Minutes:
59.1 A short comfort break was taken after the completion of application DC/18/03114 but before the commencement of DC/18/05313.
59.2 Item B
Application DC/18/05313
Proposal Outline Planning Application (Access and Layout to be considered) Erection of 32No. dwellings comprising 9 Local Need Homes, 2 Affordable Homes, 21 Open Market Homes and public reading room. Creation of new accesses to Bildeston Road and Castle Road, 9 Parish allotments and a community car park.
Site Location OFFTON- Land on the South Side of, Bildeston Road, Offton, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP8 4RR
Applicant Mr and Mrs Stephen Philips
59.3 The Case Officer presented the application to the Committee outlining the proposal before Members, the layout of the site, that the application was now currently at Appeal for non-determination and that the officers recommendation was to confirm the reasons for refusal that Members would have supported and would be presented to the Planning Inspector.
59.4 Members considered the representation from Colin Pinson-Roxburgh of Offton and Willisham Parish Council who spoke against the application.
59.5 Members considered the representation from Kelvin Moody who spoke as an Objector.
59.6 Members considered the representation from Councillor Daniel Pratt, Ward Member, who spoke against the application.
59.7 Councillor Harry Richardson proposed that the Committee endorse the reasons for refusal as detailed in the officer recommendation. Councillor Mike Norris seconded the motion.
59.8 By a unanimous vote.
59.9 RESOLVED
That reasons for the planning authorities “minded to” resolution of refusal should be restricted to those quoted above at paragraph 2.1 and all other reasons not be pursued.
Your Officer had tabled the following reasons for refusal: At the heart of the National Planning Policy Framework is a presumption in favour of sustainable development. This has three strands – environmental, social and economic; all of which must be considered together. Policy FC1 of the Core Strategy Focused Review (2012) states that Mid Suffolk will take a positive approach to development, and will take into account whether any “adverse impacts of granting permission would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits when assessed against the policies in the National Planning Policy Framework taken as a whole…” Policy CS1 of the Mid Suffolk Core Strategy (2008) states that: “ countryside and countryside villages and development will be restricted to particular types of development to support the rural economy, meet affordable housing, community needs and provide renewable energy.” The emerging Joint Local Plan is in the process of designating Offton as a Hamlet settlement classification, which is an unsustainable classification for major growth. In this context, the proposal represents a disproportionate level of major growth within a remote rural location that would continue to create a detached, rural clustered approach. This does not sustainably align with the above policies, nor with the NPPF, nor with the direction of the emerging Joint Local Plan. Nor does it address cumulative social or environmental impacts that would be a consequence of the major proposal in this remote rural location poorly connected to services, facilities or any main settlement.
Core Strategy policy H4 states that Mid Suffolk shall “seek to negotiate an element of affordable housing of up to 35% of the total provision of housing”. It is clear that the applicant will not be providing this amount of affordable housing. Policy H5 seeks to provide affordable housing as a “Rural Exception” for local people in small rural settlements, backed up by proof of local needs. This has not been achieved to the satisfaction of The Council’s Strategic Housing Officers and, therefore, the provision does not contribute to the social strand of sustainability. Given the unsustainable location, and also the inadequate quantum and inappropriate mix of proposed affordable housing, the proposal is held to be contrary to Policy FC1 of the Core Strategy Focused Review (2012), Policy CS1 of the Mid Suffolk Core Strategy (2008) and Policy H4 of the Mid Suffolk Local Plan (1998) and the NPPF.
Supporting documents: