Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils
Democratic Services

Mobile menu icon

Agenda item

Minutes:

63.1 Item 6A

 

Application                   DC/20/04417              

Proposal                      Planning Application – Change of use of land for the erection of 6 dwellings and the siting of 5 holiday cabins including creation of car park and alterations to existing vehicular access

Site Location               POLSTEAD- Land adjacent, The Brewers Arms, Bower House Tye, Polstead, Colchester, Suffolk, CO6 5BZ

Applicant                     Mr Marginson

 

 

63.2 The Case Officer presented the application to the Committee outlining the heritage harm, the access point, the landscape harm, the loss of amenity, the lack of affordable housing, and the Officer recommendation for refusal.

 

63.3 The Case Officer responded to Members’ questions on issues including: the ownership of the site, the agricultural access, the access to the site, and the current 5-year land supply.

 

63.4 Members considered the representation from Andrew Renshaw who spoke as an Objector.

 

63.5 The Objector responded to Members’ questions on issues such as opinion in the area.

 

63.6 Members considered the representation from Shaun Davis who spoke as a Supporter.

 

63.7 The Supporter responded to Members; questions on issues such as the viability of the public house, the local transport links, and the correlation between the holiday lets and the public house.

 

63.8 Members considered the representation from Mitch Marginson  who spoke as the Applicant.

 

63.9 The Applicant responded to Members’ questions on issues such as how the bungalows support the business, and if there was a legal agreement in place.

 

63.10 Members considered the representation from Councillor John Ward, Ward Member, who spoke on the application.

 

63.11 The Ward Member responded to Members’ questions on issues such as: sustainability.

 

63.12 Members debated the application on issues including: the site being outside of the development boundary, the isolated location of the site, the over 55s bungalows, and the lack of benefit for the surrounding area.

 

63.13 Councillor Stephen Plumb proposed that the application be refused as detailed in the officer recommendation. Councillor Lee Parker seconded the proposal.

 

63.14 By a unanimous vote.

 

63.15 It was RESOLVED:-

 

That the application is REFUSED planning permission for the following reasons:

1. The location of the proposed development is not considered to be sustainable because Bower House Tye has no facilities or amenities for local residents, other than the public house. There are no pedestrian footways with street lighting that would easily access facilities or amenities and therefore it is likely that future residents would be heavily reliant on the motor vehicle for everyday needs.

The proposed development, remote from local services, car dependent and offering very limited long term social and economic benefits, does not constitute sustainable development, contrary to Policies CS1, CS11 and CS15 of the Babergh Core Strategy (2014) and paragraphs 8 and 127 of the National Planning Policy Framework 2019.

 

2. The morphology and uncharacteristic architecture of the proposal would not reflect the ‘dispersed settlement pattern of loosely clustered villages, hamlets and isolated farmsteads’ described in Suffolk County Council’s landscape characterisation of Ancient Rolling Farmlands, which includes this area. The development’s regimented and non-traditional approach to layout would not reflect the traditions of the area or reinforce local distinctiveness. It would not correspond with the historic linear development addressing the road – which includes Holmwood Cottages – or the more dispersed, semi-isolated nature of The Bower Close. These aspects of the scheme would all result in a degradation of the rural setting of the listed buildings and the historic settlement, and therefore a diminution of the positive contribution the undeveloped land makes to their significance. The proposal would cause a level of less than substantial harm to Holmwood Cottages and to The Bower Close. As such, the scheme does not accord with National and Local Planning Policies. Local Plan Policy CN06 states that proposals should ‘be of an appropriate scale, form, siting and

detailed design to harmonise with the existing building and its setting; retain a curtilage area and/or setting which is appropriate to the listed building and the relationship with its surroundings; respect those features which contribute positively to the setting of a listed building including space, views from and to the building and historic layout…’ The less than substantial harm is not outweighed by the public benefits of this scheme. The proposal is contrary to Policy CN06 of the Babergh Local Plan 2006 and Policy CS15 of the Babergh Core Strategy 2014 which are consistent with the aims of the National Planning Policy Framework 2019, in particular paragraphs 8 and 196.

 

3. The new woodland planting will separate the proposal from the existing settlement creating an isolated development pocket outside the existing settlement cluster. The proposed layout does not reflect, or relate to, the existing local settlement pattern. The proposed development appears detached from the cluster to the north which is not in keeping with the existing settlement pattern. The proposal is considered to conflict with Policy CN01 of the Babergh Local Plan 2006 and Policies CS11 and CS15 of the Babergh Core Strategy 2014, which are consistent with the aims of the National Planning Policy Framework 2019, in particular paragraphs 8 and 170.

 

4. The proposed development raises potential issues of loss of residential amenity from activities and event at the public house, to future residents of the development. No noise assessment was

received with the application and a full assessment of the potential for noise nuisance has been assessed. Restrictions of the activities of the public house could reduce the viability of the business which would conflict with Policy CS15 of the Babergh Core Strategy 2014. A good level of amenity is an aim of paragraph 127 of the National Planning Policy Framework 2019.

Supporting documents: