Agenda and minutes

This meeting is to be webcast and the Senior Democratic Services Officer will read the following announcement:

”I would like to remind everyone present that this meeting will be broadcast live to the internet (or filmed) and will be capable of repeated viewing (or another use by third parties).

If you are seated in the lower public seating area then it is likely that the recording cameras will capture your image and this will result in the possibility that your image will become part of the broadcast.

This may infringe your human and data protection rights and if you wish to avoid this then you should move to the upper public gallery.

Could I please also remind Members to activate their microphones before speaking.”

The Senior Democratic Services Officer made a short address to remind everyone present that the meeting would be broadcast live to the internet, and would be capable of repeated viewing, which could infringe their human and data protection rights.

The Chairman welcomed members of the public to the meeting and outlined the procedures and arrangements adopted by the Council to enable persons to address the Committee, during the determination of applications for planning permission. The Committee noted the advice provided for the public and speakers in attendance at Council Planning Committee meetings.

(Director of Governance) To be announced at the meeting.

In the absence of the Chairman, who had tended his apologies for the meeting, the Vice-Chairman would chair the meeting and requested nominations from Members to be the Vice-Chairman for the meeting.

Resolved:

(1)        That Cllr S Kane be appointed Vice-Chairman for the duration of the meeting.

(Director of Governance)  To report the appointment of any substitute members for the meeting in accordance with Council Rule S1 in the Constitution (Part 4 “The Rules” refers).

The Committee noted the following substitutions for this meeting:

(a)        Cllr M Sartin for Cllr H Brady;

(b)        Cllr H Kane for Cllr J Knapman;

(c)        Cllr R Gadsby for Cllr B Sandler; and

(d)        Cllr R Baldwin for Cllr C C Pond.

(Director of Governance) To declare interests in any item on the agenda.

There were no declarations of interest pursuant to the Council’s Code of Member Conduct.

(Director of Governance) To confirm the minutes of the last meetings of the Committee held on 31 January 2018 and 15 February 2018.

Click here for District Development Management Committee Minutes 31 January 2018.

Click here for District Development Management Committee Minutes 15 February 2018.

Resolved:

(1)        That the minutes of the meeting held on 31 January 2018 be taken as read and signed by the Chairman as a correct record; and

(2)        That the minutes of the meeting held on 15 February 2018 be taken as read and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

(Director of Governance) The attached Planning Policy Briefing Note (March 2018) has been produced by the Planning Policy Team to ensure that a consistent approach is taken to the provision of planning policy advice for the District, particularly in relation to the Epping Forest District Local Plan Submission Version, which was published on 18 December 2017.

The Assistant Director (Development Management) will introduce the requirements of the Planning Policy Briefing Note, the primary purpose of which is to inform the development management process and to assist Development Management Officers, Councillors, Applicants and Planning Agents.

The Principal Planning Officer introduced a Briefing Note, produced by the Planning Policy Team.

The Principal Planning Officer reported that the Briefing Note had been written to ensure a consistent approach was taken to the provision of planning policy advice following the publication of the Epping Forest District Local Plan Submission Version on 18 December 2017. Its primary purpose was to inform the development management process and to assist Development Management Officers, Councillors, Applicants and Planning Agents. Other Council Officers involved in the development management process might also find the Briefing Note useful.

Resolved:

(1)        That the Planning Policy Briefing Note for the Epping Forest District Local Plan Submission Version published on 18 December 2017 be noted.

(Director of Governance) To consider the attached report for outline planning  permission  (All  Matters  Reserved) for the      demolition of the existing Victory Hall, Chigwell Members Club and      Library and proposed construction of a replacement Parish Council Offices, multi-use (Victory Hall) hall, Chigwell Members Club and Public Library.

The Principal Planning Officer presented a report for outline planning permission for the demolition of the existing Victory Hall, Chigwell Members Club and Library and the proposed construction of a replacement Parish Council Offices, multi-use hall, Chigwell Members Club and Public Library in Hainault Road, Chigwell.

The Principal Planning Officer informed the Committee that this application had been considered by Area Planning Sub-Committee South on 21 February 2018 with a recommendation to refuse planning permission. However, the application had been referred directly to this Committee for a decision as: the application was contrary to the adopted Development Plan; there were concerns that the very special circumstances of the proposal had not been fully considered; and whether a defensible Green Belt boundary would remain if the application was approved.

The Principal Planning Officer stated that the application site covered an area of approximately 0.67 hectares, was roughly rectangular in shape, and bounded the built up area of Chigwell and extended into open fields designated as within the metropolitan Green Belt. The site included three buildings: Chigwell Library, housed in a pre-fabricated single storey building, the flat roofed Chigwell Members Club extension, which is attached to the single storey Victory Hall. Access to the site was via the eastern side of Hainault Road, on the edge of the built up area of Chigwell.

The Principal Planning Officer explained that the outline planning application before the Committee had all matters reserved, save for the impact on trees. The demolished buildings would be replaced with 86 car parking spaces and planting, with the proposed new building constructed further eastwards on land which was currently an open field. All of the uses within the proposed building would be accessed independently from the main entrance and foyer, and the proposed hours of use for the various constituents would remain the same as the existing hours.

The Principal Planning Officer reported that Planning Officers had concluded the proposal was inappropriate development due to its height, bulk, presence and intensity of use on the previously undeveloped area of the site, which was within the metropolitan Green Belt. The proposal would spread development into the countryside, seriously detracting from the open character of the site, and consequently would fail to protect the countryside from encroachment through urban sprawl. The proposal was therefore contrary to a fundamental aim of Green Belt policy.

The Principal Planning Officer highlighted that Planning Officers had appreciated the proposal could achieve positive social and economic benefits for the local community. However, the justification for the proposed development did not clearly demonstrate its benefits and did not demonstrably outweigh the serious harm that this development would cause to the openness of the Green Belt and the purposes of including the land within it. Therefore, the application did not demonstrate the necessary very special circumstances for development within the Green Belt. If the Committee was minded to grant this application then it would have to be referred to the National Planning Casework Unit for final approval as  ...  view the full minutes text for item 60.

(Director of Governance) Section 100B(4)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972 requires that the permission of the Chairman be obtained, after prior notice to the Chief Executive, before urgent business not specified in the agenda (including a supplementary agenda of which the statutory period of notice has been given) may be transacted.

It was noted that there was no other urgent business for consideration by the Committee.

The Chairman thanked the Members of the Committee and the Officers who supported the Committee for their assistance and guidance throughout the  municipal year.

Exclusion

To consider whether, under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public and press should be excluded from the meeting for the items of business set out below on grounds that they will involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in the following paragraph(s) of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act (as amended) or are confidential under Section 100(A)(2):

The Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006, which came into effect on 1 March 2006, requires the Council to consider whether maintaining the exemption listed above outweighs the potential public interest in disclosing the information. Any member who considers that this test should be applied to any currently exempted matter on this agenda should contact the proper officer at least 24 hours prior to the meeting.

Background Papers

Article 17 (Access to Information) of the Constitution defines background papers as being documents relating to the subject matter of the report which in the Proper Officer's opinion:

(a)        disclose any facts or matters on which the report or an important part of the report is based;  and

(b)        have been relied on to a material extent in preparing the report and does not include published works or those which disclose exempt or confidential information and in respect of executive reports, the advice of any political advisor.

The Council will make available for public inspection one copy of each of the documents on the list of background papers for four years after the date of the meeting. Inspection of background papers can be arranged by contacting either the Responsible Officer or the Democratic Services Officer for the particular item.

The Committee noted that there was no business which necessitated the exclusion of the public and press from the meeting.