DANBURY PARISH COUNCIL

 

Planning Committee

 

Minutes of the Meeting held on 20 March 2006 at 8.00pm in the Parish Office

 

Present:   Cllrs A Allen (Chairman), S Berlyn, A Keeler, M Telling, J Thomson, M Wood

Additional members: Mr J Alexander, Mr P Watts

In attendance:    Mrs E Blyth, Assistant Clerk

 

Public Question Time

 

242 Apologies for absence

Apologies were received and accepted from Mr R Chandler and Cllr G Gardiner.

 

243 Declarations of Interest

Members were reminded that they must declare any personal or prejudicial personal interests in any items of business on the meeting’s agenda. No declarations were made.

 

244 Minutes

RESOLVED: that the Minutes of the meeting held on 6th March 2006 be approved and signed as a correct record.

 

245 Planning applications and decisions

Applications were considered and comments agreed, and the decisions received were noted.  In relation to the proposed new and replacement ‘affordable’ housing in Mill Lane (06/00433/FUL), the Committee felt that the properties should be offered first to existing Danbury residents.

RESOLVED:

a) that the responses to planning applications shown in Appendix A be submitted to Chelmsford Borough Council;

b) that the Chelmer Housing Partnership be asked to offer first refusal on the properties in the Mill Lane development, if approved, to existing Danbury residents;

c) that the planning decisions shown in Appendix B be noted.

 

246 CBC Policy – site notices

The Chairman had learned from CBC that site notices of planning applications were now only displayed in certain circumstances, for example if CBC was unable to establish who owned a neighbouring property.  The Committee was concerned at this policy change, which appeared to contradict current national moves towards transparency and open government.

RESOLVED: that Mr Derek Stebbing, CBC Planning Policy Manager, be informed of the Council’s concerns about the unadvertised change of policy in regard to site notices and asked about alternative ways of publicising planning applications, possibly involving the Parish Council.


247 CBC Planning CommitteeThe Chairman reported that he and several residents had attended and spoken at the meeting on 7th March at which application 06/00093/FUL (2 Dilston) had been discussed.  A decision had been deferred pending a site visit, subsequently scheduled for Tuesday 21st March.  Mr Allen would attend on behalf of the Parish Council.It was understood that the date of the next CBC Planning Committee meeting had been changed from Tuesday 28th to Wednesday 29th March.  No papers had been received.

248 CBC Local Development Framework (LDF)Members noted that the Statement of Community Involvement, part of the LDF, had been formally adopted by CBC on 15th February 2006.  The full document could be seen online at www.chelmsford.gov.uk/planning.

249 Danbury Planning Framework

Mr Allen updated the Committee on progress with the Planning Framework document.  The intention was that the document would in due course be put to the CBC Planning Policy Committee with the recommendation from Mr Derek Stebbing that it be adopted as supplementary planning guidance.

 

250 Committee Terms of Reference

It was reported that the Terms of Reference of Council Committees, as reviewed by the Clerk, would be put to Parish Council at the meeting on 29th March for approval.

 

251 Trees

The approval by CBC of remedial work to a Field Maple at 9 Southview Road was noted (see Appendix C).

 

252 Correspondence

a) The Sanctuary, Southwood Chase (06/00149/CLEUD): A letter had been received from Dr J Barber of The Briars, Southwood Chase, to Town Planning commenting on this application;

b) Cliftonville, Southwood Chase (): A letter had been received from Mrs J Harrison of Elephants’ Walk, Southwood Chase, to Town Planning regarding this application;

RESOLVED: that the letters be noted and acknowledgments sent.

 

253 Enforcement

a) Conifers at Well Lane/The Heights: It was noted that the conifers obstructing the pavement at the bottom of The Heights, as well as those in Well Lane, had now been cut back;

b) Unauthorised advertisements for caravan park: CBC had confirmed that the Parish Council did not have the legal right to remove unauthorised advertisements.  As the caravan site notices had reappeared on the A414 through the village, CBC had been asked to arrange for them to be removed and to contact the owner.


254 Urgent business

Application for a Betting Licence, premises at Stratford House, Maldon Road:

The former Unwins off-licence property was the subject of an application for a Betting & Gaming licence.  The site notice had been seen by a Councillor – there had been no formal consultation with the Parish Council.  Comments had to be submitted by 24th March.  Members were concerned at the proposal and felt that a response should be submitted to the Licensing authorities by the Council.  A number of comments were agreed in discussion.

RESOLVED: that, as the timescale did not allow the matter to be referred to the Environment Committee or to Parish Council, the Planning Committee submit a response to the application for a Betting & Gaming licence at Stratford House to the appropriate authorities;

b) that the response include the following points: that the nature of the business would be inappropriate to the rural character of Danbury; that it would be an undesirable influence on young people, particularly being close to an alcohol outlet; that it would create additional parking and noise which would be detrimental to neighbouring streets; and that adequate betting facilities existed in neighbouring communities.

 

255 Matters for report and urgent business

40mph sign: One of the signs at the eastern edge of the village had gone missing.  This would be reported to ECC Highways;

 

256 Forthcoming meetings

Meetings are scheduled for 3rd and 24th April, 8th and 22nd May, 2006.

 

Business having been concluded, the Chairman closed the meeting at 9.55pm.

 


DANBURY PARISH COUNCIL

Planning Committee Minutes: 20 March 2006

Appendix A

CBC Planning Applications

 

Ref no

Property

Street name

Proposal

Committee date

Comments

06/00156/FUL

Brook Bros

Twitty Fee

Proposed timber storage building

20/03/06

The application is ambiguous. Is the proposed building to be used for machining and storage or for storage alone? If the former, adequate and appropriate noise reduction should be installed. In both cases we are concerned at the gradually increasing capacity of the site and the impact this will have on traffic movements on this narrow rural lane.

 

06/00383/FUL

25

Pedlars Path

 

First floor side extension

20/03/06

No comments

06/00433/FUL

41, 43, 45

Mill Lane

Demolition of 3 dwellings and existing garages and erection of 2 bungalows and 7 houses with associated external works

20/03/06

1 We support the application on the basis that it will provide affordable accommodation to existing Danbury residents.  We trust they will be given first refusal on the development, and would like this to be made a condition of granting planning permission;
2 Is there the opportunity for Section 106 funding for some facility in the Pedlars Path area?

 

 

 

 


 

DANBURY PARISH COUNCIL

Planning Committee Minutes: 20 March 2006

Appendix B

CBC Planning Decisions

 

Ref no

Property

Street name

Proposal

Committee date

Comments

Dec'n & Date

05/02410/FUL

31

Hyde Lane

New boundary fence adjacent public highway

23/01/06

1 We strongly object to this application, which will detract from the visual amenity of the area.
2 We wonder whether the land on which the fence is proposed is in the ownership of the applicant or whether it is Highways land.

Refused
08/02/06

05/02436/FUL

Bristol House

Copt Hill

Two storey rear extension

23/01/06

No comments

Refused
10/02/06

05/02437/CAC

Bristol House

Copt Hill

Partial demolition

23/01/06

No comments

Approved
13/02/06

05/02458/FUL

5

South Hill Close

Creation of rooms in roof with dormer windows to each side of existing roof

23/0106

No comments

Refused
14/02/06

05/02461/FUL

Poplar Farm

Gay Bowers Road

Demolition of existing single storey building and erection of first floor extension

23/01/06

No comments

Approved
15/02/06

ECC Planning decision:

 

 

 

 

 

ESS/49/05/CHL

Sandon Quarry

Sandon

Retention of existing concrete batching plant, originally approved under CHL/329/84 in a mothballed state of un-use to Dec 2005, until 31 December 2009

05/12/05

No comments

Refused
27/02/06

 

 

DANBURY PARISH COUNCIL

Planning Committee Minutes: 20 March 2006

Appendix C

Work to Trees

 

 

Ref no

TPO ref

Property

Street name

Proposal

Committee date

Comments

Decision/ Date

 

Decision on work to a tree:

 

 

 

 

 

06/05011/TPO

2002/119

9

Southview Road

Works to T5 Field Maple: Tidy up tree by removing largest lateral branch

 

06/02/06

No comments

Approved
02/03/06