Agenda and minutes

No apologies for absence were received.

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

No declarations of interest were received.

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

There were no items of Urgent Business.

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.

[NOTE 1: The Planning Officer reported that since the report had been written, Network Rail had submitted a consultation response setting out that they and South Western Railway have concerns over the cumulative impact of development within the cluster around Woking railway station and therefore that Network Rail are keen to see funding towards station improvements secured from developments near to the station. The Planning Officer explained that this application followed the March 2024 refusal of previous PLAN/2023/0911, which proposed an identical form and quantum of development, that Network Rail made a similar consultation response to that previous application although had again provided no evidence nor sufficient justification to substantiate their request for a sizeable financial contribution. Given this background and context the Planning Officer set out that it would not be reasonable to require the applicant to provide such a financial contribution in this instance and that any such contribution would very likely reduce the number of Affordable Private Rented dwellings which would be provided as part of the proposed development]

[NOTE 2: The Planning Officer advised the Committee of an amendment to condition 35 (on p.255 of the report) to include the additional italic text shown below:

++ No piling must take place pursuant to the development hereby permitted until a piling method statement (detailing the depth and type of piling to be undertaken and the methodology by which such piling will be carried out, including measures to prevent and minimise the potential for damage to subsurface sewerage infrastructure, and the programme for the works) and piling layout plan including all Thames Water wastewater assets, the local topography and clearance between the face of the pile to the face of a pipe has first been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority (in consultation with Thames Water). Any piling must thereafter be undertaken only in accordance with the terms of the approved piling method statement and piling layout plan.

Reason: The proposed works will be in close proximity to underground sewerage utility infrastructure and piling has the potential to significantly impact / cause failure of local underground sewerage utility infrastructure. This condition is required by Policy CS16 of the Woking Core Strategy (2012) and the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) (December 2024).]

[NOTE 3: The Planning Officer advised that since the report had been written the Environment Agency had raised concerns that the proposed development would result in the discharge of pollutant water into the River Wey thereby risking failure to meet statutory water quality objectives for the waterbody. The Planning Officer advised that further engagement had since taken place between Officers and the relevant statutory sewage undertaker, Thames Water which had since provided an updated consultation response raising no objection subject to a Grampian condition in respect of sewage treatment works infrastructure. The Planning Officer therefore recommended that conditions 54 and 55 (on page 263) of the report were deleted and replaced with new condition 54, being the Thames Water recommended Grampian condition,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4a