Agenda item

Report of the Director (Planning) - A.1 - 23/01699/OUT - Land to the South of Colchester Road, Frating

Outline Planning Application (Access to be considered with all other matters reserved) for new commercial premises.

Minutes:

Earlier on in the meeting as reported under Minute 11 above, Councillor McWilliams had declared for the public record that she was the Ward Member for The Bentleys & Frating Ward. She therefore left the room and did not participate in the Committee’s deliberations and decision making on this application.

 

The Committee was informed that the application was before it at the discretion of the Director of Planning and that it sought outline planning permission (with all matters reserved bar access) for the erection of a commercial premises. The indicative plan showed the building to measure approximately 7,200sqm which would be split between factory use (70%) and office use (30%) and would also accommodate 153 parking spaces.

 

The Committee was made aware that, the relocation of the applicant’s site from its current base in Clacton-on-Sea would facilitate the expansion of a successful local business, thereby generating significant economic benefits. Additionally, it had been demonstrated that no sites allocated for employment use in the adopted local plan would be suitable. Taking that into account, Officers had afforded great weight to those benefits.

 

Officers reminded Members that while the proposal was in outline form, it was considered that the indicative layout, scale and design would be acceptable. There would be no significant harm to neighbouring amenities given the separation distances, and similarly no significant harm to any heritage assets. No harm to existing trees had been identified, and following discussions, ECC Highways, ECC Ecology and ECC SuDS had raised no objections subject to conditions.

 

Officers further reminded Members that there would be a degree of harm to the landscape character given that the site was currently an open parcel of agricultural land. However, it was also noted that there was significant existing built form in close proximity, though admittedly on the northern section of Colchester Road, and the applicant had demonstrated the harm would not be to a significant level, particularly over the passage of time as vegetation matured. That said, a small level of weight had been attached by Officers to that identified harm.

 

Members were told that, in conclusion, while it was noted there would be a degree of harm to the landscape character of the area, on this occasion the economic benefits of the development were considered, by Officers, to outweigh that. The application was therefore considered to comply with local and national planning policies and had been recommended by Officers for approval.

 

The Committee had before it the published Officer report containing the key planning issues, relevant planning policies, planning history, any response from consultees, written representation received and a recommendation of approval.

 

At the meeting, an oral presentation was made by the Council’s Senior Planning Officer (MP) in respect of the application.

 

An update sheet had been circulated to the Committee prior to the meeting, with details of a letter of observation and a letter of objection that had been received, which raised the following points:

 

  1. “The land is grade one or two farmland, not suitable for further development;
  2. Impact to wildlife;
  3. Flooding issues due to drainage;
  4. Increased traffic concerns; and
  5. The possible relocation of Pallet Plus to this site is not acceptable/sustainable.

 

Below are Officer’s responses to these comments:

 

  1. The land is Grade One, however it is a site measuring 4.3ha and not therefore a significant area of land. Natural England only require consultation for 20ha or more and on this occasion the economic benefits through the increase in jobs outweighs the loss of this relatively small parcel of agricultural land;
  2. Impact to protected species has been addressed within the report;
  3. Issues surrounding drainage have been addressed within the report;
  4. While this is noted, ECC Highways have not raised any objections subject to conditions; and
  5. This is not a material planning consideration for this application.”

 

Christopher Walpole, a member of the public, spoke against the application.

 

Matters raised by Members of the Committee:-

Officer’s response thereto:-

Will the pavement in front of the bus stop be made good and easily accessible for disabilities etc?

Yes, as part of the proposal, on the opposite side of the road where there is an existing roadway, that is going to be extended to connect the footway further down the road. On the right-hand side of that access, it will be widened so there will be 1.8 metres in width so yes, they will be improved. The indicative plans do show that there could be a footway that will connect to where the bus stops are proposed.

Will these footways be tarmac and levelled?

To Officers’ understanding, yes.

Will the drainage have any weight on the residents of Frating?

In terms of the surface water drainage, the red line connects down and the water will be fed into the ditch. To clarify, it is an indicative layout, and this could change, but there is no reason why it would change with the red line. Essex Environment Agency haven’t raised any objections. The foul water will be taken out by a tanker and removed from the site. Conditions 11 and 18 of the recommendation requires full details to be submitted alongside the future reserved matters application should approval be granted.

Would this application ruin the public footway at all?

As part of the approval is to improve the existing footway provisions it will improve that position.

During the construction of this site, would the public footpath be disturbed?

Condition 13 requires details on constructions works and the impacts. Officers don’t have specific details before them as this will be in the reserved matters application that will be submitted if this application is approved.

What exactly will the applicants be dealing with for the sewage?

Sewage is not a reserved matter. There are conditions within the Officer report to consider those in any event. Officers wanted to know about the surface water drainage. Foul water sewage, there is a specific condition on that. Anglian Water have said that there is sufficient capacity for this development.

Why is prime farmland being used?

Officers and Members are looking at the application that has been brought forward, and it has been demonstrated within the submission why sites allocated within the Local Plan for employment purposes are not suitable. Officers can’t answer why the applicants have chosen this specific site. The grade that has been given is correct. It is a reasonably limited size site. Officers believe that the economic benefits outweigh the harm to character.

 

It was moved by Councillor Alexander, seconded by Councillor Sudra and:-

 

RESOLVED that:-

 

1)    the Head of Planning and Building Control be authorised to grant outline planning permission subject to the conditions as stated at paragraph 10.2 of the Officer report (A.1), or varied as is necessary to ensure the wording is enforceable, precise, and reasonable in all other respects, including appropriate updates, so long as the principle of the conditions as referenced is retained; and,

 

2)    the sending to the applicant of any informative notes as may be deemed necessary.

Supporting documents: