Agenda item

            That planning permission be granted subject to the conditions detailed in the report of the Chief Officer (Planning and Environment).

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 19 January 2015.  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 an indicative layout had been provided for the site.  He also highlighted the late observations where additional information from the Council’s Valuation and Estates office was reported. 

                        Councillor Chris Bithell proposed the recommendation for approval which was duly seconded.  He commented that the site would amount to 22 dwellings per hectare which was below the Council’s guidelines of 30 but added that the indicative layout had been designed based on the locality.  There had been some concern about the access to the site but Councillor Bithell felt that the previous uses would have resulted in higher vehicle movements than the proposed development.  Councillor Christine Jones concurred and said that the details of the application could be considered at the reserved matters stage. 

                        Councillor Derek Butler referred to the additional information provided in the late observations and raised concern that Housing colleagues had not been consulted on whether the site could be included in the SHARP programme. 

                        One of the Local Members, Councillor Alison Halford, felt that Hawarden had lost an asset and raised concern about the narrowness of the entrance and that a requirement for affordable housing had not been sought as part of the application.  She also felt that the Local Members should have been advised by officers that the property had been put up for sale. 

                        Councillor Mike Peers referred to the growth rate of 9.9% for Hawarden which was a Category B settlement and said that it was reported that the site was located in the settlement boundary.  He commented on Policy HSG8 on density and suggested that the policy had not been adhered to as the number of proposed dwellings on the site would be at a figure lower than the 30 dwellings per hectare reflected in the policy.  He felt that the Council should be setting an example and including 30 dwellings per hectare as a minimum.  Councillor Peers raised concern about the response from the Valuation and Estates office in the late observations and concurred that Housing colleagues should also have been consulted.  He felt that including affordable housing on the site would have resulted in lower vehicle movements than the previous uses.  He also highlighted paragraph 7.11 where the lower than guidelines density was reported. 

                        In response, the officer said that the number of units fell below the threshold for requiring affordable housing on the site.  He added that one issue considered by the Valuation and Estates office was the value of the site and as a result of land value, it had been determined that a development of affordable housing would result in an increase in the number of units on the site and therefore additional traffic movements.  He felt that this would have an impact on the character of the area and therefore the recommendation had been a balance between applying maximum density and retaining the character of the location. 

                        The Planning Strategy Manager commented on sites considered as part of the SHARP programme which included sites for 100% affordable housing and balancing viability with sites for market value.  He added that it was possible that the site could be considered as part of the programme in the future.  He explained that the policy on affordable housing clearly specified that the number of proposed dwellings on this site fell below the threshold for triggering the requirement for affordable housing.  He added that the density guidance did not indicate that 30% affordable housing on sites was the minimum requirement but that it must be appropriate and commensurate with the area.  In response to a question from Councillor Peers, the Planning Strategy Manager indicated that paragraph 7.11 had incorrectly stated that 30 dwellings per hectare was specified as a minimum density in Policy HSG8. 

In summing up, Councillor Bithell said that the density had to be based on what was appropriate for the location and that the threshold had not been reached to trigger a requirement for affordable housing.  He added that the road was unadopted so this restricted the number of properties that could be developed on the site.       

            RESOLVED:

            That planning permission be granted subject to the conditions detailed in the report of the Chief Officer (Planning and Environment).