Issue - meetings

            That planning permission be granted subject to

(i)         the conditions detailed in the report of the Head of Planning;

(ii)        the applicant entering into a Section 106 Obligation, Unilateral Undertaking or advance payment of £1,100 per dwelling in lieu of on site play provision;

(iii)       the imposition of a condition to replace the hedgerow behind the visibility splay;

(iv)       the removal of the permitted development rights for the whole site; and

(v)        the additional highways condition reported in the late observations sheet. 

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 5 November 2012.  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 explaining that all matters were reserved but that an indicative layout had been provided.  The issues on the previous application related to drainage and access.  For this application, the access had been moved down the road to a location outside of the settlement boundary; the officer advised that this was not a concern in planning policy terms.  On the issue of drainage and flooding, Welsh Water had no objections to the application but had requested that a Grampian-style condition be included to prevent occupation of the dwellings until after April 2014 to allow improvements to the capacity of the existing Sewerage Treatment Works to be undertaken. 

            Mrs. S. Naybour spoke against the application on behalf of Wylfa Hill Preservation Society.  She thanked Councillor R.C. Bithell for his interest and guidance on the application.  She referred to a ditch, which ran along the gardens of the neighbouring properties and the existing dwelling at Wylfa House, which provided an essential drain off area; she was concerned that if it were culverted, the situation of flooding would become worse.  Mrs. Naybour spoke of problems in the past with contamination by sewerage and remarked that drainage generally in Mynydd Isa was insufficient.  A paper had been sent to Members from Wylfa Hill Preservation Society to highlight their concerns and to show pictures of the problems which had been experienced.  She referred to page 5 of the document where it was noted that, if the application were approved, the Society would consider the Council to be liable for problems caused by sewerage.  She was relieved that Wylfa House was to be retained as part of this application but was sorry that it was to be divided.

In response, the Principal Solicitor said that the granting of planning permission for the development would not make Flintshire County Council liable for any problems caused by sewerage.  He advised Members to disregard the comment. 

            Councillor M. Jones from Argoed Community Council also spoke against the application.  She said that the areas of Argoed, Mynydd Isa and Bryn-y-Baal had always experienced problems with flooding and added that even though work had been undertaken in the area it had not been done to the necessary standard to prevent flooding in the future.  She said that the drainage system in the area could not cope with the current number of houses and she felt that it needed to be replaced and renewed. 

            Councillor H.J. McGuill, having declared her interest in the application as the applicant, spoke in support of the application.  She referred to paragraph 7.14 of the report and confirmed that only foul water discharges would  ...  view the full minutes text for item 90