Agenda item

            That planning permission be refused on the grounds of inappropriate scale of development and out of character leading to overlooking of adjacent properties to detriment of residential amenity. 

Prior to consideration of the application, the Chairman vacated the chair and the Vice-Chairman took the chair for the remainder of the meeting. 

The Committee considered the report of the Head of Planning in respect of this application which had been the subject of a site visit on 22 July 2013.  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 referred Members to the late observations.  She explained that the ground floor of the apartment block would be used for parking due to the risk of flooding in the area and a Flood Consequences Assessment had been submitted with the application.  There were two types of flooding in the area which had been assessed in detail.  It was reported that Natural Resources Wales had no objections to the development as proposed subject to the appropriate conditions if the Local Planning Authority were minded to approve an application and were satisfied that the justifications outlined in Section 6.02 of TAN 15 were met.  On the issue of the recent flooding due to the lack of capacity in the sewage network, the officer advised that Welsh Water had stated that works in the network in the vicinity of the site were scheduled to be resolved by 2014.  A Grampian style condition had been requested to be imposed to ensure that the properties were not occupied prior to that time.  It was reported that the side elevation was blank and was 12 metres from the habitable rooms of 3 and 5 Church View and that the separation distances were in accordance with the Council’s guidance note on Space Around Dwellings.  The officer added that the form of development was acceptable and therefore the recommendation was for approval with a Section 106 Obligation. 

                        Mrs. H. Dodd spoke against the application as she felt that the development was overbearing.  Most of the properties in the area were two storey but the proposed apartment blocks were three storey.  She expressed concern about the flooding in the area which had been acknowledged by Welsh Water and said that the new development would overload the system and no proof had been provided of the works to be undertaken.  Mrs. Dodd said that she was not against development on the site but she felt that a three storey building would be visually overbearing and the visually amenity would be compromised.  She felt that the development was out of character and contrary to the existing properties in the area.         

            The local Member, Councillor David Wisinger, proposed refusal of the application, against officer recommendation, which was duly seconded.  He said that the site was in a high risk flood area and expressed concern that Welsh Water had not provided details of the works that they intended to undertake.  He felt that allowing more properties in the area would increase the problems experienced by existing residents although he accepted that such a reason could not be sustained on appeal.  He commented on the proposed apartments being out of keeping with the area and said that they would overlook existing properties.  Councillor Wisinger felt that the application should be refused on the grounds of unacceptable height and overlooking existing residential properties. 

            Councillor Christine Jones concurred with the comments made and queried whether the works on the sewage network would be carried out by 2014 and raised concern about proposed condition 9.  She felt that the visual impact was unacceptable.  Councillor Alison Halford felt that no applications should be permitted in the area until the flooding in the area ceased.  Councillor Owen Thomas felt that it was an overdevelopment of the site and that the main issue was privacy for the existing residents as the windows of the proposed building overlooked the living quarters of the existing dwellings.  Councillor Chris Bithell felt that the application was premature as Welsh Water might not be able to deliver their programme of works to complete the necessary changes to the network by 31 March 2014.  Councillor Gareth Roberts said that the apartment block was proposed to be built on stilts due to the problems of flooding in the area.  He suggested an amendment to the wording in condition 3, which was duly seconded, that ‘no buildings on the application site shall be brought into beneficial use until completion of the works proposed by Welsh Water’. 

            In summing up, Councillor Wisinger said that Grampian style conditions had not always been applied in the past and he felt that the problem of flooding would not be solved in 2014.  The Democracy & Governance Manager sought clarification from Councillor Wisinger that he was proposing refusal of the application on the grounds of inappropriate scale of development and out of character leading to overlooking of adjacent properties to the detriment of residential amenity; Councillor Wisinger confirmed the reason.   

            On being put to the vote, the proposal to refuse the application, against officer recommendation, was CARRIED.         

            RESOLVED:

            That planning permission be refused on the grounds of inappropriate scale of development and out of character leading to overlooking of adjacent properties to detriment of residential amenity.