Agenda and draft minutes

The Chair welcomed everyone to the Reconvened Meeting of the Planning Committee.  She reminded the Committee that the meeting was being recorded an streamed live to YouTube.

She then invited the Democratic Services Officer to conduct a roll call to check who was present at the meeting.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Anota, Barclay, Devulapalli, Fry and Storey

There were no declaration of interests.

25/00389/F

Walsoken: Land east of Willowdene, north of Clydesdale, Biggs Road:  Intensification of use of existing hardstanding at an existing Gypsy / Traveller site to enable standing of an additional five static caravans and one touring caravan.

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The case officer reminded the Committee that determination of the application had been adjourned for a site visit, which had taken place prior to the reconvened meeting. The case officer introduced the report and outlined where the Committee had been during the visit.

The case officer outlined that the application sought retrospective permission for intensification of use at the existing Gypsy and Traveller site at Walsoken Land, including the addition of five static caravans and one touring caravan, with a total of six static and three touring caravans permitted within the site boundary at any time. The proposal also included an extension of the site boundary to the east and relocation of caravans into an L-shape, as observed during the site visit.

The case officer reminded the Committee of the corrections to the report set out in the correspondence received after the publication of the agenda in relation to page 31, paragraph 4 and page 26 (last paragraph) which should say 6 months in accordance with Condition 5.  She also advised of an amendment to condition 2’ after “to travel temporarily or permanently” add ‘and all other persons with a cultural tradition of nomadism or of living in a caravan.’

The Committee made the following comments:

Several Councillors expressed concerns about the retrospective nature of the application and the potential impact on neighbouring amenity, particularly regarding noise, disturbance, and proximity to existing dwellings. The Committee discussed the possibility of imposing a 10-metre buffer zone between the caravans and site boundaries to mitigate these concerns.

Highways, Access, and Fire Safety: The Committee made reference to highways, and it was confirmed that the access had been designed to accommodate the maximum number of touring caravans allowed. Fire safety and spacing between caravans were discussed, with reference to both planning and licensing requirements, and the importance of not placing caravans too close to fences or trees for safety reasons.

Questions were raised about the removal of future permitted development rights and whether upgrades to double-unit mobile homes would require further permission. Officers clarified that the site does not benefit from permitted development rights, so any future changes would require planning permission, and that double units were still considered caravans under relevant legislation.

Councillor de Whalley sought clarification on why the site was compared to other allocated sites at similar flood risk levels.  It was explained that the sequential test was typically applied on a settlement or parish basis, and as stated within the report there were no alternative sites at lower flood risk available within the relevant area.

In relation to the Exception Test and Mitigation Measures, Officers confirmed that the Environment Agency had no objection provided mitigation measures were implemented, including raising  ...  view the full minutes text for item PC57: