Agenda item

(Director of Governance) To consider the attached report for the upgrade and renewal of the recreational facilities on the site to provide short stay all weather accommodation in order to ensure the site's continued use for recreational purposes, and advertisement consent for a proposed new camp site sign next to the site entrance (DEV-015-2016/17).

The Assistant Director of Governance (Development Management) presented a report for two applications at the site: the upgrade and renewal of the recreational facilities on the site to provide short stay all weather accommodation in order to ensure the site’s continued use for recreational purposes; and advertisement consent for a proposed new camp site sign next to the site entrance. The applications were before the Committee as they was classed as a large scale major application.

The Assistant Director reported that the site was 17 acres in size and located on the west side of Manor Road, 100 metres south of the junction with New Road. The south and east sections of the site (approximately 40%) were currently in use as a caravan site with a number of timber buildings located near the end of the main access drive. The site contained many mature trees and was well screened from view along Manor Road. The proposal included: the demolition and replacement of the existing central pavilion building; the refurbishment of three existing cabins and provision of caretaker lodgings; the removal of mobile homes/pitches and their replacement with 42 new purpose-designed timber-clad cabins; general landscaping works; and the upgrading of the existing entrance drive to improve safety and security. The proposed new camp signs would be located on each side of the entrance to the camp, 1.5metres x 0.7 metres in size, and externally lit by a low luminance trough light shining down on the face of the signs.

The Assistant Director stated that Planning Officers had concluded the continued recreational use of the site was appropriate in the Metropolitan Green Belt, and the Christian focus of the camp site, making good use of the wooded and tranquil setting, was liable to result in activities of a quieter nature than commonly found on a commercial camp site open to the general public. The appearance and bulk of the timber-clad cabins, providing a more weather resistant form of accommodation, was acceptable in a woodland setting. The proposed signs would not unduly detract from the street scene and were an appropriate form of directional sign to assist visitors in locating the site. Therefore, it was recommended that planning permission be granted for the two applications.

The Assistant Director added that Planning Officers had reconsidered the planning conditions since the publication of the agenda for the meeting. It was felt that some additional wording should be added to condition 6, as it might not be necessary to conduct all of the listed habitat surveys, such that the applicant should demonstrate that no harm would occur to the listed species during and after development. It was also felt that an extra condition was needed requiring all existing buildings, containers and caravans not shown on the site plan to be removed before the proposed central pavilion was first available for use. And a second additional condition to reflect the phased development of the site was now proposed to limit the number of caravans and cabins on site to a maximum of 60 during development, with all caravans to be removed once the proposed 42 cabins had been constructed.

The Committee noted the summary of representations received in relation to this application, including Lambourne Parish Council and Parish Councillor P Price who both strongly objected to the application, Smart Planning Consultants representing 39 nearby properties who all objected, and a further 17 letters of objection from nearby residents. There were no objections offered by Essex County Council Highways, or by Arboricultural Officers and CountryCare subject to the imposition of conditions protecting trees and implementing the recommendations of the submitted habitat survey. The Committee heard from an Objector, the Parish Council and the Applicant before proceeding to debate the application.

The Committee requested some reassurance that the proposed cabins would not become permanent residences. The Assistant Director confirmed that the applicant would require further planning permission to build houses or use them permanently, in which case this would then be inappropriate development harmful to the Metropolitan Green Belt. Permission was only acceptable in this case because these cabins were replacing a maximum of 60 caravans and were to be used in conjunction with outdoor recreational use only and therefore preserved the openness and thus did not represent inappropriate development in the Green Belt. In addition, the visual impact of the proposal on the surrounding countryside was limited, because this was a well screened site. Although, there was a possibility that the site could be regarded as previously developed land, there would be planning conditions in place to stop permanent occupation on the site and therefore resist this becoming a future housing development. The cabins would also be constructed on stilts, so they would not be considered as being of a permanent nature.

The Committee enquired as to the meaning of ‘short stay’ in condition 2. The Assistant Director informed the Committee that they could suggest revised wording for condition 2, and reminded the Committee that it had considered a maximum residency of 28 days per year for the recent planning application at Roydon Marina. Cllr Brady opined that such a condition was almost impossible to enforce unless there was a period when all of the cabins had to be empty, and proposed this as an amendment to condition 2 along with a maximum residency of 28 days per annum. Cllr C C Pond further suggested that the applicant should enter into a Legal Agreement under Section 106 of the Town & Country Planning Act 1990, to restrict a single stay on site in a cabin to no more than 28 days and also no more than a total of 56 days per annum to prevent residents moving from one cabin to another, and that there should be no occupation of any of the cabins between 7 January and 7 March each year. The Committee agreed that this would prevent any permanent residency occurring on the site, therefore not be an in principle inappropriate development in the Green Belt and would be enforceable.

Most Members of the Committee felt that the proposed Cabins were of a better design, and would not have more of a harmful visual impact on the Green Belt than the existing caravans. The site was already being used for recreational purposes, although it was acknowledged that the trees on the site were not protected and this could affect the screening of the development if they were removed.

Cllr Kauffman reminded the Committee of the concerns raised by local residents regarding the intensification of the use of the site, and the impact that this would have on the neighbours. The Councillor also felt that the site should be more self-sufficient, and that this development should not classify the site as previously developed land within the Green Belt. Some Members also raised concerns about the amount of hardstanding proposed, and the 111 parking spaces requested as part of the application when there was only a maximum of 42 cabins to be constructed on the site.

The Assistant Director reminded the Committee that it was open to them to  determine if the application was large scale and therefore failed to preserve the openness of the Green Belt; if they considered it was, then they could conclude that it would be inappropriate development in the Metropolitan Green Belt.

Decision:

(1)        That planning application EPF/1912/16 at Woodland Camp in Manor Road, Lambourne be granted permission, subject to a Section 106 Legal Agreement and the following conditions:

1.          The development hereby permitted must be begun not later than the expiration of three years beginning with the date of this notice.

2.         With the exception of the caretakers lodge none of the cabins hereby approved shall be occupied by a person for a period of more than 28 days and no person shall occupy any of the cabins for more than 56 days, in any one year and there shall be no occupation of the site at all between the 7th January and 7th March in any one year.

3.         Prior to the first occupation of the development the access arrangements, vehicle parking and turning areas as indicated on the approved plans shall be provided, hard surfaced, sealed and marked out. The access, parking and turning areas shall be retained in perpetuity for their intended purpose.

4.         No unbound material shall be used in the surface treatment of the vehicular access within 6 metres of the highway boundary.

5.         There shall be no discharge of surface water onto the Highway.

6.         The Recommendations (section 5) and the Conclusion (section 6) of SES's Phase 1 Habitat Survey submitted February 2016 shall be followed in full. Reports must be supplied to the Local Planning Authority where appropriate and as recommended in the report.  This will include survey work to be submitted and approved before any building works commence on site in respect of the following:

            1.         Bats (roosting surveys)

            2.         Great Crested Newt

            3.         Breeding Birds

            4.         Hazel Dormouse (see details)

            5.         Invertebrates (phase 1 only)

            6.         Reptiles (phase 1 only)

            7.         UK BAP / NERC Act mammals and amphibians

            Where surveys are not conducted, an explanation and/or mitigation statement should be submitted confirming how no harm shall occur to these species during and post development.

7.         Any amplified music to be played on the site shall be confined to the inside of the central pavilion. No outside amplified music shall be played.

8.         No development, including works of demolition or site clearance, shall take place until a Tree Protection Plan Arboricultural Method Statement and site monitoring schedule in accordance with BS:5837:2012 (Trees in relation to design, demolition and construction - recommendations) has been submitted to the Local Planning Authority and approved in writing. The development shall be carried out only in accordance with the approved documents unless the Local Planning Authority gives its written consent to any variation.

9.         No trenches or pipe runs for services and drains required to service the development hereby approved shall be cut or laid otherwise than in accordance with BS5837:2012 (Trees in relation to design, demolition and construction - recommendations), except with the approval of the Local Planning Authority. Any works within the calculated root protection areas shall be fully supervised by an Arboricultural Consultant and a report detailing the work undertaken / supervision shall be sent to the Local Planning Authority within 28 days of the work being undertaken.

10.       The development hereby permitted will be completed strictly in accordance with the approved drawings numbered A-0031, C-033, E-035, 038, 039, B-032, D-034, 024B, 051A, 006, 052A, 005, 3-053, 054, 021A, 003B, 061, 062A, 013A, 001a, 015a, 017A, 023B, 044A, 012a, 016A, 018B, 022A, 004, 055, AT.WC.02,1-041, 2-042, AT.WC01, AT.WC03, 002a, 011A. 

11.       When the 42 cabins hereby approved have been constructed all caravans and tents shall have been removed from the site. In addition, once the 42 cabins have been erected no part of the application site, together with the adjoining land owned by the applicants as shown on drawing no. PL.001A, shall thereafter be used for the accommodation of tents and/or caravans.

12.       All buildings, containers, and caravans, to be demolished as shown on plan no. PL.015 Rev A, shall be demolished and/or removed from the site before the central pavilion building hereby approved is first brought into use.

(2)        That the applicant enter in to a Section 106 Legal Agreement with the Local Planning Authority to secure the temporary nature of the accommodation on site and, in accordance with planning condition 2 above, to provide that no cabin be occupied by a person for more than 28 days, or for 56 days in any one calendar year, and that there should be no occupation at all of the site between 7 January and 7 March each year.

(3)        That planning application EPF/1924/16, also at Woodland Camp in Manor Road, Lambourne for Advertisement Consent be granted permission.