Agenda, decisions and minutes

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RESOLVED:  That the minutes of the meeting held on 18 November 2020 be approved as a correct record.

RESOLVED:  That the minutes of the meeting held on 18 November 2020 be approved as a correct record.

It was confirmed that application 27224/APP/2020/2978 (Agenda Item 7) had been withdrawn by the applicant prior to the meeting.

It was confirmed that application 27224/APP/2020/2978 (Agenda Item 7) had been withdrawn by the applicant prior to the meeting.

It was confirmed that items 1-6 would be considered in public, and item 8 would be considered in private.

It was confirmed that items 1-6 would be considered in public, and item 8 would be considered in private.

Change of use of land to store wood and agricultural products for biomass energy including installation of 3 storage bays, siting of a portable office block and a portable toilet block and addition of a fence and gate

Recommendations: Refusal

RESOLVED:  That the application be refused.

Officers introduced the report and highlighted the addendum, which confirmed that following publication, the applicant had submitted an amended application which removed the originally proposed office and toilet. The existing access was to be retained, and the site layout amended so that the proposed bays would be sited to the north of the existing building. In addition, the Planning Statement had been amended regarding traffic and trees, with a scheme in Enfield suggested as a similar scheme that had been approved. Opinions from the applicant’s agent regarding development within the Green Belt were also included.

Addressing these points, officers confirmed that, with regard to traffic, the Planning Statement stated that ‘the maximum amount of two-way vehicle trips possible per day would be 90’. However, no Transport Assessment had been submitted. The scheme in the London Borough of Enfield was not considered to be a similar proposal for various reasons, including that it was sited amongst existing farm buildings rather than being detached from them. No alternative site analysis had been submitted to support the agent’s contention that the proposed development was not possible anywhere else other than a Green Belt location.

Although the removal of the proposed office and toilet reduced the impact of the proposed development, the installation of 3 storage bays and the addition of a fence and gate would have an industrial appearance and still cause substantial harm to the visual amenity and openness of the Green Belt.

As it was considered that the Council’s concerns had not been fully addressed, the application was recommended for refusal for the reasons set out in the report (as amended in the addendum).

A written submission was read to the Committee on behalf of petitioners objecting to the application, key points of which included:

·         The application was harmful to the Green Belt and did not demonstrate ‘very special circumstances’ to set aside the presumption against such development, and was contrary to Hillingdon Policies DMEI 4 and DME 7.

·         It was proposed that the site would become a storage and distribution facility for the raw material biomass, not production. This storage use was very different to agricultural use.

·         The proposed use of the agricultural land would be visually intrusive.

·         The traffic generated by the site would have an adverse impact on local roads and road users. Traffic generation as a result of the proposal had  not been adequately considered.

·         The previous application for placing 36 shipping storage containers on the site, with significantly less suggested traffic movement, was refused for similar reasons to those suggested by petitioners for the current application.

A written submission was read to the Committee on behalf of the applicant, key points of which included:

·         Following publication of the officer’s report, the application had been amended to remove the issues regarding traffic and trees. This also removed the office and toilet block, which were not necessary for the development to function, and made the development less industrial.

·         The new site layout kept the existing access and opened  ...  view the full minutes text for item 108.

Single storey outbuilding to rear for use as a gym/games room

Recommendations: Refusal

The item was withdrawn prior to the meeting.

The item was withdrawn prior to the meeting.

RESOLVED:

1.     That the enforcement action, as recommended in the officer’s report, was agreed; and,

2.     That the Committee resolved to release their decision and the reasons for it outlined in the report, into the public domain, solely for the purposes of it issuing the formal beach of condition notice to the individual concerned.

This item is declared as exempt from publication as it involves the disclosure of information in accordance with Section 100(A) and paragraphs 1, 2 and 7 of Part 1 of Schedule 12 (A) to the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended), in that the report contains information relating to any individual, information likely to reveal the identity of an individual and information relating to any action taken or to be taken in connection with the prevention, investigation or prosecution of crime and that the public interest in withholding the information outweighs the public interest in disclosing it.

RESOLVED:

1.     That the enforcement action, as recommended in the officer’s report, was agreed; and,

2.     That the Committee resolved to release their decision and the reasons for it outlined in the report, into the public domain, solely for the purposes of it issuing the formal beach of condition notice to the individual concerned.

This item is declared as exempt from publication as it involves the disclosure of information in accordance with Section 100(A) and paragraphs 1, 2 and 7 of Part 1 of Schedule 12 (A) to the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended), in that the report contains information relating to any individual, information likely to reveal the identity of an individual and information relating to any action taken or to be taken in connection with the prevention, investigation or prosecution of crime and that the public interest in withholding the information outweighs the public interest in disclosing it.