Venue: Council Chamber, Runnymede Civic Centre, Addlestone

Contact: Mr A Finch 

Items
No. Item

178.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 153 KB

To confirm and sign, as a correct record, the Minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 13 July 2022.

 

Minutes:

The Minutes of the meeting held on 13 July 2022 were confirmed and signed as a correct record.

179.

Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

There were no apologies for absence received.

180.

Declarations of Interest

Members are invited to declare any disclosable pecuniary interests or other registrable and non-registrable interests in items on the agenda.

 

Minutes:

Councillor C Howorth declared a non-registerable interest in item 5a) RU.21/1634, 2 and 2A Guildford Road, owing to a close association with the owner of the development.  Councillor Howorth left the room for this item.

 

Councillor S Saise Marshall (non-voting member attending the meeting) declared a non-registerable interest in RU 22/0553, owing to a close association with the objector to the development.  Councillor Saise-Marshall remained in the room for this item.

 

181.

Planning Applications pdf icon PDF 2 MB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The planning applications listed below were considered by the Committee.  All representations received on the applications were reported and copies had been made available for inspection by Members before the meeting.  The Addendum had also been published on the Council’s website on the day of the meeting.  An Objector and applicant’s agent addressed the Committee on the applications specified.

 

            RESOLVED that –

 

            the following applications be determined as indicated:-

 

           

APP NO

LOCATION, PROPOSAL AND DECISION

RU.21/1634

2 & 2a Guildford Road, Chertsey

Outline application for the erection of a 4 to 5 storey building comprising 54 one and 2 bed apartments following demolition of existing vacant office building and residential home (Matters reserved: Landscaping)

 

This application had been deferred from the last meeting to allow Officers to obtain further information including verified views of the proposal and to negotiate with the developer as requested by the Committee to seek amendment of the plans to reduce the bulk, scale and mass of the proposals and to amend the location of the proposed play area.

 

Officers outlined the changes to the application and examined the verified views provided by the developer.  From the previously considered plan, the building footprint had been set back a further metre from the Guildford Road frontage and placed  slightly more to the north of the site. The Mansard roof had also been set back by circa 2m. The play area had been moved to a central location in the development and additional landscaping was proposed, accommodated by the new position.  It was intended that 100% of the units would be affordable housing.

 

The Committee debated the merits of the amended application, some Members considered that the developer had responded to their concerns whilst other Members remained unsatisfied with the proposals and felt that by virtue of the scale, mass, design and size of the proposal it was still out of keeping with the area.  A majority of Members also considered the proposal would have a detrimental impact with regards overbearing and proximity to neighbouring properties to the rear of the site.

 

Members generally accepted the need for affordable housing in the borough but the majority considered this development to be unacceptable in its current design and footprint.

 

A motion to grant permission was moved and seconded and a recorded vote was taken and the voting was as follows:

 

For: 5 (Councillors Balkan, Broadhead, Davies, Mullens and Wilson)

Against: 9 (Councillors Berardi, Bromley, Burton, Cunningham, Gill, Mann, Nuti, Snow and Willingale)

 

The motion was lost.

 

Following defeat of the motion to grant permission, a Motion to refuse planning permission was moved and seconded, based on the reasons set out above, and it was

 

Resolved that

 

The CHDMBC be authorised to refuse planning permission on the grounds that:

 

1)         The scale, mass, size and design of the proposed development is not in keeping with the character of the street scene and location; and

 

2)         The adverse impact with regards overbearing and proximity to residential properties in Highcross Place, particularly the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 181.

182.

Review of the Runnymede 2030 Local Plan pdf icon PDF 101 KB

Minutes:

 

The Committee was asked to note progress on preparation of the Runnymede 2030 Local Plan and the reasons for pausing commencement of the Issues and Options Consultation.

 

Members recalled that the Runnymede 2030 Local Plan (2015-2030) was adopted in July 2020.  The Council was required to commence a review of the Plan in 2021 to ensure it met the requirements of the NPPF to complete a review of the Plan within 5 years of its adoption and to plan for a 15 year period from the data of its adoption.

 

Officers advised that in February 2022, the Government had published its Levelling Up the UK White paper.  If introduced there were a number of potential impacts on the development of the Council’s review of the Local Plan.  For example the intention to target the delivery of new homes on brownfield sites outside London and the South East.  In May 2022 the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill was published.  This indicated significant changes to the Planning system and created uncertainty for a number of local authorities with regard to the direction of planning and housing policy in light of the change of Prime Minister whose stance thereon was as yet unknown. 

 

Officers therefore considered it prudent to pause the commencement of the Issues and Options consultation in Runnymede until such time as it became clear what the Government’s Levelling Up agenda was and the implications for Runnymede’s Local Plan and the development of the spatial strategy.

 

Subject to approval of suspending the consultation Officers planned to continue work in two other areas of the Local Plan.  Firstly, conducting a site specific assessment of land introduced to the Authority by third parties after the 2030 Local Plan was produced.  This was the final piece of evidence in determining whether there were any additional small sites that could be released from the Green Belt.  Secondly, Officers sought to produce a strategic Green Belt Review which would examine how the Green Belt was performing in Runnymede at appropriate large-scale geographies.  This would assist with meeting Counsel’s advice to complete this work prior to the Issues and Options consultation and recommendations made by the Inspector of the Local Plan.  In addition pausing the consultation would allow Officers to continue work on the production of a Blue and Green Infrastructure Strategy for the Council.

 

Members noted that an amended Local Development Scheme would need to be produced and approved by the Committee and Full Council in due course.

 

The policy Framework and Legal implications were noted and that an Equalities Impact Assessment would be required for the next iteration of the Local Plan.

 

The Committee was fully supportive of this approach and agreed that pausing the consultation on Issues and Options was sensible until it was fully understood what direction the levelling Up agenda was taking and the implications this had for any consequential planning reforms.

 

Officers would submit a further report to the Planning Committee in the latter part of 2022/early 2023 with an amended  ...  view the full minutes text for item 182.