Agenda and minutes

Planning and Regulatory Committee - Wednesday, 26 June 2024 10.30 am

Venue: Council Chamber, Woodhatch Place, 11 Cockshot Hill, Reigate, Surrey, RH2 8EF

Contact: Sarah Quinn  Email: sarah.quinn@surreycc.gov.uk

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28/24

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE AND SUBSTITUTIONS

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    To receive any apologies for absence and notices of substitutions under Standing Order 41.

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    Minutes:

    Apologies for absence were received from John Robini.

     

29/24

MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING pdf icon PDF 139 KB

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    To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 29 May 2024.

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    The Minutes were approved as an accurate record of the previous meeting.

30/24

PETITIONS

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    To receive any petitions from members of the public in accordance with Standing Order 84 (please see note 5 below).

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    There were none.

31/24

PUBLIC QUESTION TIME

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    To answer any questions received from local government electors within Surrey in accordance with Standing Order 85 (please see note 6 below).

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    Minutes:

    There were none.

32/24

MEMBERS' QUESTION TIME

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    To answer any questions received from Members of the Council in accordance with Standing Order 68.

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    There were none.

33/24

DECLARATIONS OF INTERESTS

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    All Members present are required to declare, at this point in the meeting or as soon as possible thereafter

    (i)            Any disclosable pecuniary interests and / or

    (ii)           Other interests arising under the Code of Conduct in respect of any item(s) of business being considered at this meeting

    NOTES:

    ·         Members are reminded that they must not participate in any item where they have a disclosable pecuniary interest

    ·         As well as an interest of the Member, this includes any interest, of which the Member is aware, that relates to the Member’s spouse or civil partner (or any person with whom the Member is living as a spouse or civil partner)

    ·         Members with a significant personal interest may participate in the discussion and vote on that matter unless that interest could be reasonably regarded as prejudicial.

     

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    There were none.

34/24

Minerals and Waste Application WA/2023/02564 - Land at Chiddingfold Storage Depot, Chiddingfold Road, Dunsfold, Surrey GU8 4PB pdf icon PDF 333 KB

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    Erection of two extensions to Building A to provide additional storage, office and amenity space (part retrospective).

     

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Officers:

    David Maxwell, Senior Planning Policy Officer

     

    Officer Introduction:

     

    1. The Senior Planning Policy Officer introduced the report and updated sheet and provided Members with a brief overview. Members noted that land at Chiddingfold Storage Depot was situated in countryside beyond the Green Belt approximately 2.9 kilometres (km) east of Chiddingfold and around 1.7km south-west of Dunsfold on the south-west side of Chiddingfold Road. The site area included part of the adjoining woodland with the remainder of the land being occupied by buildings or laid to hard standing. Members noted further details as outlined in the published report.

     

    Speakers:

     

    None.

     

    Key points raised during the discussion:

     

    1. A Member of the Committee thanked officers for considering the issues raised during Members’ visit to the site. The Member added that she believed the additional condition addressed the issue and provided reassurance that the road safety issues would be dealt with.
    2. The Committee noted that it was legitimate for an applicant to make a retrospective application within the planning system however it was noted that, if the retrospective planning application was not granted, then enforcement action was possible.
    3. The Chairman moved the recommendation which was unanimously agreed to approve.

     

    Actions / Further information to be provided:

     

    None.

     

    Resolved:

     

    It was agreed to permit application WA/2023/02564 subject to the conditions and informatives outlined in the report and update sheet.

     

35/24

Surrey County Council Proposal RU.23/0474 - Former Brockhurst Care Home, Brox Road, Ottershaw, Surrey KT16 0HQ pdf icon PDF 585 KB

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    Outline application for the erection of 3-4 storey building for extra care accommodation, comprising self-contained apartments, staff and communal facilities, and associated parking. Appearance and Landscaping reserved.

     

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

     

    Officers:

    Charlotte Parker, Development Management Team Leader

     

    Officer Introduction:

     

    1. The Senior Planning Policy Officer introduced the report and update sheet and provided Members with a brief overview. Members noted that the outline application for the erection of 3-4 storey building was for extra care accommodation, comprising self-contained apartments, staff and communal facilities, and associated parking.  Appearance and Landscaping reserved. Members further noted that Condition 4 had been amended to include reference that it was required prior to the commencement of the development. Members noted further details as outlined in the published report.

     

    Speakers:

     

    1. Julie Last spoke in objection to the application and made the following points:

     

    1. That she was the chair of the Ottershaw Neighbourhood Forum.
    2. That a facility of this kind was welcomed however local residents were concerned with the proposal.
    3. That the revised design completely removed one wing of the development to remove overshadowing and overlooking issues with adjacent residents. The speaker noted that the proposal had now changed from three to four storeys and the capacity was increased by 7 units to a total of 51 units.
    4. It was noted that local residents remained convinced that a building of these proportions in terms of scale, mass and its slab-sided flat roof design occupying the same plot position as the original outline proposal was significantly overbearing and out of character for the surrounding area.
    5. That residents could not see how any post outline design could remedy this and transform it into a structure of landmark value and that it was exacerbated through the loss of the mature trees which removed any masking from the tallest part of the structure.
    6. That these issues had been highlighted by many objectors.
    7. That the four storey elevation facing Slade Road, due to include balconies and fenestration, was only 20 metres away from the two storey frontages at numbers 4 to 10 and would cause a significant overlooking issue. It was further noted that there was no scope for screening as the façade was four metres from the site boundary.
    8. That a combination of a reduction of unit numbers, partial reinstatement of one to two floors of the removed wing, a reduction in the length of the Brox Road facade and better use of the basement areas, together with improved roof edge details to mask the flat roof façade and additional landscaping could all be considered in order to achieve a design which would better integrate the surrounding area.
    9. That at 25 spaces, parking capacity remained an issue, and was below the parking standard due to spaces to be used for staff. It was further noted that there was no on-street parking in the surrounding area

     

    In regard to the Ottershaw Local Plan, a Member asked the speaker whether it included details related to restrictions to the heights of properties in the area. The speaker stated that the Local Plan was in its consultation stage and that the Ottershaw Neighbourhood Forum had submitted comments on potential restrictions to property height. The speaker further  ...  view the full minutes text for item 35/24

36/24

Surrey County Council Proposal EP23/00633/CMA - Land at the former Auriol Junior School playing field and land at 2nd Cuddington (Rowe Hall), off Salisbury Road, Worcester Park, KT4 7DD. pdf icon PDF 825 KB

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    Outline application for the erection of a part 1 and part 3 storey building for Extra Care Accommodation, comprising self-contained apartments, staff and communal facilities, and associated car parking (Class C2); the reprovision of a revised Scouts Hut curtilage including a new amenity area (Class F2); and a new access from Salisbury Road. Appearance and landscaping reserved (amended plans).

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Officers:

    Dawn Horton-Baker, Development Management Team Leader

     

    Officer Introduction:

     

    The Senior Planning Policy Officer introduced the report and updated sheet and provided Members with a brief overview. It was noted that the application was for the outline application for the erection of a part 1 and part 3 storey building for Extra Care Accommodation, comprising self-contained apartments, staff and communal facilities, and associated car parking (Class C2); the reprovision of a revised Scouts Hut curtilage including a new amenity area (Class F2); and a new access from Salisbury Road. Appearance and landscaping reserved (amended plans). Members noted further details as outlined in the published report.

     

    Speakers:

     

    1. On behalf of the applicant / Agent, Chris Wilmshurst made the following points:

     

    1. That the site, being 1.54 hectares, was one of the largest selected as suitable for accommodating extra care housing and would deliver up to 93 units and is the first scheme in the Epsom and Ewell borough.
    2. That it comprised of a former school playing field and the grounds of the Second Cuddington Scout.
    3. Detailed discussion had been had with the Scout Group in regard to the scout land. The land was reorganised to facilitate the development and the Scout Group supported the proposal and consider the changes would improve opportunities for the use of the land.
    4. That the former school playing field had not been used for over 15 years and had become overgrown.
    5. That pre-application discussions had taken place with Sport England and, due to the loss of the playing field, the council had reached an agreement to offset the loss with a financial contribution of over £100,000 to fund local sporting facilities.
    6. That the proposal would offset 93 homes against Surrey’s target to deliver 725 homes for adults in need of care and support.

     

    1. The Local Member, Eber Kington, made the following points:

     

    1. That he welcomed the proposal as a contribution to the development of a modern adult social care for residents.
    2. That the site was predominantly a residential area, comprising of a mix of bungalows, two storey houses and some three storey houses and apartment blocks.
    3. That he was pleased that the four-storey block had been removed from the proposal.
    4. That the concept of extra care housing among residential homes would develop a residential and social mix which will enhance the community and provide much-needed housing units.
    5. That the application site is lined with trees which will provide privacy for the surrounding properties and residents of the development. The Local Member added that he was pleased with the limited tree loss.
    6. Noted that the development would result in a loss of 42.61 habitat units and would not provide a biodiversity net-gain. The Local Member added that he appreciated that offsite provisions had been proposed to offset this however the land identified was not in the local area. The Local Member asked the committee to investigate whether local land was available.
    7. In regard to paragraph 85 of the report and condition 22, which references the Worcester Park area,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 36/24

37/24

REVIEW OF THE CHANGES TO THE CODE OF BEST PRACTICE PLANNING AND STANDING ORDERS pdf icon PDF 118 KB

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    The Planning Advisory Service undertook a review of the Planning and Regulatory Committee (P&R) in 2023. The recommendations of the review were reported to the July meeting, with the recommended changes to the Code of Best Practice Planning and Part 4 of the Standing Orders considered by this committee on 27 September 2023. These were then approved by the Council on 10 October 2023 and have been implemented for subsequent P&R meetings. It was agreed that the P&R committee would review the operation of the changes after six months to see how they worked.

     

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Officers:

    Caroline Smith, Planning Group Manager

     

    Key points raised during the discussion:

     

    1. Officers introduced the report and explained that the Planning Advisory Service undertook a review of the Planning and Regulatory Committee (P&R) in 2023. The recommendations of the review were reported to the July meeting, with the recommended changes to the Code of Best Practice Planning and Part 4 of the Standing Orders considered by this committee on 27 September 2023. These were then approved by the Council on 10 October 2023 and have been implemented for subsequent P&R meetings. It was agreed that the P&R committee would review the operation of the changes after six months to see how they worked. Officers stated that observations had shown that the committee had run better overall and that feedback from officers, Members and applicants was overwhelmingly positive.
    2. Officers proposed that the running order of speakers was unchanged but that the number of public speakers was increased to four as outlined in the report. This is a maximum of four speakers for a proposal, and four against.
    3. Officers proposed that the speaking time for Local Members was increased from three minutes to five minutes as outlined in the report.
    4. It was noted that the recommended was to retain the changes to the Code of Best Practice Planning and the Standing Orders as adopted by Council on 10 October 2023 but with amendments to the number of public speakers and the time allotted for the local member, and to ask Council to formerly amend these elements at the meeting on 9 July 2024.

     

    Actions / Further information to be provided:

     

    None.

     

    Resolved:

     

    The Committee agreed to retain the changes to the Code of Best Practice Planning and the Standing Orders as adopted by Council on 10 October 2023 but with amendments to the number of public speakers and the time allotted for the local member, and to ask Council to formerly amend these elements at the meeting on 9 July 2024.

     

38/24

CONSTITUTION REVIEW - PLANNING ENFORCEMENT AND DELEGATED AUTHORITY pdf icon PDF 483 KB

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    This report sets out proposed changes to the Constitution to give further delegated authority to relevant managers within the Planning Group in relation to Enforcement matters and to increase resilience in the delegated sign off process for planning applications. It is also proposed to remove some redundant elements in the existing Constitution.

     

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Officers:

    Sian Saadeh, Planning Development Manager

     

    Key points raised during the discussion:

     

    1. Officers introduced the report and set out the proposed changes to the Constitution to give further delegated authority to relevant managers within the Planning Group in relation to Enforcement matters and to increase resilience in the delegated sign off process for planning applications. It is also proposed to remove some redundant elements in the existing Constitution. Full details were provided within the published report.

     

    Actions / Further information to be provided:

     

    None.

     

    Resolved:

     

    The Committee noted the proposed changes and agreed that these are presented to full Council for agreement. 

     

39/24

DATE OF NEXT MEETING

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    The next meeting of the Planning & Regulatory Committee will be on 24 July 2024.

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    Minutes:

    The date of the next meeting was noted.