Agenda item

PROPOSAL: Approval of reserved matters application for up to 95 dwellings, associated infrastructure, ancillary facilities, open space, landscaping and construction of new vehicular and pedestrian accesses.

OFFICER RECOMMENDATION: Approve

7.41          This was an approval of reserved matters application for up to 95 dwellings, associated infrastructure, ancillary facilities, open space, landscaping and construction of new vehicular and pedestrian accesses. 

7.42          The Planning Officer advised that the application site comprised land at the corner of the A38/A4019 and was included as an allocation for housing in the recently adopted Tewkesbury Borough Plan and Policy RES1 stated that the site had an indicative capacity for 95 dwellings.  Policy COO1 of the Tewkesbury Local Plan, which formed part of Policy RES1, identified that the development of the site presented a place-making opportunity and provided site specific policies to give further detailed guidance on the development of the site to achieve this objective.  Outline planning permission had been allowed on the site at appeal in June 2021 for up to 95 dwellings which established the principle of development and set out a number of parameters including the extent of the built form, building heights and access points which future reserved matters applications must comply with.  Pursuant to the outline permission, the current application sought approval for reserved matters for the erection of 95 dwellings on the whole of the site in respect of layout, scale, appearance, landscaping and access.  Officers had liaised with the applicant and, further to amendments secured during the determination process, as set out in the Committee report, it was considered that the proposal and the design approach reflected and built upon the principle and parameters set out in the approved parameter plans and accorded with Policy COO1 and the development plan as a whole.  In particular, the application was a landscape-led scheme providing 2.4 hectares of open space to the south and east which provided recreational space for use by existing and future residents; had regard to the rural location of the application site and the density, character and use of materials of the dwellings transitioned between the A38 and the open space; provided an active frontage along the A38; addressed the relationship between the petrol filling station and the application site both visually and in terms of residential amenity; and demonstrated a biodiversity net gain of at least 10%.  As set out in the Additional Representations Sheet, attached at Appendix 1, County Highways had now advised it had no objection to the application.  The Officer recommendation was therefore to approve, subject to slightly amended conditions which reflected amendments to the plans that had been received further to the preparation of the Committee report.

7.43          The Chair invited the applicant’s agent to address the Committee.  The applicant’s agent indicated that the land was allocated for development by Policy COO1 of the recently adopted Local Plan and was subject to an outline planning permission for 95 homes that was granted in July 2021.  The reserved matters application before the Committee sought approval of the detailed design of the scheme.  The applicant’s agent pointed out that the location and detailed design of the access from the A38 was approved as part of the outline permission which listed a number of plans to fix the key parameters for the development including: the area where built development was permitted, the entirety of which was outside of the floodplain; the 2.4 hectares of the site that was to be provided as open space; and the maximum height of the buildings on various parts of the site.  As set out in the Committee report, the scheme accorded with the parameters established by the outline permission and Policy COO1 which was a result of close working between the developer and Council Officers that had seen the proposals evolve significantly through the pre and post submission stages.  To that end, the proposals provided a mix of dwellings in broad compliance with the most up-to-date local housing needs; 40% affordable housing, the size, mix, tenure and clustering of which were in full compliance with the outline planning permission; 2.4 hectares of public open space that would serve both the development itself and the wider area; a biodiversity net gain in excess of 10%; a level of parking provision that fully accorded with the County Council’s guidance including a minimum of two spaces per dwelling for two bed properties and 17 visitor spaces; and a landmark feature adjacent to the A4019, the form and design of which would be agreed by the Council prior to commissioning and installation.  Members who had passed the site recently may have noticed activity taking place and may be aware of queries from local residents as to whether development had commenced ahead of reserved matters being approved and the applicant’s agent assured them that was not the case.  The activity taking place was the archaeological trenching required by the outline planning permission.  To enable the necessary machinery to enter the site, a temporary access had been constructed from the A4019, formal approval for which had been obtained from the County Council – there was no intention for that access to be made permanent.

7.44          The Chair indicated that the Officer recommendation was to approve the application and he sought a motion from the floor.  A Member questioned whether the speed limit would be restricted given there would be houses on both sides of the road as well as bus stops which meant that children would be crossing.  With regard to the work commencing with Junction 10 of the M5, he understood there was due to be some major reworking of the crossroads and he asked if that was correct.  The representative from County Highways explained that there was nothing in the application about speed limits being revised and he did not have an answer in relation to the works to the crossroads.  The Planning Officer advised that he had personally had discussions with the highways team that was looking at improvements to the junction and a planning application for that would be submitted in due course, which would include widening of the path along the south of the site, and the merits of the application would need to be considered at that time because it may be that would result in a loss of some of the open space which was a requirement of the Section 106 Agreement for the outline permission so some betterments may have to be considered at that point.  The Member indicated he still had genuine concerns regarding the speed limit as there had been several accidents on the road and he felt it was necessary to raise this with the County Council.  The Planning Officer explained that the main access point had been fixed in the outline permission and the reserved matters application had set out the internal road arrangements and the appearance, layout and scale.  Any amendments to the A38 would have been dealt with at the outline stage which had been determined by the Planning Inspectorate.

7.45          It was proposed and seconded that the application be approved in accordance with the Officer recommendation and, upon being put to the vote, it was

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