Agendas, Minutes and Reports

Minutes

of the Meeting of the

Planning and Regulatory Committee

Wednesday, 25th November 2009

held at the Town Hall, Weston-super-Mare, Somerset.

Meeting Commenced: 3.00 p.m. Meeting Concluded: 4.05 p.m.

Councillors:

P Nan Kirsen (Chairman)

P Chris Blades (Vice-Chairman)

A Bob Bateman	P Peter Bryant
P Andy Cole	P Will Collins
P Bob Cook	P Colin Hall
P Jill Iles	P Dr. Mike Kellaway-Marriott
P Tim Marter	P Keith Morris
A Ian Porter	P David Shopland

P: Present

A: Apologies for absence submitted

Officers in attendance: Richard Kent (Development and Environment Directorate), Graham Quick (Development and Environment Directorate), Mike Schneider (Development and Environment Directorate), Fiona Roberson (representative of the Acting Solicitor to the Council), Sue Efford (Corporate Services Unit).

PAR

Public Speaking under Standing Order 17

National Grid Overhead Line Connection to Hinkley Point (agenda Item 6.2)

Mr Keith Edwards, Save our Valley Campaign (Nailsea/Backwell/Wraxall) addressed the committee. He expressed support for the officer recommendation as set out in the report but stressed that National Grid had failed to include all the options within the consultation, in particular the preferred option of routing lines along the seabed of the Bristol Channel.

Mr Dave Grey, a local resident of Nailsea addressed the committee. He welcomed the officer’s report but drew attention to additional concerns arising from the options being put forward by National Grid, in particular the potential health implications of locating these power lines overhead and in close proximity to residential properties.

Mr Chris Ambrose, chairman of Wraxall and Failand Parish Council, addressed the committee. He objected to any option which proposed overhead power lines and suggested more information and research was needed on the alternatives. He referred to the medium and long term costs associated with the proposed overhead line routes, both in financial and environmental terms, and suggested National Grid needed to look beyond the initial costs of the various options.

The Chairman thanked the speakers for their address.

PAR

Public Speaking under Standing Order 17a

Application no. 09/P/0859/F (Agenda Item 6.1)

Mr Lawrence Eyles addressed the committee on behalf of a local resident and spoke against the application.

Mr Quentin Alder, the applicant’s architect, then addressed the committee and spoke in support of the application.

The Chairman thanked the speakers for their address.

PAR

Declarations of Interest by Members

None declared at this point in the meeting.

(see minute no. PAR 56)

PAR

Minutes of the Meeting held on 28th October 2009 (Agenda Item 4.1)

A member referred to minute no. PAR 44 relating to application no. 09/P/0841/F and proposed the deletion of refusal reasons 3 and 4. He suggested that in discussing both this application and the other application on the site (application no. 09/P/0842/F) the committee had not accepted that the proposed development would be harmful to the setting of the listed buildings nor that it would be visually intrusive in the landscape.

Resolved: that the minutes of the meeting be approved as a correct record, subject to the deletion of refusal reasons 3 and 4 of minute no. PAR 44 (application no. 09/P/0841/F).

PAR

Minutes of the Meeting of the Local Access Forum held on 13th October 2009 (Agenda Item 4.2)

Resolved: that the minutes be received.

PAR

Planning Application No. 09/P/0858/F – Change of use and redevelopment of site from hotel (Use Class C1) to 41 residential flats, comprising 17 x 1-bed flats, 23 x 2-bed flats and 1 x 3-bed flats at Lynton House Hotel, 6-10 Madeira Road, Weston-super-Mare (Reference from West Area Committee 12th November 2009) (Agenda Item 6.1)

The Director of Development and Environment’s representative presented the report. With reference to the recommendation from West Area Committee he suggested that if the Committee was minded to refuse the application, refusal reason 2 should include reference to access from the public car park to the site being unsuitable for the elderly and disabled as well as parents with young children.

In discussing the application a member commented that the decision of West Area Committee to refuse the application had been unanimous. Members supported the concerns raised by the West Area Committee in relation to the overbearing nature of the proposed development, the lack of any on-site parking provision and overdevelopment of the site.

Following further discussion it was unanimously

Resolved: that the application be refused for the following reasons:

1. The height and length of the north elevation of the new building will have an over-bearing impact on the outlook from the adjoining garden at 12 Madeira Road and significantly restrict daylight and sunlight to that property, causing unacceptable harm to the living conditions of its occupants. As such the proposal would be contrary to Policy GDP/3 and H/7 of the North Somerset Replacement Local Plan.

2. Since no off-street car parking is proposed, the development will give rise to an increase in roadside car parking, in an area that is already the subject of extensive roadside parking and the extra parking cannot be satisfactorily accommodated without considerable inconvenience to existing residents and motorists who already park in or close to Madeira Road. The access from the public car to the site is not suitable for parents with young children, the elderly or disabled and as such they are also likely to park on Madeira Road. As such the proposal would be contrary to Policies GDP/3 and T/6 of the North Somerset Replacement Local Plan.

3. The proposal represents an over-development of the site and would introduce a housing density that is excessively high, which is out of character with and harmful to the character of the surrounding area, contrary to Policy GDP/3 and H/3 of the North Somerset Replacement Local Plan.

PAR

National Grid Overhead Line Connection to Hinkley Point (Agenda Item 6.2)

The Director of Development and Environment’s representative presented the report.

Councillor Dr Mike Kellaway-Marriott declared a personal interest in this item – he represents the Council on Hinkley Point Stakeholder Group.

In discussing the report members referred to the significant benefits of routing lines underground and suggested the National Grid had provided no explanation as to why routing the lines along the seabed of the Bristol Channel was not an option. Reference was also made to the possibility of routing the lines underground along the route of the M5 motorway and it was proposed this option should also be explored.

Members referred to technological advances which allowed for more power lines to be routed underground and suggested this option needed to be fully explored given the environmental and possible health implications associated with any overland route.

The Chairman proposed that Standing Orders be suspended to allow one of the earlier speakers to provide further information to the committee in relation to the routing of lines underground.

Resolved: that Standing Orders be suspended to allow Mr Chris Ambrose to address the meeting.

The Committee then proceeded with Standing Orders suspended.

Mr Ambrose then addressed the committee providing further information in relation to the costs of routing power lines underground and developing technologies in relation to superconductors.

The Committee’s proceedings under the provisions of Standing Orders then resumed.

Following further discussion it was unanimously

Resolved:

(1) that bearing in mind any overland route would cross open countryside and close to residential properties and would therefore impact on landscape, ecology, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), the National Grid is recommended to fully investigate the option of routing the lines along the seabed of the Bristol Channel as no explanation has been given as to why this route has not been considered;

(2) that subject to the above and subject to consideration of the routing of cables next to the M5 motorway having been considered and there being no other option than to put up overhead lines and pylons, the Council’s preferred option is Option 1A, replacing the current 132KV line through the district with a 400KV line, with the under grounding of the overhead line route through the Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding National Beauty; and

(3) that the National Grid is requested to continually involve the Council in the process of determining the exact alignment of the overhead lines, the siting of new pylons and the process of removing existing pylons.

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Chairman

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