Issue - meetings

            That planning permission be granted subject to conditions detailed in the report of the Chief Officer (Planning and Environment) and subject to the applicant entering either into a Section 106 agreement, providing a unilateral undertaking or the making of an advance payment which provided for the following:-

1.    Ensure the payment of a commuted sum equivalent to £1100 per dwelling in lieu of on site play and recreation provisions.  Such sum to be paid to be used as a contribution towards the upgrade of play facilities at the existing children play area at Llys Pont y Garreg, Mold.  Such sum to be paid upon occupation of 50% of the approved dwellings. 

2.                  Ensure the payment of a commuted sum of £24,514 as a contribution to the provision of additional external areas for the teaching of physical education as part of the national curriculum at Glanrafon C.P. School.  Such sum to be payable before the commencement of development.                             

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 23^rd May 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 he explained that the site was in a flood risk area and the applicant had submitted a Flood Consequences Assessment which had been considered; no objections had been raised.  There was an error in paragraph 7.07 and the officer explained that the words ‘not only for vehicles emerging from the site’ should be replaced with ‘not only for vehicles entering the site’.  When considering the design and amenity of the site, the design and access statement provided indications of the parameters of scale of the proposed dwellings but all detailed design issues, except access, were reserved for future approval.  The officer provided details of the Section 106 obligations attached to an approval of the application and the compliance with Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) regulations was reported.  The main issues were access and highways impact.  The Senior Engineer – Highways Development Control confirmed that there were no objections from Highways, subject to conditions.  She added that Conway Street was part of the adopted highway and the layout of the road was adequate for simultaneous passing of two vehicles.  It had been noted on the site visit that there was parking by residents of the terraced properties on the opposite side of Conway Street.  A question had also been asked about the number of buses to the school that accessed the street and the Senior Engineer confirmed that this was nine in total.  The site was not dissimilar to any other site in close proximity to a school in that there were peak times in the morning and afternoon but generally the area was quiet outside of these times. 

                        Councillor Carolyn Thomas declared that she was Chair of the Buildings Committee and a School Governor at Ysgol Maes Garmon.  She said that many of the Governors would be pleased that the site was to be developed but strongly opposed this application on access and highway safety grounds.  Conway Street was narrow and the traffic could only move in one direction because of parked vehicles and there were no pull-ins or turning points.  She said that school buses often had to mount the pavement to make the turn from Wrexham Road into Conway Street because of the narrow junction.  There was no traffic or pedestrian management system in place and Councillor Thomas raised concern for the safety of the students who walked along Conway Street to access the school or the sports centre.  She spoke of the eight coaches, taxis and a minibus that accessed the area in the afternoon to collect pupils from the school and she commented on the staff cars that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8