Minutes – Planning and Conservation Working Group – 22 July 2021

The agenda and papers for this meeting are available here: Planning and Conservation Working Group – 22 July 2021 – 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 Working Group – 22 July 2021

NOTES OF THE VIRTUAL MEETING OF THE PLANNING AND CONSERVATION WORKING GROUP HELD ON THURSDAY 22 JULY 2021 AT 2.00PM

PRESENT:

• Councillors Plowman (Chairman), Quail (Vice-Chairman), Gaskin, Gershater

EX-OFFICIO:

• The Mayor (Councillor J Hughes), Councillor Apel (Chairman of the Community Affairs Working Group)

ALSO IN ATTENDANCE:

• Mayoral/Administrative Assistant

APOLOGIES:

• The Deputy Mayor (Councillor Joy), Councillor Scicluna

ABSENT:

• Councillor Turbefield

22. MINUTES OF MEETING OF COMMITTEE HELD ON 24 JUNE 2021

AGREED that the Minutes of the meeting held on 24 JUNE 2021 having been printed and circulated be approved and be signed by the Chairman as a correct record at a later date.

23. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

As recorded above.

24. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST BY MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE IN MATTERS ON THE AGENDA FOR THIS MEETING

The following Personal Interests were declared:

Councillor Plowman and Councillor Apel as members of Chichester District Council.

Councillor Plowman as a member of the CCAAC.

Councillor Quail as a member of the Westgate Residents Association.

25. APPLICATIONS FOR PLANNING PERMISSION

The Planning Adviser was not in attendance at this meeting. The Chairman therefore guided members through the applications:

Week 24 – 16 June 2021

CC/21/01460/FUL 7 CC/21/01461/LBC – Case Officer: William Price

Mr Andy Wright
St Faiths House The Close Chichester West Sussex
Change of use from B1 Offices to C3(a) dwellinghouse to include minor internal non structural alterations and refurbishment to ground and first floors, with no external changes.

No objection

CC/21/01716/FUL & CC/21/01717/LBC – Case Officer: William Price

Tasty plc
30 Southgate Chichester PO19 1DP
FUL: Use of the ground, first and second floors of the site in Use Class E(b) (restaurant and café) (including the use of the rear ground floor extension for ancillary kitchen purposes); and the installation of an acoustic louvre at the rear ground floor extension, the installation of a kitchen extract duct and making good of brickwork at roof level.

Recommendation: No objection subject to the approval of the Environmental Health Officer, and a condition to retain the noise mitigation measures as approved. Improvement of the external appearance of the kitchen area, its doors, and any vents into the building should be negotiated in order to minimise and mitigate the visual impact of the proposals on the listed building and conservation area.

Week 25 – 23 June 2021

CC/21/00247/FUL – Case Officer: William Price

Mr Simon Birmingham
19 Millfield Close Chichester PO19 6UR
Change of use from residential (C3) use to flexible residential (C3) use or house in multiple occupation (C4) use.

Recommendation: Strong Objection. The available space and internal construction qualities of this this modest, originally 3-bedroomed, mid-terraced house does not comfortably lend itself to the very intensive level of occupation proposed as a HMO, which would house up to 12 people in 6 separate rooms. The proposal would provide living conditions more akin to a regulated slum than the high quality, low-cost home HMO regulations aim to provide for individuals requiring this type of accommodation. The layout together with a HMO approved use would effectively result in the loss of a much needed and ideally located family home from the area, immediately adjacent to a play park. Hospital staff using such accommodation may be more likely to be car owners than the WSCC parking standards calculation accounts for, particularly as the WSCC representation states they have counted this modest (albeit extended) 3-bed mid-terrace, likely to be inhabited by a young family, as a 6-bed family house; as such the proposal in this location would likely have a detrimental impact on highways and parking locally.

CC/21/01847/ADV – Case Officer: Alicia Snook

TSB
66 East Street Chichester PO19 1HL
1 no. non-illuminated TSB Projecting Sign, 1 no. non-illuminated TSB ATM surround and 1 no. non-illuminated double sided A frame.

Recommendation: Objection. The proposed advertisement signs, particularly the A Board and ATM illumination would harm the character and appearance of the conservation area.

Weeks 26-27

No committee items.

26. NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN – AN UPDATE ON PROGRESS

The Chairman drew members attention to the minutes of the recent meeting of the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Committee held on 25 June 2021 appended to the Agenda.

The Chairman was pleased to note that good progress had been made with the PLACE studies. He had recently accompanied Chichester District Councillor John-Henry Bowden, who was conducting the West Broyle PLACE training and said that this had been very useful in seeing how communities worked.

The Chairman enquired of the Mayor regarding the PLACE training for the Spring Group. The Mayor said that someone had been engaged to carry this out but there was no update as yet. Councillor Gaskin said that Councillor Carter had requested her to share the PLACE training role with her if acceptable. The Chairman had discussed this with the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group Chairman and confirmed that this would be acceptable.

Councillor Gershater enquired of the ultimate objectives of the Neighbourhood Plan and how it was being driven and was anxious that momentum was maintained.

The Chairman explained how the process would work as follows:

Public Engagement (PLACE Studies) Team of experts to come up with recommendations/solutions:

(i) General – carbon neutral becomes a policy.

(ii) Pathway from City Centre to the shops, ie: Lidl etc. would be a project

The information would be collated into a document (Article 14) which would then go to consultation. After amendment, the document would go the Inspector. The Inspector would ensure that the document fitted in with planning law and the local plan.

A referendum would then be carried out which needed to be passed by at least half the people voting and would become a “Peoples Plan”.

He said that the predicted timescales were as follows:

• Going to consultation in the early spring 2022
• Neighbourhood Plan put into place by autumn 2022.

The Chairman confirmed that the website was being updated regularly and that good progress was being maintained. Studies had been presented to the Steering Committee by John Pegg, an urban design architect. The Chairman thought it would be beneficial for Mr Pegg to be invited to the next meeting of the Committee to give a presentation to members.

It was AGREED that Mr John Pegg be invited to the next meeting on 19 August 2021 to give a presentation of the studies carried out.

Councillor Gaskin said she would be very interested to hear the presentation.

Councillor Gershater thanked the Chairman for his resume and although he was impressed with the process was not sure of the direction.

The Chairman said that the projects were manageable and would make a huge difference to the connectivity with the theatre and the university.

27. WHITEHOUSE FARM – FEEDBACK

Councillor Apel enquired whether members had visited the site and that she had recently visited the site. A local resident had advised that sewage was taken away by tanker and that this process was likely to carry on for two years. This was a very basic situation. Issues about the southern access route which had gone out to consultation; was of major concern.

Councillor Quail said that the details of the consultation had been set out and that a series of three meetings had taken place: 30 June, 8 July and 15 July and there had been a virtual exhibition. The virtual consultation had not been easy to navigate. Councillor Quail expressed concerns about the infrastructure which she said needed to be addressed.

Councillor Apel said that the lack of a medical facility was also of major concern.

The Chairman said that the country park had started to take shape but the landscaping needed to be looked at.

The Chairman said that the remote consultation had not been well received and had been difficult to navigate. The Planning Adviser would be consulted about putting forward the City Council’s deep concerns about the southern access route and the lack of medical facilities.

28. ITEMS TO BE INCLUDED ON AGENDA FOR NEXT MEETING

• Neighbourhood Plan – update
• White House Farm – update
• Local Plan – update from meeting on 29 July 2021
• WSCC – Transport Plan

29. DATE OF NEXT MEETING

Thursday 19 August 2021 at 2.00pm.

The meeting closed at 3.00pm.