Agenda and minutes

To receive written submissions from any person who wishes to address the Committee.  The Chairman will select the order of the matters to be received.

Please ensure that any submissions meet the required time limits and can be read out in five minutes for public participation on non-planning matters (up to a maximum of 30 minutes) and three minutes for applicant/supporter statements and three minutes for objector statements on a planning application (up to a maximum of 30 minutes). Members of the public are advised that 400 words at normal speaking speed equate to a three minute statement.

If there is more than one person submitting a statement objecting to an application, the Chairman will invite those persons to agree on a combined statement.  In default of agreement the Chairman may select one statement to be read out.

Requests and full statements must be submitted in writing to the Assistant Director Governance and Monitoring Officer, or to the officer mentioned at the top of this agenda letter, by noon on the day before the meeting and the request must detail the subject matter of the address.

There were no applications to speak during public participation.

A Member must declare any disclosable pecuniary interest where it relates to any matter being considered at the meeting. A declaration of a disclosable pecuniary interest should indicate the interest and the agenda item to which it relates. A Member is not permitted to participate in this agenda item by law and should immediately leave the meeting before the start of any debate.

If the Member leaves the meeting in respect of a declaration, he or she should ensure that the Chairman is aware of this before he or she leaves to enable their exit from the meeting to be recorded in the minutes in accordance with Standing Order 37.

None.

21 July 2021, to approve as a correct record (attached)

Resolved: that the minutes of the meeting be approved as a correct record.

The Chairman noted that the recommendation of the Planning Peer Review Working Group to reduce the membership of the committee to 13 with politically balanced substitutes had been implemented.

He added that the four independent group members would be himself and Councillors Hogg, Snaden and Solomon.  He welcomed new members of the committee.

Section 2 report of the Director of Place Directorate (attached)

The Director of the Place Directorate’s representative presented the report on the application to members and noted that there were five reasons behind the officer’s recommendation for refusal.  He added that should members be minded to approve the application, that Annex 2 of the officer’s report highlighted matters to be resolved before planning permission was granted and a schedule of suggested conditions should permission be granted.

Resolved: that the application be APPROVED contrary to the officer’s recommendation.

Members considered that there were very special circumstances and benefits for allowing this particular community building in the Green Belt and because of the lack of alternative sites and its location. The application was unanimously approved in accordance with details in the Annex 2 of the officer’s report to the committee namely section A - matters to be resolved before the planning permission could be granted including a S106 Agreement and section B - the conditions to be applied subject to the matters in section A being resolved satisfactorily.

Members thanked officers for the work on the outstanding issues and conditions.

Section 3 report of the Director of Place Directorate (attached)

The Director of Place Directorate’s representative reported on appeal decisions and appeals that had been lodged since the date of the last meeting.  He noted that enforcement officers had three public inquiries in addition to their usual workload before the end of the year.