Agenda item

[NOTE 1: The Planning Officer advised the Committee that one additional letter had been received from a member public in support of the application and that an email had been received from West Byfleet Neighbourhood Forum with no objections to the application].

[Note 2:  The Planning Officer advised the Committee that a summary of the responses submitted during a public consultation held on 5 March 2018 had been received.  The Agent had also submitted a copy of a letter from United Learning addressed to Octogan  Development Limited].

The Committee was advised that Agenda Item 5b and 5c – Broadoaks, Parvis Road, West Byfleet, would be taken together and the Planning Officer referred the Committee to the following points within the report, clarifying the positions:

o    Paragraph 5, Page 38 – The creation of 145 jobs referred to within the report reflected those positions to be created through the development as a whole, not just the proposals before the Committee.

o    Paragraph 177, Page 70 - The Officer explained that, despite the affordable housing provision being below the 40% figure required in Policy CS12 of the Core Strategy, a viability report had been submitted.  The viability report had been evaluated by the Council’s external viability assessors to be acceptable and accordingly was to be taken into consideration in determining the application.

The Committee considered an application for the demolition of the vacant Sherwood House office building and the removal of all former MOD buildings, hardstanding and structures across the site.  The proposals included 115 new market dwellings and garages, 54 affordable dwellings, the part demolition; restoration and conversion of Broadoaks House to create 2 new market dwellings and the part demolition, restoration and reuse of the 2 Lodge Houses as new independent market dwellings.  The Motor House would be restored to create 6 new market dwellings, the Model Dairy would be restored and the 2 summer houses would also be restored.  Assisted living accommodation of 75 beds was included in the application, together with a 80-bed care home and a new office building. 

The application had been amended with additional information since its original submission which included the following:

·           Financial viability information

·           Updated travel plan

·           The carport to the rear of plot 77 had been repositioned, minor fence changes had been made to the rear of Plots 73 & 78 and a Scots Pine was to be removed.

Councillor A Boote, Ward Councillor, spoke on the application commenting on the hard work spent by the developer Octogan in consulting with the Borough’s Planning Department and local residents of West Byfleet.  Councillor Boote drew attention to the positive benefits of the much desired development for the residents of West Byfleet, including the level of investment, the creation of jobs and the regeneration of the area; the application offered a sustainable development within West Byfleet and was considered a positive use of the site by residents.  Further benefits for the area including the construction of affordable housing, the office space for mall to medium enterprises (SMEs) and the assisted living care.

Councillor Boote proposed and Councillor Chrystie seconded that the application should be supported and referred to the Secretary of State for determination in view of the special circumstances that existed, namely the benefits to the local area.  It was further proposed that authority should be delegated to the Development Manager to draw up the list of conditions, informatives and Section 106 Heads of Terms.  The Section 106 Agreement would include an overage clause which would apply in the event the anticipated profits from the development were higher than predicted.

In accordance with Standing Order 10.8, the Chairman deemed that a vote should be taken on the amendment, namely that the application should be supported and referred to the Secretary of State for approval on the following grounds:

o    That the Local Planning authority considered that very special circumstances exist as set out in paragraphs 23 to 31 of the planning officer’s report which outweigh the development plan presumption to otherwise refuse such  development within the Green Belt; and

o    That the proposals otherwise comply with the provisions of the development plan so far as material to the application and any other material considerations including the derelict nature of the site, the provision of employment generating uses and the provision of assisted living dwellings and care home accommodation.

The names of those voting for and against approval of the application were recorded as follows:

In favour:                      Councillors S Ashall, T Aziz, A Boote, G Chrystie, I Eastwood,        N Martin, L Morales and M A Whitehand.

                                      Total in favour: 8

Against:                         None.

Present not voting:        Councillor G Cundy (Chairman)

                                      Total present not voting: 1

The application was therefore approved by 8 votes to none.

RESOLVED

That  (i)    the application be supported and referred to the Secretary of State for determination on the grounds set out below:

o    That the Local Planning authority considered that very special circumstances exist as set out in paragraphs 23 to 31 of the planning officer’s report which outweigh the development plan presumption to otherwise refuse such  development within the Green Belt; and

o    That the proposals otherwise comply with the provisions of the development plan so far as material to the application and any other material considerations including the derelict nature of the site, the provision of employment generating uses and the provision of assisted living dwellings and care home accommodation.

          (ii)   authority should be delegated to the Development Manager to draw up the list of conditions, informatives and Section 106 Heads of Terms.