Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Nicola Clark and Gina Seaton.

In accordance with the Council's current Code of Conduct (as amended 26 February 2015), which includes all the provisions relating to Disclosable Pecuniary Interests (DPI), personal and prejudicial interests, Members are asked to declare any DPI and also any personal interests (and whether or not such personal interests are also "prejudicial") in relation to any matter on the Agenda for this meeting. 

Members are reminded that they need to declare the fact that they are also a member of a County, Town or Parish Council as a Personal Interest.  Where you are also a member of Somerset County Council and/or a Town or Parish Council within South Somerset you must declare a prejudicial interest in any business on the agenda where there is a financial benefit or gain or advantage to Somerset County Council and/or a Town or Parish Council which would be at the cost or to the financial disadvantage of South Somerset District Council. 

Planning Applications Referred to the District Council’s Regulation Committee

The following members of this Committee are also members of the Council's Regulation Committee:

Councillors Peter Gubbins, Tony Lock, David Recardo and Andy Soughton.

Where planning applications are referred by this Committee to the Regulation Committee for determination, Members of the Regulation Committee can participate and vote on these items at the Area Committee and at Regulation Committee. In these cases the Council's decision-making process is not complete until the application is determined by the Regulation Committee.  Members of the Regulation Committee retain an open mind and will not finalise their position until the Regulation Committee.  They will also consider the matter at Regulation Committee as Members of that Committee and not as representatives of the Area Committee.

Councillors Karl Gill, Kaysar Hussain, Mike Lock, Pauline Lock, David Recardo, Wes Read and Andy Soughton declared a personal interest in Agenda item 4: Planning Applications 14/02554/OUT and 15/03942/FUL - Land at Upper Mudford, Primrose Lane, Yeovil, Somerset as members of Yeovil Town Council.

Councillors Pauline Lock and Mike Lock also wished to declare that although they knew the applicant they had no financial connections and that it would have no influence on the determination of planning applications 14/02554/OUT and 15/03942/FUL and they would consider these applications with an open mind.

Councillor Tony Lock declared a personal interest in Agenda item 4: Planning Applications 14/02554/OUT and 15/03942/FUL - Land at Upper Mudford, Primrose Lane, Yeovil, Somerset as the County Council Ward member.

There were no questions from members of the public.

There were no chairman’s announcements.

14/02554/OUT: Outline planning application for up to 765 dwellings (C3); 65 bed Care Home; 2.02ha of employment land (B1); Community Building; Neighbourhood Centre comprising up to 1000m2 retail, (A1, A2,A3, A5) and a Health Centre (D1); new means of access to A359 and to Lyde Road; Master Plan layout, (roads; landscaping; drainage) and associated off site works.

15/03942/FUL: Engineering works to create two attenuation basins and a landscape buffer to support application 14/02554/OUT

The Senior Planning Adviser introduced officers from Development Management, Environmental Health, Legal Services, SCC Highway Authority and Public Health England.  He emphasised that there were two planning applications to be determined with two officer recommendations.  He explained the site in detail, covering:-

·         The site visit made by Members the previous week.

·         The site was allocated for development in the Local Plan. That this allocation had been supported by an SSDC Peripheral Landscape Study about where major housing developments should be located in and around Yeovil. And that this location had been supported by Local Plan Inspectors.

·         The landscape buffers, open space and viewing corridors proposed throughout the site, including the retention of hedgerows and trees.

·         The existing bus and strong walking and cycling links to the railway station and the town centre from the site – which made the location a sustainable one from more homes.

·         All tests at the site for anthrax contamination had all been negative. Assessment by Public Health England and SSDC Public Health was that the site was safe for development with appropriate planning conditions

·         Historic England had expressed concern about the view from surrounding conservation areas and a Grade 1 listed buildings in Trent. These views had been visited by the 3 Committee site visit, so councillors were in a position to take an opinion. The officer report analyses in detail these views and concerns and on balance can see no unacceptable harm to either views or the open landscape. The design of the scheme would as landscape matures integrate the development into this northern hill, which in anycase retained 40% open space.

·         There would be some landscape impact at the ridge of the hill but only similar to what exists at present marking the general boundary between the Yeovil settlement and the northern countryside and that this was not considered significant.

The officer also explained the significant number of concerns and objections to the scheme and these were presented in summarised form with reasons why each were not significant enough to warrant refusal. The key headings were:

·         Drainage and Flooding

·         Wildlife

·         Landscape

·         Highways and Transport

·         Housing, Employment and New Neighbourhood

·         S106 – Community Benefit/Impact

·         Contamination and Anthrax

The officer also explained the ways in which the scheme had been adjusted to cater for some objections.

He said that since writing his report, further letters of objection from residents in Primrose Lane, Mudford, Mudford PC and local MP’s and one in support had been received and all had been replied to. 

He concluded that after considering all of the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 123.