Agenda and draft minutes

To receive any apologies for absence and to note any substitutions.

Apologies were received from Councillor Bone.

The Democratic Services Officer carried out a roll call to confirm attendees.

To confirm as a correct record the Minutes of the Meeting held on 15 June 2020.

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 15 June 2020 were agreed as a correct record.

Please indicate if there are any interests which should be declared.  A declaration of an interest should indicate the nature of the interest (if not already declared on the Register of Interests) and the agenda item to which it relates.  If a disclosable pecuniary interest is declared, the Member should withdraw from the room whilst the matter is discussed.

These declarations apply to all Members present, whether the Member is part of the meeting, attending to speak as a local Member on an item or simply observing the meeting from the public seating area.

Councillor Lawton declared an interest not pecuniary in application 8/2(a) – Brancaster.

Councillor Bubb declared that he was a Member of King’s Lynn Internal Drainage Board if they had made any comments on an application.

Councillor Joyce explained that in relation to the first two applications, he knew former Councillor Alistair Beales and thought that this would be the same for other Councillors too.  The Legal Representative advised that it was not necessary to list each Member, as the nature of his knowledge to Members of the Committee was known.

To consider any business, which by reason of special circumstances, the Chairman proposes to accept, under Section 100(b)(4)(b) of the Local Government Act, 1972.

The Assistant Director explained that in relation to item 8/2(f) – Stow Bardolph, this had been withdrawn from the agenda at the applicant’s request.

The agent also would not be speaking on item 8/2(g) – Walpole Highway.

Members wishing to speak pursuant to Standing Order 34 should inform the Chairman of their intention to do so and on what items they wish to be heard before the meeting commences.

The following Councillors attended under Standing Order 34 and addressed the Committee:

Name                          Item

M de Whalley              8/1(a), 8/1(b)               Gayton

B Long                         8/2(c)                           Marshland St James

To receive any Chairman’s correspondence.

The Chair reported that any correspondence received had been read and passed to the appropriate officer.

Councillor Joyce expressed concern that the Council’s website was down on Sunday (the day before the meeting).  He considered that this was a serious matter as a lot of people would want to use the website on that day, and he wanted assurance that this would not happen again.

The Chair explained that notification that the website would be unavailable had been sent round on the Tuesday before the meeting.

To receive the Schedule of Late Correspondence received since the publication of the agenda.

Click here to view the recording of this item on You Tube

A copy of the late correspondence received after the publication of the agenda, which had been previously circulated, was tabled.  A copy of the agenda would be held for public inspection with a list of background papers.

Councillor Parish referred to an email he had sent earlier in the morning, referring to the fact that the votes cast were still not recorded in the minutes. He considered that as a recorded vote was captured in the on-line meetings, there would be no extra work involved in recording such votes in the written, official, minutes. 

He added that if an agreement could be reached at the start of today’s meeting to do that, then it would avoid him having to request a recorded vote on every application.

The Chair asked for clarification from the Legal representative. 

The Legal Representative advised that the Committee decided what was a correct record in terms of approving the minutes, the level of detail was up to the Committee to determine.  There was a separate procedure for recorded votes which would record names and how each Councillor voted.  The recording of numbers was not a requirement for the minutes but if the Committee wanted to include the numbers of votes cast, then that was a matter for the Committee to decide.

The Chair suggested that this could be considered further at the forthcoming training session and determined prior to the next meeting of the Committee on 10 August 2020.

Councillor Ryves considered that recorded votes including Councillors names and how they voted should be undertaken and recorded in the minutes for each application.

Councillor Storey agreed that this should be discussed at the forthcoming training session.   He also considered that the Committee should have information regarding the withdrawal of applications at the earliest opportunity and not on the morning of the Committee meeting.  He also felt that the late correspondence should be sent out to the Committee earlier.

In response the Assistant Director explained that in terms of withdrawing an application, applicants and agents could do that at any time before a decision was taken and reminded the Committee that, in the past, this had even been carried out during a meeting just before it was considered by the Committee.  In this particular case, the application had been withdrawn that morning.  In relation to the publishing of late correspondence, he explained that applicants, members of public and parish councils needed to have an opportunity after the publication of the agenda, to make further comments on reports and had until 5.15 pm on the Thursday before the meeting to do so.  This only left the Friday before the meeting for officers to collate the comments and send to the Committee, which was why the Schedule of Late Correspondence was published on the Friday afternoon.

The Committee is asked to note the Index of Applications.

The Committee noted the Index of Applications.

To consider and determine the attached Schedule of Planning Applications submitted by the Executive Director.

The Chair reminded the public speakers that when they had finished speaking, they needed to leave the meeting, the rest of the debate could be followed on You Tube.

The Committee considered schedules of applications for planning permission submitted by the Executive Director for Planning & Environment (copies of the schedules will be published with the agenda).  Any changes to the schedules will be recorded in the minutes.

RESOLVED:  That the applications be determined as set out at (i) – (ix) below, where appropriate, to the conditions and reasons or grounds of refusal, set out in the schedules signed by the Chair.

(i)            19/00694/RMM

Gayton:  Manor Farm, Back Street:  Reserved Matters:  Residential development of 40 dwellings, associated estate road access onto Back Street and demolition of existing farm buildings:  D & K Marsham

Click here to view the recording of this item on You Tube

The Principal Planner reminded the Committee that this application was deferred from the Planning Committee meeting held on 1 June 2020, after initial motions to refuse and then approve the application were lost.

Reserved Matters were sought for 40 dwellings following the grant of outline planning permission in August 2016 under reference 15/0188/FM.

The outline consent was for 40 dwellings on the housing allocation site for Gayton (G41.1) in the Site Allocations and Development Management Policies Plan 2016 (SADMP).

The reserved matters application was still for 40 dwellings but on a slightly smaller site.  A full application, that was also before the Committee today, covered the remainder of the site and was for six dwellings (19/01831/F).

If permission was granted for both these applications, it would result in a total of 46 dwellings on the allocated site rather than the currently approved 40

Since deferral of the application, the applicant had made the following minor amendments and provided further justification to the scheme that was considered by the Committee:

·         Access to the agricultural land to the north was shown clearer on the plan, had been widened, and the trees (as well as the previously proposed 2m high close boarded fence and a hedge) were proposed in between the adjacent property and the access.

·         The LAP had been moved to the south-west, rather than the south-east of the pond to allow for the widening of the agricultural access and to allow greater separation.

·         The affordable housing units had been amended to better integrate them with the open market housing in response to concerns raised about pepper-potting of the affordable housing units.

·         Sought to further explain the lack of garages for the 9 affordable units.

·         Sheds had been provided for cycle storage for the 18 properties without garages (9 affordable units and 9 open market housing units.

It was explained that the main report remained largely unaltered and the new elements or changes that had been added to the relevant sections of the report had been emboldened for clarity.

The Committee noted the key issues for consideration when determining the application, namely:

·         Principle of development;

·         Form and character;

·         Residential  ...  view the full minutes text for item PC122:a

To receive the Schedule of Planning Applications determined by the Executive Director.

The Committee received schedules relating to the above.

RESOLVED:   That the reports be noted.

The Committee is asked to note the Tree Matters update report covering the period 1^st November 2019 – 31^st April 2020.

The Committee received a report on recent Tree Preservation Orders that had been served between 1 November 2019 – 31 April 2020, along with a summary on some of the other aspects of the work in relation to trees.

RESOLVED:   That the report be noted.