Minutes – Planning and Conservation Committee – 30 March 2023
The agenda and papers for this meeting are available here: Planning and Conservation Committee – 30 March 2023 – agenda and papers
The minutes of this meeting are presented below.
You can also download a PDF copy of the minutes here: Minutes – Planning and Conservation Committee – 30 March 2023
PLANNING AND CONSERVATION COMMITTEE
Minutes
Date: 30 March 2023
Time: 2.00pm – 3.50pm
Location: The Council Chamber – The Council House • North Street • CHICHESTER • West Sussex • PO19 1LQ
PRESENT: Councillor Quail (Chairman), Councillor Gershater (Vice-Chairman), Councillor Corfield, Councillor Gaskin
EX-OFFICIO: The Deputy Mayor (Councillor Plowman) and Councillor Scicluna
ALSO IN ATTENDANCE:Town Clerk Designate, Planning Adviser, Member Services Support Officer, West Sussex County Councillor Simon Oakley, a member of the public
IN ATTENDANCE VIA ZOOM: Alan Lewis (Associate Director, PJA Traffic Consultants), a member of the public
141. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
RESOLVED to accept and approve apologies and reasons for absence from the meeting from the Mayor (Councillor Joy) and Councillor Apel.
142. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST BY MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE IN MATTERS ON THE AGENDA FOR THIS MEETING
Councillor Quail declared an interest as Chairman of Westgate Residents Association.
The Deputy Mayor declared an interest as Members of Chichester District Council.
143. MINUTES OF THE PLANNING AND CONSERVATION COMMITTEE MEETING HELD ON 2 MARCH 2023
RESOLVED that the minutes of the Planning and Conservation Committee meeting held on 2 March 2023, having been circulated, be approved and signed as a correct record.
144. APPLICATIONS FOR PLANNING PERMISSION
a) CC/22/02731/FUL
Case Officer: Vicki Baker
Southgate Pavilion Deanery Close Chichester West Sussex
Retrospective application for change of use from A5 (hot food takeaway) to Suis Generis (to sell alcohol for consumption on the premises and takeaway) and erection of 2 no. pergolas to north and south elevations of existing pavilion, with proposed green/living roof and partial canvas covering.
No objection in principle to the pergola frames and the proposed use, subject to appropriate control of operating hours by condition. However, concern is raised over the light colour canvas which is visible from some distance and impacts the character and appearance of the conservation area. The timbers should be treated to match the dark timbers of the main building; coverings should be fully clear vinyl or with dark coloured canvas to match the dark colour of the main building. No objection should these aspects of the application be suitably amended.
It is noted that although the noise mitigation plan states that no music will be played outdoors, a banner on the building’s railings states “Music festival here May 6th & 7th”. Could this be looked into by planning/enforcement/licensing as appropriate please.
b) CC/22/03202/FUL
Case Officer: Rebecca Perris
2 The Gardens College Lane Chichester West Sussex
Construction of building for student accommodation.
No objection in principle, however should the developer propose to use UPVC windows and doors, as well as rainwater goods, this would be inappropriate in this area which is covered by a relevant Article 4 direction. Consideration should also be given to the inclusion of a string course along the southern elevation extending around the front gable wall, to break up the expanse of brick and to reflect the surrounding character, in particular the building opposite the proposal site.
c) CC/23/00191/FUL
Case Officer: Sascha Haigh
41 Beech Avenue Chichester West Sussex PO19 3DS
Construction of 1 no. detached dwelling with associated car parking, landscaping and access
No objection in principle, however consideration should be given to the proposed materials. Clay tiles may be more suitable than the proposed slate, given the surrounding built context. Flint and vertical timber cladding are also not characteristic of the immediate area, where brick and white render are more commonly seen.
d) ENFORCEMENT
Land at apartment 27, 5-6 Southgate, Chichester, PO19 8GU
To note:
An Enforcement Notice, ref cc/157, has been served in respect of the unauthorised erection of a timber outbuilding on the roof.
The Notice requires the outbuilding and any associated materials to be removed within 3 months. The Notices becomes effective on 13th April 2023 unless an appeal is submitted before this date.
145. WEST SUSSEX COUNTY COUNCIL (WSCC) CONSULTATION ON PROPOSED SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT IMPROVEMENTS
a) A286 Oaklands Way Cycle Scheme
The Planning Adviser explained that at present WSCC were seeking feedback on where the proposed cycle lane/shared use path should start/end.
The Committee expressed concern that the scheme did not fit in to part of a wider overall city wide scheme and there was a risk that it could result in piecemeal, unconnected delivery of small stretches of route that were not fit for purpose.
The Chairman advised that the Local Transport Improvement Plan (LTIP) covered the wider strategy for the area and that the Oaklands Way scheme would form a part of the Plan.
In response to an invitation from the Chairman, West Sussex County Councillor Oakley advised that at this stage WSCC were seeking general feedback on the proposals in principle to help refine needs and requirements. He also advised that more detailed plans and designs would be drawn up at the detailed design stage.
He informed Members that the aim of this stretch of path was to connect the city to the university and to identify what the users of these routes would require as well as potential pitfalls and concerns that would need to be addressed.
The Committee expressed a number of concerns with the proposal and agreed that they needed to be looked at again.
Members agreed that most students would prefer to access Chichester via Oaklands Park and that this may be a more appropriate location for delivery of a cycle path to the university.
Members also agreed that ongoing dialogue with WSCC to discuss sustainable transport appeared to be non-existent at the moment, making it impossible to comment fully on the proposals as it was not possible to see how they fitted in to the overall scheme and strategy for sustainable transport in the city.
After a short further discussion, it was agreed that the Planning Adviser should forward the Committee’s comments and concerns to West Sussex County Council as part of the consultation.
b) A285 Chichester to Tangmere sustainable transport corridor
The Planning Adviser, using a visual presentation, informed Members that a draft route had been proposed to allow residents in new developments to the east to access the city via a cycle/pedestrian route.
Members were advised that the route would incorporate safe crossings of the A27, bringing people through Portfield Retail Park, along Church Road and parallel to the cemetery to St James Industrial Estate, down Bridge Road/St Pancras to the war memorial and on to Eastgate Square.
Members were further advised that traffic calming measures including “raised tables” had been proposed to slow traffic on the key access roads that were crossed by the corridor. Councillor Corfield commented on the link between vehicle movement and additional pollution related to the use of raised tables.
The Committee expressed concerns that the proposals would require mixed used of pathways for pedestrians and cyclists which were not known for mixing well on shared routes and Members agreed that there would need to be very clear prioritisation for pedestrians in the areas where there were interchanges between the two.
Members reiterated their concerns about the apparent lack of a strategic plan for the development of sustainable transport in the city and whether this route would deliver on those priorities and needs given the amount of money that would likely be spent on the scheme.
The Chairman invited West Sussex County Councillor Oakley to speak to this issue. He explained that the route fitted within the WSCC transport improvement plan. He further explained that the biggest issue being face was the constraint of the existing highway network and what would be deliverable within the existing infrastructure.
Councillor Oakley also explained that there needed to be a way of accommodating the influx of new housing and developments to the East of the City and providing car free alternatives to access the city.
Members were informed that the sections at Spitalfields Lane/St Pancras were very challenging due to the constraints of the road width and it was therefore felt that at these points it would be safer to guide cycles on to the road with traffic slowed as appropriate. They were also informed that the section along the east side of St James Industrial Estate and through to Portfield Retail Park could involve the potential redevelopment of the football club site. The aim being to deliver an improvement to the current situation working within the existing tight constraints.
In response to a question asking if there was any data on the amount of traffic that diverted through the city to avoid the A27, Councillor Oakley advised Members that there was currently no data, but that this would be a wider piece of work that needed to be completed by WSCC and Highways England to try and encourage traffic to stop using routes through the city centre.
The Committee also expressed concerns that the proposal would not do enough to encourage ‘fair weather’ cyclists to convert to cycle use year-round, as it would not be an attractive route in winter/inclement weather.
Councillor Gershater cited examples of schemes from other countries and pointed out that the proposals would need to have clear criteria attributed to them in order to determine the success and value for money of the schemes.
Councillor Scicluna left the meeting
146. WHITEHOUSE FARM AND THE SOUTHERN ACCESS ROUTE (SAR)
The Deputy Mayor advised that the Whitehouse Farm Phase 2 application had been delayed at Chichester District Council until at least July 2023 and possibly September.
He also advised that, as previously agreed, he had prepared a draft response to the proposals on behalf of the West of Chichester Group of residents and that he would forward this to the Committee Chairman to help form part of the City Council’s response to the application and for submission alongside the PJA Traffic Consultants report (version B) that had been presented at the Planning and Conservation Committee meeting held on 2 March 2023 (minute 132 refers).
147. 20MPH DEFAULT SPEED LIMIT WORKING GROUP
Councillor Corfield updated Members on the progress made to date with the formation of the 20MPH Default Speed Limit for Chichester Working Group.
She informed the Committee that a Zoom call had taken place with Mike Thomas, Mike Dare and Steve Douglas from WSCC Highways as well as Adrian Berendt from the 20’s Plenty charity and the City Council’s Planning adviser.
She also informed the Committee that the Working Group were now much clearer on the evidence they would need to collect and submit to support the application for the scheme.
Members were advised that the Working Group had been set up with the first meeting due to take place before the election.
Councillor Corfield agreed with Members about the need to integrate the Working Group discussions with the Chichester Neighbourhood Plan and Councillor Gershater expressed the opinion that these discussions should also form part of the Business Plan and requested that detailed modelling be undertaken to look at how this would impact the city and what it would mean across a range of metrics.
148. LOCAL PLAN UPDATE
The Deputy Mayor provided an update on the Local Plan.
He advised that the Regulation 19 consultation had now closed and that 1300 responses have been received. He further advised that many of the responses had not addressed the Regulation 19 questions regarding the legality and soundness of the Local Plan and so would not affect the progress of the Plan.
Councillor Gershater commented that it was important to ensure that the Neighbourhood Plan, Local Plan and City Council Business Plan were properly aligned for positive progress to be made.
The Deputy Mayor agreed that policies across all of the plans should align but that detail could be provided by the Neighbourhood Plan and via the Business Plan which would then deliver the Neighbourhood Plan priorities.
149. NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN UPDATE
In the absence of the Chairman of the Chichester Neighbourhood Plan Working Group, the Committee Chairman advised that the Working Group had submitted a response to the Local Plan consultation.
The Deputy Mayor expressed concern that the response had been submitted in the form that it had been given the advice on the requirements of the Regulation 19 consultation that had previously been given.
150. CITY CENTRE TASK FORCE UPDATE
The Deputy Mayor gave Members an update on the work of the Task Force to date.
He informed Members that he felt that the general principle had worked but that the response from groups across the city had been mixed with organisations such as the West Walls Residents Association, Rotary and British Lions being particularly active while other areas had struggled.
He also informed Members that Chichester BID had received positive feedback and that 20 new town maps, which also identified defibrillator points, were currently being installed.
The Deputy Mayor reported that many signs had been cleaned, that redundant ones had been removed and that WSCC would undertake cleaning of the larger road signs.
Members were advised that Chichester District Council Licensing/Enforcement were now looking to bring forward a scheme to remove the city centre A boards and replace them with sign post directories at the access points to the side streets, such as Crane Street, to help tidy up the street scene.
They were further advised that the Chairman of BID, Helen Marshall, had reported that many of the retailers and other businesses were working to tidy up their shopfronts.
The Deputy Mayor reported that action was expected shortly on the Waitrose underpass to tidy it up.
In response to a question from Councillor Gaskin about improving the empty shop fronts (e.g. window vinyls). The Deputy Mayor advised this had been discussed, but that there were often problems getting landlords to engage in this.
Councillor Gershater congratulated the Deputy Mayor and the Task Force for their work to renew the city and expressed the hope that this could be built on in the future.
The Deputy Mayor added that WSCC were now looking at the issue of the pavements in the city centre and that it was now a priority to look at how key areas could be improved, that the initial focus would be East and North Streets, and that there was the hope that the work would take place in 2024/5
151. ITEMS TO BE INCLUDED ON THE NEXT AGENDA
- 20MPH Default Speed Limit for Chichester Working Group
- Local Plan
- Neighbourhood Plan
152. DATE OF NEXT ORDINARY MEETING
Thursday 27 April 2023 at 2.00pm – typing error noted in the agenda
The meeting closed at 3.50pm