Agenda item

The planning application was a retrospective application for the retention of two touring caravans at the land to the rear of Barsby Cooked Meats, Northey Road and the siting of one new static caravan with facilities block and relocation of existing stables.

The main considerations were:

·         Principle of development

·         Access to services / facilities

·         Archaeology

·         Landscape character

·         Access and highway implication

·         Residential amenity

·         Contamination

·         Ecology

·         Drainage and flood risk

·         Minerals and waste safeguarding

It was officer’s recommendation that planning permission be granted, subject to the conditions set out in the report.

The Head of Development and Construction provided an overview of the application and raised the following key points:

·         A development similar to that proposed had been approved on the land adjacent to the application site.

·         Access to the site would be hardsurfaced and the remaining site would be laid with stone chippings.

·         The stables currently on the site would be relocated to elsewhere on site.

·         The Council had no allocation for permanent pitch sites. This absence of existing provision meant that it would be difficult to refuse this application.

·         English Heritage had objected to the application because of the impact it would have on the flag fen monument. However, the adjacent site had been approved and a site existed immediately adjacent to the monument which had recently been upheld at appeal as not having an impact on the monument.

Councillor Sanders, Ward Councillor, addressed the Committee and responded to questions from Members. In summary the key points highlighted included:

·         Thorney Parish Council had also objected the proposals.

·         Concerns were raised in relation to flooding risks and the loss of possible archaeological findings.

·         It was accepted that the site was in a low flood risk area and that no evidence of archaeological remains had been found.

Mr Barry Nicholls, Agent, addressed the Committee in support of the application and responded to questions from Members. In summary the key points highlighted included:

·         The Parish Council’s objection had been without grounds and it was not necessary for this application to be brought to Committee.

·         The applicant had accepted all the proposed conditions, including those in relation to landscaping.

·         The site present no real risk of flooding.

·         The proposal would help the Council fulfil its five year supply of Gypsy and Traveller sites.

·         Seven letters of support had been received from local residents.

The Committee discussed the objection raised by the Minerals and Waste Officer. It was advised by the Head of Development and Construction that the proposal threaten reserves to such a small degree that it was not considered a reason to refuse the application.

A motion was proposed and seconded to agree that permission be granted, as per officer recommendation. The motion was carried unanimously.

RESOLVED: (unanimous) that planning permission is GRANTED subject to the conditions set out in the reports.

Reasons for the decision

Subject to the imposition of the attached conditions, the proposal was acceptable having been assessed in the light of all material considerations, including weighing against relevant policies of the development plan and specifically:

·         the City Council could not demonstrate an available five-year land supply of Gypsy and Traveller sites and the proposals met an identified need for such sites within the locality, in accordance with Policy H of the Planning Policy for Traveller Sites (2012);

·         the application site was located within a reasonable distance of local services and facilities, in accordance with Policy H of the Planning Policy for Traveller Sites (2012) and Policy CS9 of the Peterborough Core Strategy DPD (2011);

·         the proposal would not result in unacceptable impact upon the setting of designated heritage assets and adequate provision for the assessment of undesignated heritage assets can be achieved.  Further, any harm that may result was considered to be outweighed by the public benefit of providing much needed Gypsy/Traveller accommodation, in accordance with the National Planning Policy Framework (2012), Policy CS17 of the Peterborough Core Strategy DPD (2011) and Policy PP17 of the Peterborough Planning Policies DPD (2012);

·         the proposal would not result in any unacceptable impact to the landscape character or visual amenity of the locality, in accordance with Policy H of the Planning Policy for Traveller Sites (2012), Policies CS9 and CS20 of the Peterborough Core Strategy DPD (2011) and Policy PP16 of the Peterborough Planning Policies DPD (2012);

·         adequate parking provision would be made within the curtilage of the site and the proposal would not result in unacceptable risk to the safety of the public highway, in accordance with Policy CS14 of the Peterborough Core Strategy DPD (2011) and Policies PP12 and PP13 of the Peterborough Planning Policies DPD (2012);

·         the proposal would not result in any unacceptable impact to the amenities of neighbouring occupants, in accordance with Policies CS9 and CS16 of the Peterborough Core Strategy DPD (2011) and Policy PP3 of the Peterborough Planning Policies DPD (2012);

·         potential contamination risks could be adequately addressed so as to prevent any undue risk to human health, in accordance with Policy PP20 of the Peterborough Planning Policies DPD (2012);

·         no unacceptable impact would result to nearby ecology or species of principal importance, in accordance with Policies CS9 and CS21 of the Peterborough Core Strategy DPD (2011) and Polices PP16 and PP19 of the Peterborough Planning Policies DPD (2012);

·         adequate provision could be made for surface and foul water drainage so as to prevent any unacceptable flood risk elsewhere, in accordance with the National Planning Policy Framework (2012) and Policy CS22 of the Peterborough Core Strategy DPD (2011); and

owing to the presence of existing development within the site, there was no potential opportunity to extract any minerals contained therein, in accordance with Policy CS26 of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Minerals and Waste Core Strategy DPD (2011).