Address:       Land to the west of Everton Road, Everton Road, Potton

SG19 2PD

Outline: A residential development with all matters reserved except access following the demolition of a detached bungalow (87 Everton Road), involving the erection of up to 30 dwellings including an access road, landscaping and associated ancillary works.

Applicant:     Blakeney Estates Ltd

The Committee had before it a report regarding Planning Application No. CB/18/01424/OUT, an outline planning application for a residential development with all matters reserved except access following the demolition of a detached bungalow (87 Everton Road), involving the erection of up to 30 dwellings including an access road, landscaping and associated ancillary works on land to the west of Everton Road, Everton Road, Potton, SG19 2PD.

In advance of consideration of the application the Committee’s attention was drawn to additional consultation/publicity responses, additional comments and an additional condition as set out in the Late Sheet.  

In advance of consideration of the application the Committee received representations from Ms Tina Arnold-Winch, an objector, and Mr Richard Murdock, the agent for the applicant, under the public participation scheme.

In response to a Member’s query, the agent stated that discussions had taken place with a landowner regarding a possible alternative access to the site but no agreement had been reached.

A ward Member urged the Committee to refuse the application and referred to the following matters in support:

·         The stage of preparation of the emerging Local Plan which he felt was fairly advanced.

·         The extent to which there were unresolved objections to relevant policies.

·         With regard to the Council’s 5 year land supply the Council had, at 1 July, a 5.82 year land supply.

·         That the application site was outside the settlement envelope, would cause significant harm to the character and appearance of the area and was therefore contrary to a number of Council policies including Policy DM4.

·         Approving an application on the outside edge of the development envelope would lead to further applications and creeping growth.

·         The developer’s reference to successful appeal decisions against the Council and how, in that context, the attempted application of Policy DM4 in the open countryside had been found to be ‘overly restrictive’.  The Member responded by referring to the outcome of two recent appeals in the Council’s favour which had included the role of settlement envelopes, the possible detrimental impact of the loss of undesignated land and the resulting conflict with adopted policies, including Policy DM4.

·         An ecological survey had not been possible as the site had already been cleared.  The Member stated that the land should be allowed to return to its natural state before a decision was made.

·         The site was unwanted in the Local Plan despite being submitted under the call for sites.  It was not taken forward because it was not considered suitable for development.

·         The application represented overdevelopment.  There were 830 dwellings (including those in the application before Members) under construction, approved, applied for or proposed which equated to a 40% increase in the size of the town.  That number was already beyond the identified figure of up to 500 new dwellings

in the Council’s 2011 settlement study.

·        Developers were struggling to sell the new homes already built in      Potton.

·         There would only be a single lane serving 30 homes and major parking issues already existed in the area, especially with  ...  view the full minutes text for item 67