Issue - meetings

            That planning permission be granted subject to the conditions detailed in the report of the Chief Officer (Planning and Environment) and the additional condition requested in the late observations and subject to the Committee considering the wording for the amendment to condition 1 at the next meeting of the Committee. 

The Committee considered the report of the Chief Officer (Planning and Environment) in respect of this application which had been the subject of a site visit on 18 January 2016.  The usual consultations had been undertaken and the responses received detailed in the report.  Additional comments received since the preparation of the report were circulated at the meeting.

                        The officer detailed the background to the report and explained that the application was for a change of use to accommodate nine families on seven pitches on the site which was 0.5 hectares.  She spoke of the planning history which was detailed in the report and explained that it was a former coal yard but since 2007 had been occupied by a number of Gypsy families.  A planning application on the site was refused in 2008 and an enforcement notice was issued by the Council for unauthorised use but following an appeal on a subsequently submitted application, a temporary permission of five years was granted which was due to expire on 4 February 2016.  This application had been submitted to continue the use and to include one extra pitch.  The officer referred to a number of late observations and explained that she was proposing that a temporary permission for a further five years be granted for named families with the additional pitch being on the site for the former play area.  A key issue in determining this application was the Inspector’s previous conclusions which were reported in paragraphs 7.25 to 7.30 and included the impact on the rural character of the area and the impact on the listed building Glyn Abbot.  The Inspector also considered the impact on the landscape and the open countryside and it was reported that prior to the occupation of the site, there were no buildings on the site and the natural regeneration of the site meant that it had a greenfield appearance and blended in with the open countryside location.  The inspector also noted that, in consideration of his determination of the appeal that the development would have a harmful effect upon the rural character of the locality and it was considered that this harm still existed in terms of this current application.  The impact on the setting of the Listed Building was reported in paragraphs 7.38 to 7.46 and concluded that this application which included an increased number of caravans would only add to the harm the location of the site caused to the setting of the Listed Building. 

                        Concerns had been raised about the number of vehicles accessing the site but Highways had no objections to the proposed development in terms of the increase in the number of pitches or the number of site occupants.  On the issue of need, the officer explained that a Gypsy & Traveller Accommodation Assessment had been published in 2012 and endorsed by Council in 2013 but only covered the period to 2016.  This identified that the need arising for Flintshire was for an additional 43 pitches in the study period.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 111