan

PJT10117-MCA-ZZ-XX-DR-A-2001 - Elevations

PJT10117-DID-ZZ-00-DR-C-5001 P03 - Proposed Drainage Layout

PJT10117-LRH-ZZ-GF-DR-E-0002 - Lighting and Fire Alarm Installations

Reason:  To ensure the development is not  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

Ms C Kelham, Senior Planning Officer, stated that Westfield School was a school for pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and was located in Bourne End.  The number of pupils would be expanding from 52 to70.   Ms Kelham reported that since publication of the report for application CC/0050/19 the applicant had submitted a Construction Traffic Management Plan and an addendum to the report had been circulated to the committee members and would be appended to the minutes.  Appendix A contained a list of the updated recommendation conditions.

Ms Kelham provided a presentation showing photographs of the location of the school which was within a residential area, near the library and the railway station.  There were three main elements to the proposed development; the rear extension would be approximately 65 square metres in area and would have a flat roof to match the existing school.  The extension to the front of the school would also be flat roofed to match the existing building with an extended roof cover over the entrance with a pitched tiled roof and a canopy between the proposed extension and the existing school.  One car parking space would be removed but Ms Kelham stated there would be sufficient spaces for the school staff.  Photos were shown of the front of the school, the trees which would be removed, the car parking area and the area with the Wendy house.    There were no proposed changes to the school entrance.

Members of the committee raised and discussed the following points:

·     Following a comment by a member of the committee regarding concern over the flat roofed areas; Ms Kelham clarified that there was a very slight pitch to the roof; it would be described as a flat roof but was not totally flat.

·     A member of the committee asked for clarification on the ‘infilling’ and whether it would result in a decrease in the amount of light and ventilation.  Ms Kelham stated that roof lights would be installed and there would be windows on the west facing aspect.  Some of the light was already blocked by the existing building so there would not be a considerable change. The classroom had windows on the elevation.

·     A member of the committee queried whether there would be enough parking spaces with the increase in the number of pupils, staff and visitors.  It was also noted that the number of staff at the school was provided as full time equivalent (FTE) meaning there were a number of part-time staff who could all be on site at one time.  Ms Kelham agreed to bear this point in mind.

Ms J Caprio, District Lawyer and Legal Services Manager, clarified that the members of the Development Control Committee would be voting on the recommendation to approve planning permission subject to the schedule of conditions listed in Appendix A of the addendum.

RESOVLED:  The Development Control Committee APPROVED application number CC/0050/19- Front and rear single storey extensions to existing  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

Mr M Pugh, Enforcement Officer, stated the Buckinghamshire Local Monitoring and  Enforcement Plan (BLMEP) had been brought to committee for the following reasons:

• To outline the approach that would be taken by the Council to remedy unauthorised development in accordance with Paragraph 50 of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).
• The Buckinghamshire Minerals and Waste Local Plan (BMWLP) 2016-36 was adopted in July 2019.  Policy 28 of the BMWLP acted as the current policy framework with regard to enforcement but there was no restrictive guidance on how the plan should be set.
• The BLMEP needed to be clear so the public could understand what was required.  The BLMEP would contain a ‘frequently asked questions’ section and explanations on commonly used words.
• The District Councils had enforcement plans in place.  Buckinghamshire County Council (BCC) was keen to have the BLMEP published so the council’s approach was visible and would provide a basis for a single enforcement plan in the new Buckinghamshire Council.

Members of the committee raised and discussed the following points:

• Following a query on how the BCC plan compared with the district councils’ plan; Mr Pugh confirmed that BCC and the district councils had used the same toolkit and the structure was reminiscent of the Chiltern and South Bucks and Wycombe District Council plans.
• A member of the committee commented that the BCC plan related to the processing of waste materials; whereas the district council plans were more concerned with housing; it was noted that the plan was well written.
• Mr Pugh agreed that it was difficult to educate people on enforcement procedures and advised that the second part of the plan aimed to upskill people who engaged with planning control.  There was also a section on what to expect and what to do when submitting a report.   Ms S Winkels, Planning and Enforcement Manager, suggested adding information on the need to demonstrate that harm has to be proven if planning authorisation was breached.

RESOLVED:  The Development Control Committee APPROVED the Buckinghamshire Local Monitoring and Enforcement Plan.

Monday 2 December 2019 at 10.00 am, Mezzanine Rooms 1 and 2, County Hall, Aylesbury.

Monday 2 December 2019 at 10.00 am, Mezzanine Rooms 1 and 2, County Hall.

RESOLVED

That the press and public be excluded for the following item which is exempt by virtue of Paragraph 1 of Part 1 of Schedule 12a of the Local Government Act 1972 because it contains information relating to an individual.

The confidential minutes of the meeting of the Development Control Committee held on 1 July 2019, to be confirmed as a correct record.