Agenda item

Report No: DEV/SE/19/006

 

Planning Application - (i) change of use of site from agriculture use (Sui Generis) to equine educational establishment (Class D1); (ii) conversion of existing agricultural storage barn to stables, tack room and storage; (iii) 1no. Manège; (iv) 1no. rural worker's dwelling and (v) 1no. classroom building

(Councillor Mike Chester declared a non-pecuniary interest in this item due to being both the Ward Member and the Chairman of the Parish Council in question. He would remain in the meeting and would take part in the discussion but would abstain from the voting thereon.)

 

Planning Application - (i) change of use of site from agriculture use (Sui Generis) to equine educational establishment (Class D1); (ii) conversion of existing agricultural storage barn to stables, tack room and storage; (iii) 1no. Manège; (iv) 1no. rural worker's dwelling and (v) 1no. classroom building

 

This application was referred to the Development Control Committee at the request of Councillor Mike Chester (Ward Member: Chedburgh) given the level of public interest in the proposal.

 

A Member site visit was held prior to the meeting.  Officers were recommending that the application be approved, subject to conditions as set out in Paragraph 136 of Report No DEV/SE/19/006.

 

As part of his presentation the Senior Planning Officer:

·         Made reference to the ‘late papers’ which had been circulated after the agenda had been published and which provided additional clarification/information;

·         Advised of a correction to his report in that the location of the windows on the agricultural barn were on the West elevation (and not the East, as incorrectly stated in the report); and

·         Informed the Committee that Suffolk County Council Highways Authority had confirmed that the accident information made reference to in their response was fully up to date and clarified that the statistics related to instances where the emergency services attended the scene.

 

Speakers:    Mr James O’Donnell (neighbouring resident) spoke against the application

Miss Diane Harvey (Equine Industry Representative) spoke in support of the application

Ms Julie Brega (applicant) spoke in support of the application

 

Councillor Mike Chester spoke on the proposal and outlined some of the changes that had been made to the scheme over the life of the application.  He continued to have some concerns which included; road signage/safety, street lighting and bus services.

 

Other Members supported the application and spoke on the appropriateness of the countryside location for this type of venture.  The need for villages to diversify to provide local employment was also remarked upon. 

 

In response to a question with regard to the lack of solid wall between the domestic and business element of the building, the Service Manager (Planning – Development) confirmed that even if a solid wall was built as part of the construction a door/opening could be added at a later date without planning permission being required.

 

The Senior Planning Officer also responded to a question with regard to flood risk and provided further explanation.

 

Councillor Peter Stevens moved that the application be approved, as per the Officer recommendation.  This was duly seconded by Councillor Carol Bull.

 

Upon being put to the vote and with 12 voting for the motion and 2 abstentions, it was resolved that

 

Decision

 

Planning permission be GRANTED subject to the following conditions:

 

1.   The development hereby permitted shall be commenced no later than 3 years from the date of this permission.

2.   The development hereby permitted shall not be carried out except in complete accordance with the details shown on the approved plans and documents.

3.   The occupation of the dwelling hereby permitted shall be limited to a person solely or mainly employed, or last employed by the business operating on the land edged red or a dependent of such person residing with him or her, or a widow or widower of such a person.

4.   No development above slab level shall take place until details of the materials have been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The development shall be carried out in accordance with the approved details.

5.   No development above existing ground level shall take place until a scheme of soft landscaping for the site drawn to a scale of not less than 1:200, has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The scheme shall include accurate indications of the position, species, girth, canopy spread and height of all existing trees and hedgerows on and adjacent to the site and details of any to be retained, together with measures for their protection during the course of development. Any retained trees removed, dying or becoming seriously damaged or diseased within five years of commencement shall be replaced within the first available planting season thereafter with planting of similar size and species unless the Local Planning Authority gives written consent for any variation.  The works shall be completed in accordance with the approved plans and in accordance with a timetable to be agreed with the Local Planning Authority.

6.   No development above ground level shall take place until details of the treatment of the boundaries of the site have been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The details shall specify the siting, design, height and materials of the screen walls/fences to be constructed or erected and/or the species, spacing and height of hedging to be retained and / or planted together with a programme of implementation. Any planting removed, dying, being severely damaged or becoming seriously diseased within five years of planting shall be replaced by soft landscaping of similar size and species to those originally required to be planted.  The works shall be completed prior to first use/occupation in accordance with the approved details.

7.   All planting comprised in the approved details of landscaping shall be carried out in the first planting season following the commencement of the development (or within such extended period as may first be agreed in writing with the Local Planning Authority). Any planting removed, dying or becoming seriously damaged or diseased within five years of planting shall be replaced within the first available planting season thereafter with planting of similar size and species unless the Local Planning Authority gives written consent for any variation.

8.   The office hours, study times and pupil numbers shall all be strictly as set out within the Planning Statement And Definitive Statement of Operations document dated 25^th May 2018.

9.   There shall be no lighting installed on site other than in accordance with details and specifications shown on the submitted external lighting strategy received on 25^th May 2018.  No other external lighting shall be installed without the prior written approval of the Local Planning Authority.

10.The mitigation measures set out in the Flood Risk Assessment prepared by AGB Environmental (dated 19.06.2017) and Manège plan (drawing no. 1718-102 rev D) shall be implemented in full prior to first use of the site and thereafter retained as so installed.

11.The procedure for management of manure detailed in the Planning Statement and Definitive Statement of Operations received on 25^th May 2018 shall be complied with at all times. The approved scheme shall be implemented in accordance with the approved details prior to the development first being brought into use. Thereafter all waste materials shall continue to be stored and disposed of in accordance with the approved details.

12.Demolition or construction works shall not take place outside 08:00 hours to 18:00 hours Mondays to Fridays and 08:00 hours to 13:00 hours on Saturdays and at no time on Sundays, public holidays or bank holidays.

13. Prior to commencement of development, including any works of demolition, a Construction Method Statement shall be submitted to, and approved in writing by, the Local Planning Authority. The approved Statement shall be adhered to throughout the construction period. The Statement shall provide for:

                                    I.        The parking of vehicles of site operatives and visitors

                                  II.        Loading and unloading of plant and materials 

                                III.        Site set-up including arrangements for the storage of plant and materials used in constructing the development and the provision of temporary offices, plant and machinery

                                 IV.        The erection and maintenance of security hoarding including external safety and information signage, interpretation boards, decorative displays and facilities for public viewing, where appropriate 

                                   V.        Wheel washing facilities 

                                 VI.        Measures to control the emission of dust and dirt during construction 

                               VII.        A scheme for recycling/disposing of waste resulting from demolition and construction works

                             VIII.        Hours of construction operations including times for deliveries and the removal of excavated materials and waste

                                 IX.        Noise method statements and noise levels for each construction activity including piling and excavation operations

                                   X.        Access and protection measures around the construction site for pedestrians, cyclists and other road users including arrangements for diversions during the construction period and for the provision of associated directional signage relating thereto.

                                 XI.        A plan showing the alignment of the habitat protection fencing required during construction.

14. All ecological measures and/or works shall be carried out in accordance with the recommendations and timescales contained within:

AGB Environmental Preliminary Ecological Appraisal dated 14.11.2017

AGB Environmental Reptile Report dated 14.11.2017

AGB Environmental Badger Survey Report dated 09.10.2018

AGB Environmental Great Crested Newt: Method Statement dated 08.11.2018

as already submitted with the planning application and agreed in principle with the Local Planning Authority prior to determination.

15. No development shall take place until a surface water drainage scheme for the site, based on sustainable drainage principles and an assessment of the hydrological and hydro geological context of the development, has been submitted to and approved ¡n writing by the local planning authority. The applicant shall submit a detailed design based on the FRA and Drainage Strategy by Atkins Ltd and will demonstrate that surface water run-off generated up to and including the critical 100 year +CC storm will not exceed the run-off from the existing site following the corresponding rainfall event. The scheme shall also include:-

1. Details of further infiltration testing on site in accordance with BRE 365 to verify the permeability of the site (trial pits to be located where soakaways are proposed and repeated runs for each trial hole). The use of infiltration as the means of drainage will be taken forward only if the infiltration rates and groundwater levels show it to be possible. Borehole records should also be submitted in support of soakage testing.

2. Provided infiltration rates are satisfactory:-

I. Applicant shall submit dimensioned plans illustrating all aspects of the surface water drainage scheme including location and size of soakaways and the conveyance network. A statement on the amount of impermeable area served by each soakaway should also be illustrated on the plans and should be cross referenceable with associated soakaway calculations.

II. SCC require modelling results (or similar method) to demonstrate that the soakaways have been adequately sized to contain the 30yr event for the catchment area they serve. Each soakaway should be designed using the nearest tested infiltration rate to which they are located. A suitable factor of safety should be applied to the infiltration rate during design.

III. Infiltration devices will only dispose of clean water due to the site area overlying a Source Protection Zone. Demonstration of adequate treatment stages for water quality control shall be submitted.

IV. Infiltration devices should be no more than 2m deep and will have at least 1 - 1.2m of unsaturated ground between base of the device and the groundwater table. If individual soakaways are being used they will be at least 5m away from any foundation (depending on whether chalk is present.

V. Soakaways will have a half drain time of less than 24hours.

VI. Any conveyance networks in the 1 in 30 event show no flooding above ground.

VII. Details of any exceedance volumes during the 1 in 100 year rainfall + CC and their routes should be submitted on the drainage plans. These flow paths will demonstrate that the risks to people and property are kept to a minimum. There shall be no offsite flows.

3. If the use of infiltration is not possible then modelling OR a similar method shall be submitted to demonstrate that:-

i. Surface water runoff will be discharged to local watercourses and restricted to the existing greenfield runoff rates for the site.

ii. Any attenuation features will contain the 1 in 100 year rainfall event including climate change

iii. Any pipe networks in the 1 in 30 event show no flooding above ground

iv. Modelling of the volumes of any above ground flooding during the 1 in 100 year rainfall + climate change to ensure no flooding to properties on or off-site. This should also include topographic maps showing where water will flow and/or be stored on site.

v. Existing watercourses (ditches) along Queens Hill roadside to be cleared to hard bed level and existing pipe underneath existing main entrance to be upsized to match existing dimensions of the watercourse.

4. A management and maintenance plan for the lifetime of the development which shall include the arrangements for adoption by any public body or statutory undertaker, or any other arrangements to secure the operation of the sustainable drainage system throughout its lifetime.

16.There shall be no use of the development hereby permitted unless and until advance access warning signs have been provided in the vicinity of the highway access in accordance with details that have first been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.

17.There shall be no use of the development hereby permitted unless and until a bus stop has been provided in the vicinity of the highway access in accordance with details that have first been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.

18.The new vehicular access shall be laid out and completed in all respects in accordance with Drawing No. 1718-105 Rev A and with an entrance width of 6.0m and pedestrian access with bus stop provision and made available for use prior to first use. Thereafter the access shall be retained in the specified form.

19.Prior to the development hereby permitted being first operated, the agreed access onto the C661 shall be properly surfaced with a bound material for a minimum distance of 10 metres from the edge of the metalled carriageway, in accordance with details previously submitted to and approved in writing by the local planning authority.

20.Before the development is first used details of the areas to be provided for storage and presentation of Refuse/Recycling bins shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The approved scheme shall be carried out in its entirety before the development is brought into use and shall be retained thereafter for no other purpose.

21.Prior to the access being constructed the ditch beneath the proposed access shall be piped or bridged in accordance with details which previously shall have been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority and shall be retained thereafter in its approved form. (See Note 6).

22.Gates shall be set back a minimum distance of 10m from the edge of the carriageway, as shown on drawing number 1718-105 Rev A, and shall open only into the site and not over any area of the highway.

23.All HGV and construction traffic movements to and from the site over the duration of the demolition and construction period shall be subject to a Construction and Deliveries Management Plan which shall be submitted to the planning authority for approval a minimum of 28 days before any deliveries of materials commence. No HGV movements shall be permitted to and from the site other than in accordance with the routes defined in the Plan. The site operator shall maintain a register of complaints and record of actions taken to deal with such complaints at the site office as specified in the Plan throughout the period of occupation of the site.

24.Before the development is first used details of the areas to be provided for the loading, unloading, manoeuvring and parking of vehicles including secure cycle storage shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The approved scheme shall be carried out in its entirety before the development is brought into use and shall be retained thereafter and used for no other purpose.

25.Before the access is first used visibility splays shall be provided as shown on Drawing No. 210210-01 with an X dimension of 2.4m and a Y dimension of 162m to the left and 150m to the right and thereafter retained in the specified form. Notwithstanding the provisions of Part 2 Class A of the Town & Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 2015 (or any Order revoking and re-enacting that Order with or without modification) no obstruction over 0.6 metres high shall be erected, constructed, planted or permitted to grow within the areas of the visibility splays.

26.  Prior to first occupation and use of the site, there shall be two operational electric vehicle charging points at reasonably and practicably accessible locations, with an electric supply to the charge point capable of providing a 7kW charge.

27.  The dwelling hereby approved shall not be occupied until the optional requirement for water consumption (110 litres use per person per day) in Part G of the Building Regulations has been complied with and evidence of compliance has been obtained.

 

(On the conclusion of this item, the meeting was adjourned for a short comfort break, during which Councillor Carol Bull left the meeting.  The meeting reconvened at 3.05pm.)