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Agenda item

20/00955/APP - 18 Westfield Road, Brockworth

PROPOSAL: Proposed 4 no. dwellings and associated amenity space, vehicle access and parking. 19/00678/OUT.

 

OFFICER RECOMMENDATION: Delegated Approval.

Minutes:

64.28        This was an application for proposed four no. dwellings and associated amenity space, vehicle access and parking. 19/00678/OUT.

64.29        The Planning Officer advised that, in accordance with information contained within the additional representations sheet, the recommendation had now been revised to approve following the submission of further plans regarding site layout which the Local Highways Authority had been consulted on and had raised no objection.  She explained that the site was part of the rear gardens of 16 and 18 Westfield Road. Outline planning permission for a residential development for four dwellings had been granted on 17 December 2019 and access and scale was approved as part of the outline permission with layout, appearance and landscaping reserved. Details to be submitted and considered as part of the reserved matters included ground and finished floor levels, external facing materials, boundary treatments, hard surfaces, parking, turning facilities and maintenance and surface water drainage. The ridge height had been set at outline stage to not exceed seven metres. The dwellings had limited front amenity space and the area provided parking, turning and bin storage. The rear amenity space was considered sufficient for each dwelling and was comparable with other residential development in the vicinity. The design would be for hipped roofed dwellings with projecting front and rear gables and the materials had been amended to be more in keeping with the character of the existing dwellings and the wider area. The room sizes complied with national space standards. The dwellings were set back 10 metres from the rear boundary. Given the design of the dwellings, ground levels on the site and distance to the nearest bungalow the relationship would not be considered to have an unacceptable overbearing or light impact. Obscure glazing would be provided to non-habitable rooms at ground and first floor side windows of plots 1 and 2 and covered by condition. The impact on neighbour amenity had been carefully assessed and it was considered there would not be an undue impact upon their amenity. The proposed landscaping and boundary treatments were considered appropriate and a revised site plan with landscaping was submitted on 12 March 2021 which was considered acceptable to the Local Highways Authority. A Drainage and Maintenance Strategy was submitted with the application and no objection was raised by the Council’s Land Drainage Advisor.

64.30        The Chair invited the applicant’s agent to address the Committee. He advised that this was a reserved matters application following the grant of outline planning permission for proposed four dwellings on this site in 2019. That application considered the principle of development, number of dwellings, their overall scale and access matters. Those aspects were deemed acceptable by Members and permission was granted. The current application simply considered external appearance, drainage, landscaping and layout. Whilst the Parish Council’s comments in respect of overdevelopment and overbearing building heights were acknowledged, those matters had been considered thoroughly by Members previously and the quantum and scale of development was considered acceptable. The principle and scale of development had already been established. The proposed scale of the scheme before the Committee was in full accordance with a planning condition imposed on the outline permission requiring the development to be no higher than seven metres from ground level. As noted in the report, the development’s external appearance, layout, drainage and landscaping had been thoroughly considered by Officers and the applicant had gone out of their way to accommodate the multiple amendments sought by Officers, which included revisions to the proposed materials and window design, as well as adjustments to the layout and parking provision and the removal of garaging to reduce the amount of development on site. Those changes had been considered thoroughly and were deemed acceptable by the Officers, the Local Highway Authority and the Drainage Officer. The design and layout reflected the character, scale, density and layout of surrounding development in the area and fully met the design expectations of the Joint Core Strategy. The relationship with neighbouring properties would not result in significant overlooking, loss of light or overbearing impacts and the scale was consistent with the outline permission. This reserved matters application was submitted in October last year and had experienced several delays, yet clearly accorded with the prevailing policies of the Development Plan. The applicant was an active local builder who permanently employed multiple staff and Members were urged to support the recommendation to enable the development to proceed.

64.31        One of the Local Ward Members questioned whether there were more cars included as part of this application than the previous application; having visited the site she was concerned about entry onto Westfield Road which led straight to the business park. She maintained that this road was really busy early in the morning and late at night as people coming on and off Ermin Street used this little road as it was one of the ways of getting off the business park and the motorway. She was concerned that there were now more cars associated with the application particularly referring to the drawings which showed 10 cars without including the one that belonged to the house which was already there. The Local Highways Authority representative suggested that Members should not focus on the number of physical cars shown on the site but on the number of dwellings as it was the dwellings which generated the trips and potential activity. There were 10 parking spaces proposed, 3 for the four bedroom units and 2 for the three bedroom units which was in accordance with the Local Highways Authority’s adopted parking standards, there was no further intensification of vehicles and the layout was in line with the adopted policy. Another Local Member for the adjoining Ward indicated that it looked to her as if space previously allocated for bins on the original application had been removed and she was concerned that there would be a bin problem without the original set back area for bin storage and residents would have difficultly getting off their drives due to obstruction caused by bins. The Planning Officer indicated that bin storage had been provided in the turning space and the access was in accordance with the original approval. The Member maintained her concerns in relation to the bins and access for the bin lorry for collection which would either have to go down a very narrow lane or the bins would have to be put out on the pavement of Westfield Road with either scenario creating a nightmare in her view. The Planning Officer confirmed that she had not had any adverse comments in terms of facilities on the site and the access, drives and space for parking were all approved at the outline permission.

64.32        It was proposed and seconded and, upon being put to the vote

RESOLVED          That the reserved matters application be APPROVED in accordance with the Officer recommendation.

Supporting documents: