Agenda, decisions and minutes

In line with the Planning Code of Practice:-

                        Councillors Derek Butler and Christine Jones declared that they had been contacted on more than three occasions on the following application:-

Agenda item 4.1 – Outline application – Employment led mixed use development incorporating logistics and technology park (B1, B2, B8) with residential (C3), local retail centre (A1), hotel (C1) training and skills centre (C2, D1), new parkland, conversion of buildings, demolition of barns and associated infrastructure, comprising construction of accesses, roads, footpaths/cycle paths, earthworks and flood mitigation/drainage works at Welsh Road, Garden City (050125)

The Chairman allowed Members an opportunity to read the late observations which had been circulated at the meeting.

            That planning permission be granted subject to the conditions detailed in the report of the Head of Planning with the amendments to conditions 6 and 45 as suggested by the Head of Planning and conditions 22 and 27 as reported in the late observations.  

The Committee had resolved at its meeting on 15 May 2013 that a special meeting of the Committee should be convened to determine the above application.  The Committee considered the report of the Head of Planning in respect of the application which had been the subject of a site visit earlier that day.  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 the outline application for employment led mixed use development was part of the Northern Gateway site for a major mixed use 170 hectare site allocated in theadopted Flintshire Unitary Development Plan (UDP) under policy HSG2A.  The application site formed part of the larger 200 hectare Deeside Enterprise Zone (EZ), designated by the Welsh Government in September 2011 and was part of the major strategic site at Deeside.  The EZ had been designated to bring forward investment and new jobs, particularly in the manufacturing sector.  The officer provided details of the site’s location and explained that to the north was the former RAF Sealand ‘south camp’ which formed the other half of the UDP allocation and which was in separate ownership.  The 70 hectare site was the former Corus Garden City site and comprised agricultural land and buildings namely Sealand Bank Farm and brownfield land with the listed John Summers complex of buildings and formal gardens which were previously occupied by Tata Steel.  Sealand Bank Farm was accessed off Farm Road and the Tata Steel complex had an existing access off Welsh Road, which was currently used for emergency access only.  Public Rights of Way 1 and 3 crossed the site along with a number of watercourses and ditches which were detailed in the report. 

The landowners of the northern parcel of the allocation, Praxis, had an outline permission to develop their part of the site which had been approved by Committee on 18 April 2012 and an application to discharge condition 6 of their permission was approved by Committee on 6 November 2013.  The application proposed 43 hectares of B1, B2 and B8 employment uses in the north west of the application site and the focal point for the B1 uses was the reuse of the Listed Buildings to create a campus style development.  Light industrial uses B1 would act as a buffer between the listed buildings and B8 uses and within this area it was proposed that a hotel and skills & training centre would be sited.  Adjacent to this area was to be a Regional Industrial and LogisticsPark to build upon the success of Deeside Industrial Park. 

The proposed residential development of up to 600 dwellings was to be located immediately to the west of the existing settlement of Garden City including approximately 70 dwellings being accessed from Farm Road.  It was proposed that 21 hectares of parkland comprising formal and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 171.

                        There were 4 members of the public and 2 members of the press in attendance.