Planning & Development Committee – 9th November 2021

Minutes of the Planning and Development Committee Extraordinary Meeting

Meeting held on Tues 9th November 2021 at 7.30pm in the John Lampon Hall

Planning Committee Members:

Bob Tyrrell (Chairman), Brian Butcher (Vice chairman), Andrew Savage, Norma Smith

Also in attendance:

Laura Walkingshaw (Parish Clerk), 0 members of the public

Agenda items:

1.   Apologies for absence:

Joel Fayers

2.   To use the Planning Committee’s delegated powers to respond to Colchester Borough Council’s Local Plan modifications:

Modifications to Colchester Borough Council’s Local Plan, Section 2 – Publication Draft June 2017, are currently available online for consultation (https://colchester.oc2.uk/document/25) . These modifications are considered necessary by the Planning Inspector for Section 2 of the Local Plan to be made sound. Following the recent NEEB appeal decision for the land adjacent to Armoury Road, it was decided by the Planning Committee of West Bergholt Parish Council that a modification to MM72, Colchester’s Policy SS15, would strengthen West Bergholt’s Neighbourhood Plan, working as a backstop against prospective development outside of the settlement boundary.

RESOLVED – The West Bergholt Parish Council Planning Committee approved the following amendment to be submitted:

Mod. Number

Policy / Para

Modifications proposed by the Inspector to be considered

MM72

Policy SS15: West Bergholt

Replace entire policy with the following:

The West Bergholt Neighbourhood Plan has been made and:

  1.  Identifies the settlement boundary for West Bergholt;
  2.  Identifies specific sites for housing allocations needed to deliver 120 dwellings
  3.  Sets out policies needed to support this housing delivery i.e. housing mix, type of housing and density for each site allocated for housing;
  4.  Identifies other allocations in the Parish, including employment and open space; and
  5.  identifies the infrastructure requirements to support new development.

Proposals for development outside of the settlement boundary will not be supported unless the Neighbourhood Plan or other Local Plan policy specifically allows for it.

11 development proposals in West Bergholt parish will be determined against and be required to comply with policies in the West Bergholt Neighbourhood Plan and any relevant Local Plan policies.

Reason: Following the recent NEEB appeal decision for the land adjacent to Armoury Road, it was decided by the Planning Committee of West Bergholt Parish Council that a modification to MM72, Colchester’s Policy SS15, would strengthen West Bergholt’s Neighbourhood Plan, working as a backstop against prospective development outside of the settlement boundary.

ACTION – Clerk to send to Sandra Scott at CBC to confirm the Council’s decision but also to ask if the accompanying “Reason” is still appropriate.[1]

3.   To use the Planning Committee’s delegated powers to respond to Hopkins Homes on land matters:

In regard to the Neighbourhood Plan development site on Colchester Road, Hopkins Homes have offered West Bergholt Parish Council the “open space land to the front of the site”. This was considered by the Environment Committee as a viable greensward, although questions were raised about the drainage proposals for the accompanying ditch. The Planning Committee was then asked to use their specialism and looked in more detail at the Landscape Strategy Plan, Planting Plan, Landscape Management Plan and Drainage Strategy, this latter drawing showed that the area at the front was not just a simple greensward and had no plans for the drainage ditch in an area, known for flooding issues, but in fact will contain three large highway soakaways.

RESOLVED – having considered the site in some detail it is the recommendation of the Planning Committee that the Parish Council should not take ownership of the “open space land to the front of the site”. The Parish Council should thank Hopkins Homes for their offer but decline it. It would now assume that this area will be included in the remit of the proposed management company, whose service charge will cover the annual maintenance costs.

ACTION – Clerk to email Simon Bryan at Hopkins Homes to inform him that a final decision will be sent to him after the PC meeting on 24th Nov 2021.

4.   Date of next meeting:

The next Planning Committee meeting will be held on Wed 17th November 2021 in the John Lampon Hall, Lexden Road, CO6 3BW.

The meeting closed at 8pm.

[1] Post meeting note, CBC-advised revisions to the Reason:

Reason: Following the recent NEEB appeal decision for the land adjacent to Armoury Road, it was decided by the Planning Committee of West Bergholt Parish Council that a modification to MM72, Colchester’s Policy SS15, would strengthen West Bergholt’s Neighbourhood Plan. It will also provide an approach consistent with other made Neighbourhood Plans in the existing Local Plan and provide greater clarity of the policy context for West Bergholt.

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