Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber - Civic Offices

Contact: Becky Capon on 01483 743011 or email  becky.capon@woking.gov.uk 

Media

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies for Absence

Additional documents:

Minutes:

No apologies for absence were received.

2.

Declarations of Interest

(i)    To receive declarations of disclosable pecuniary and other interests from Members in respect of any item to be considered at the meeting.

(ii)   In accordance with the Officer Procedure Rules, any Officer who is a Council- appointed Director of a Thameswey Group company will declare an interest in any item involving that Thameswey Group company. The interest will not prevent the Officer from advising the Committee on that item.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

No declarations of interest were received.

3.

Urgent Business

To consider any business that the Chairman rules may be dealt with under Section 100B(4) of the Local Government Act 1972.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

There were no items of Urgent Business.

4.

Minutes

To approve the minutes of the meeting of the Planning Committee held on 6 June 2023 as published.

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Minutes:

RESOLVED

That the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 6 June 2023 be approved and signed as a true and correct record.

5.

Planning and Enforcement Appeals pdf icon PDF 75 KB

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Minutes:

The Committee received a report on the planning appeals lodged and the appeal decisions.

Resolved

That the report be noted.

6.

Planning Applications pdf icon PDF 66 KB

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Minutes:

The Committee determined the following applications subject to the conditions, informatives, reasons for refusal or authorisation of enforcement action which appear in the published report to the Committee or as detailed in these minutes.

 

6a

2023/0395 Grey Oriental Foods, 25 High Street pdf icon PDF 86 KB

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Minutes:

This application was withdrawn.

6b

2023/0483 Land adjacent to 7 Emperor Avenue pdf icon PDF 905 KB

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Minutes:

[NOTE: The Planning Officer updated the Committee that since the report had been published, the Highways Authority had confirmed they had no highways requirements.]

 

The Committee considered installation of 1no. new OSCP cabinet and 2No. Light feeder pillars (cabinets) (existing OSCP cabinet to be removed).

 

 

 

 

RESOLVED

 

That authority be delegated to the Development Manager (including any other Authorised Officer) to Grant planning permission subject to:

 

(i)       no letters of objection being received from the current consultation period which expires on 29.06.2023; and

 

(ii)      the planning conditions set out in this report.

6c

TPO/0010/2023 Land to the front of Maybury Wood Cottage pdf icon PDF 754 KB

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Minutes:

The Committee considered the Tree Preservation Order that sought to protect three Lime trees on land to the front of Maybury Wood Cottage, The Ridge, Woking, GU22 7EG.

 

RESOLVED

 

That the Tree Preservation Order Ref. TPO/0010/2023 be confirmed without modification.

6d

2023/0463 14 Martinsyde pdf icon PDF 227 KB

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Minutes:

The Committee considered a retrospective application for change of use from amenity land to private residential and associated removal of existing closeboard timber fence and construction of new closeboard timber fence.

 

Councillor S Oades commented that the Committee had received an email that day, that stated that the land inside of the fence belonged to the property owner. Following some clarification the Planning Officer commented that he had seen this letter, but clarified that land ownership was irrelevant and that the lawful use of this land was as amenity space, not as part of the private garden.

 

RESOLVED

 

That planning permission be REFUSED and authorise enforcement action.

6e

2023/0404 1 Randolph Close pdf icon PDF 379 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

[NOTE: The Planning Officer updated the Committee that since the report had been published, one further letter of support had been received although because this letter had been submitted via the applicant, and made no reference to the planning application, Officers considered it inappropriate for this to be logged as a letter of representation. It was however for the Committee to note.]

 

The Committee considered a retrospective application for new 1.8m tall boundary fencing and change of use from amenity land to private residential.

 

Following a query, the Planning Officer explained that this retrospective application had come about following an enforcement complaint that was subsequently investigated.

 

Following a question regarding the proximity of the bus shelter, littering and dog fouling, the Planning Officer advised the Committee that this point had been addressed under paragraph 25 of the report. Littering and dog fouling was not specific to this piece of land, and if the application was granted on that basis, then that could be used as a reason to enclose other areas of land that currently provided significant visual amenity.

 

Some Members agreed that the motive of the applicant was to increase their garden area, however did not think the fence looked bad or caused visual harm. Some Members thought that this could be the start of gradual encroachment on the visual amenity space in the area.

 

Councillor S Mukherjee commented that there were many letters of support and that she did not think the fence caused visual harm. Councillor S Mukherjee proposed and it was duly seconded by Councillor S Dorsett that the application be approved.

 

The Planning Officer commented that if Members were minded to approve the application, they should address Policy CS17, which the proposal was in contrary to. The Planning Officer cautioned against approval as the application did not provide alternative amenity space of equal value, which was required by Policy CS17.

 

Following a question, the Planning Officer clarified again that the ownership of the land was irrelevant. This land was allocated as amenity land, not private garden.

 

Members mentioned other fences that were adjacent to the highway on the same road. The Planning Officer commented that this had been addressed in detail in the report regarding the character of the area. There was only one example found where amenity land had been taken which had been allowed on appeal in 1977. Planning Policy had changed since this time and it was not considered that this was comparable circumstance.

 

Some Councillors thought that it was important that we did not let amenity land be taken in this way. It was suggested that having this space round the bus stop made it safer and easier to spread out.

 

In accordance with Standing Orders, the Chairman deemed that a division should be taken on the motion above.  The votes for and against approval of the application were recorded as follows.

In favour:                           Cllrs S Dorsett, S Greentree, S Mukherjee and S Oades.

                                 TOTAL:  4

Against:                              Cllrs T Aziz, G  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6e