Agenda for Development Control Committee on Wednesday 30 November 2022, 10.00 am

Agenda and minutes

Venue: Conference Chamber, West Suffolk House, Western Way, Bury St Edmunds IP33 3YU

Contact: Helen Hardinge: Democratic Services Officer  Email: helen.hardinge@westsuffolk.gov.uk

Media

Items
No. Item

295.

Apologies for absence

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Carol Bull.

296.

Substitutes

Any member who is substituting for another member should so indicate, together with the name of the relevant absent member.

Minutes:

The following substitution was declared:

 

Councillor Sara Mildmay-White substituting for Councillor Carol Bull.

297.

Declarations of interest

Members are reminded of their responsibility to declare any pecuniary or local non pecuniary interest which they have in any item of business on the agenda, no later than when that item is reached and, when appropriate, to leave the meeting prior to discussion and voting on the item.

Minutes:

Members’ declarations of interest are recorded under the item to which the declaration relates.

298.

Planning Application DC/22/0593/HYB - Land at Hardwick Manor, Hardwick Lane, Bury St Edmunds (Report No: DEV/WS/22/046) pdf icon PDF 1 MB

Report No: DEV/WS/22/046

 

Hybrid planning application - a. outline application (means of access to be considered) for a new hospital (use class C2) of up to 100,000 square metres and surface and multistorey car park with associated infrastructure, structural landscape buffer, temporary construction compound and demolition of existing hospital buildings. b. full planning application - change of use of Hardwick Manor from a single residential dwelling (use class C3) to health related uses associated with the new hospital (use class C2)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

(Councillor Peter Stevens declared, in the interests of openness and transparency, that his daughter was employed by the West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust and worked at Newmarket Community Hospital. Councillor Sara Mildmay-White also declared, in the interests of openness and transparency, that she was the West Suffolk Portfolio Holder for Housing and Strategic Health, however, the application was not a District Council project and Councillor Mildmay-White had not been involved in the project.)

 

Hybrid planning application - a. outline application (means of access to be considered) for a new hospital (use class C2) of up to 100,000 square metres and surface and multistorey car park with associated infrastructure, structural landscape buffer, temporary construction compound and demolition of existing hospital buildings. b. full planning application - change of use of Hardwick Manor from a single residential dwelling (use class C3) to health related uses associated with the new hospital (use class C2)

 

This application was referred to Development Control Committee because the application is a Major Development and is also a departure from the Development Plan.

 

Bury St Edmunds Town Council support the application but raised transport concerns and sought assurances that part of the current site would not be sold for redevelopment. Horringer cum Ickworth Parish Council objected to the application raising safety concerns about the main construction compound access.

 

A Member site visit was held prior to the meeting.

 

Officers were recommending that the application be approved, subject to the completion of a S106 Agreement and conditions, as set out at Paragraph 365 of Report No DEV/WS/22/046 and inclusive of the amendments as itemised in the supplementary ‘late papers’.

 

The Principal Planning Officer made a detailed presentation on the scheme seeking approval, which included the changes that had been made to the proposal since its original submission, the site selection process undertaken by the applicant and the need for the replacement facility due to the life expectancy of the existing hospital.

 

Visuals were shown to the meeting which illustrated the proposal at year 1 of completion and also year 15. Members were advised that landscape planting would commence alongside the construction, as soon as practicable.

 

Attention was drawn to the fact that much of the Hardwick Manor site was classified as Irreplaceable Habitat. The loss of which was considered profound and weighed heavily against the development in the planning balance.

 

However, the Committee was informed that the proposal of a new District General Hospital was considered to be a “wholly exceptional circumstance” (as defined in the NPPF), and the application would secure a compensation strategy for the loss of the Irreplaceable Habitat; with the compensation land representing 10 hectares for every 1 hectare lost of Irreplaceable Habitat and including the specialist translocation of waxcap grasslands.

 

The site’s relationship to Hardwick Manor’s Grade II Listed Building and wall was also referenced in the presentation. As were highways considerations and flooding mitigation.

 

Speakers:    Michael Schultz (neighbouring objector, speaking on behalf of his household and other neighbouring objectors) spoke against the application  ...  view the full minutes text for item 298.

 

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