Agenda item

            That planning permission be granted subject to the conditions detailed in the report of the Head of Planning.

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 2^nd September 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 Development Manager detailed the background to the report and explained that the works which were the subject of this application included the creation of an earth mound, approximately 1m in height, and the installation of practice nets measuring 6m wide by 3m deep and 3m in height.  The area was already used as part of the golf club as a practice area and only the operational works of changing the site levels through the importation of material and the erection of practice nets was to be considered under this application.  Officers had prepared a plan which was displayed for the Committee which clarified the relationship of the various parts of the development and the impact on nearby dwellings including Hawthorn Cottage.  The Development Manager explained that mention had also been made of a gateway onto Station Lane but no additional use of this access was proposed in this application and its purpose appeared to be to allow access onto the area for maintenance vehicles. 

                        Mr. B. Ezra spoke against the application and raised concern about the comments in the report about the harm to the residential amenity of the occupants of Hawthorn Cottage.  He said that they had to put up with an increasing amount of bad language and players being within paces of their fence and unsupervised children creating noise, all of which Mr. Ezra found unacceptable.  He said that his property had been in place before the golf course and asked the Committee to consider the removal and re-siting of the bunker to reduce the permanent impact on the residential amenity for himself and his family.

                        Mr. R. Lydon, the greenkeeper at the Golf Club, spoke in support of the application.  He said that the area had previously been used as a putting green and the nets which were proposed in this application would be sited in the same place as those which were previously in place; the chipping green was also located in the same area as before.  He had spoken to Mr. Ezra about his concerns and had placed all of the elements that he could out of line from Hawthorn Cottage.  The golf club offered first class conditions and Mr. Lydon explained that in the past, members had left the golf club because of the lack of facilities.  The proposals in the application would enhance the facilities and would allow a part of the site which could not be used from October to April because of its poor condition and drainage to be brought into use.  Mr. Lydon said that the club had strict rules on conduct and said that he was unaware of the issue of bad language being used in the vicinity of Mr. Ezra’s property.  He added that Mr. Ezra had removed a hedge which opened up his property onto views of the golf course.      

            Councillor Richard Jones proposed the recommendation for approval which was duly seconded.  He said that the land had already been in use and queried why the application had been submitted to the Committee. 

            Councillor Gareth Roberts said that had the fairway been sited closer to the property then the balls flying into the gardens could be a problem but he could not see what extra dangers siting the bunker, greens and nets as shown in the proposal would cause.  Councillor Owen Thomas said that work had been carried out without consultation and said that the bunker was sited very close to Hawthorn Cottage.  He asked if a restriction could be put on the hours of use.  Councillor Ron Hampson said that the mound was very intrusive and suggested that it could have been sited elsewhere.  He said that the owner of Hawthorn Cottage had asked for negotiations to take place but his request had been ignored. 

            The Development Manager said that the proposal replaced a green which was already on the area and consisted of the creation of a mound and the installation of netting.  In planning terms, the proposal was not an over-intensification of the site and advised Members against using this as a reason to refuse the application.  The bunker was 15 metres from the garden and the impact that this would cause was not sufficient to warrant refusal.  He reminded Members that it was not for them to consider if the mound and the nets could be sited elsewhere within the golf club.   

            RESOLVED:

            That planning permission be granted subject to the conditions detailed in the report of the Head of Planning.