Agenda and minutes

Please note: The Development Control and Regulatory Board meeting on Thursday 11 March 2021 at 2:00pm will not be open to the public in line with Government advice on public gatherings.

This meeting will be filmed for live or subsequent broadcast via YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWFpwBLs6MnUzG0WjejrQtQ.

The minutes of the meeting held on 11 February 2021 were taken as read, confirmed and signed.

The Chief Executive reported that no questions had been received under Standing Order 34.

The Chief Executive reported that no questions had been received under Standing Order 7(3) and 7(5).

There were no urgent items for consideration.

The Chairman invited members who wished to do so to declare any interest in respect of items on the agenda for the meeting.

It was noted that all members who were members of a Parish, Town or District Council, or Liaison Committee would have personal interests in applications which related to areas covered by those authorities.

No declarations were made.

The Chief Executive reported that no petitions had been received under Standing Order 35.

The Board considered a report of the Chief Executive along with a supplementary report which proposed to amend the wording of condition 12 as set out in the appendix to the original report. Copies of both these reports, marked ‘Agenda Item 7’, are filed with these minutes.

The Chief Executive reported that the local member Mr. D. Harrison CC was in support of the application.

The local member Mr. S.D. Sheahan CC stated that he was very happy with the restoration proposals and the site would be a great asset for the village, although he added that the proposals would be enhanced if they included a car park for the public to leave their cars in when visiting the site. Mr. Sheahan CC also suggested that there could be some additional footpaths linking the site with the wider footpath network and other scenic areas such as the canal.

Other Board members also stated that they preferred that a public carpark be provided as the site would be popular and there would be a large number of visitors. Members said that a carpark would make it easier for people with mobility difficulties to access the site.

The Chief Executive explained that these issues had been raised at consultation stage and in response the applicant had been clear that they were not proposing to construct a car park on the site as the facility was not intended to attract large numbers of people and that could have unintended consequences such as visitors parking on surrounding grass verges. The Chief Executive advised members that it would not be appropriate to include a planning condition requiring the construction of a car park because this was not part of the proposal and in making a decision on the application they should consider whether the proposal was acceptable without a car park. Likewise the Chief Executive stated that the additional footpaths proposed by Mr. Sheahan CC could not be secured by a condition given that the applicant would not have ownership of all affected land. Nevertheless, the Chief Executive recognised that the suggestions were both constructive and helpful and agreed to pass on members’ comments to the applicant.

RESOLVED:

That the application be permitted subject to:

(a)        the conditions nos. 1-18 as set out in Appendix B to the report, subject to the amendment of condition no. 12 as set out in the supplementary report;

(b)        the prior completion of a Section 106 legal agreement covering aftercare and management responsibilities on the site, land surrounding the winter storage lake and an amended arrangement for the retention of the restoration bond.

The Chairman confirmed that the next meeting of the Board would take place on 15 April 2021 at 2.00pm.