Agenda item

Report No: DEV/WS/22/037

Planning application - vehicular access from Hargrave Road

(Councillor Mike Chester declared a non-pecuniary interest in this item in light of the fact that he had met with the applicant prior to the scheduled site visit, he therefore asked that this be noted in the interests of transparency.)

Planning application - vehicular access from Hargrave Road

This application was referred to the Development Control Committee following consideration by the Delegation Panel.

The Parish Council had registered support for the application which was contrary to the Officer recommendation of refusal for the reason set out in Paragraph 25 of Report No DEV/WS/22/037.

A Committee site visit was held prior to the meeting. At that site visit Members posed questions in respect of the proximity of the telephone box in relation to the proposed access.

The Principal Planning Officer confirmed that he had raised this matter specifically with Suffolk County Council Highways who had confirmed that they did not have concerns in relation to the telephone box as it did not impinge on visibility to any great extent, largely due to the fact you can see through it via the windows.

Councillor Mike Chester voiced support for the application and proposed that it be approved, contrary to the Officer recommendation, as he did not consider that the scheme would cause significant harm to the character of the area. This was duly seconded by Councillor Carol Bull.

The Service Manager (Planning – Development) explained that Members’ interpretation of Policies DM2 and DM24 was subjective relating to the character of the site and the area, meaning the Decision Making Protocol would not need to be invoked as a Risk Assessment would not be considered necessary.

The Principal Planning Officer then verbally advised on the conditions that could be appended to a permission, if granted.

Upon being put to the vote and with the vote being unanimous, it was resolved that

Decision

Planning permission be GRANTED, CONTRARY TO THE OFFICER RECOMMENDATION, subject to the following conditions:

1.    Time Limit

2.    Approved Plans

3.    New access in accordance with the drawing -No other part of the development hereby permitted shall be commenced until the new access has been laid out and completed in all respects in accordance with drawing no. DM01 with an entrance width of 4.5 metres measured from the nearside edge of the metalled carriageway. Thereafter it shall be retained in its approved form.

4.    Access surfacing condition - Prior to the development hereby permitted being first occupied, the new access onto the highway shall be properly surfaced with a bound material for a minimum distance of 5 metres measured from the nearside edge of the metalled carriageway, in accordance with details that shall have previously been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.

5.    Access gradient condition - The gradient of the vehicular access shall not be steeper than 1 in 20 for the first five metres measured from the nearside edge of the highway.

6.    Drainage: Ditch condition - Prior to the access being constructed the ditch beneath the proposed access shall be piped or bridged in accordance with details that previously shall have been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The piped or bridged ditch shall be retained thereafter in its approved form.

7.    Visibility as per the drawing - Before the access is first used visibility splays shall be provided as shown on Drawing No. 2777/02 REV A with an X dimension of 2.4 metres and a Y dimension of 43 metres [tangential to the nearside edge of the carriageway] 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 to visibility shall be erected, constructed, planted or permitted to grow over 0.6 metres high within the areas of the visibility splays.