Cuxton and Halling
Construction of a winery building including café/restaurant and visitor centre with energy centre, car park, access road and landscaping.
Minutes:
Discussion:
The Head of Planning outlined the planning application in detail and explained the various elements of the application including the construction of a winery building., This included a café/restaurant and visitor centre with energy centre, car park, access road and landscaping.
Drawing attention to the supplementary agenda advice sheet he informed the Committee that if the Committee was minded to approve the application, it was proposed that one further obligation relating to a Skills and Employment Plan be added to the Section 106 agreement and a number of the proposed conditions be replaced and, where necessary, re-numbered.
In addition, he advised that since despatch of the agenda the applicant had submitted a briefing note for consideration by the Committee, a copy of which was appended to the supplementary agenda advice sheet. Cuxton Parish Council had also emailed Members of the Committee attaching two representations of objection from the Parish Council and two representations from the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) Unit in relation to the proposal. These representations reiterated concerns regarding the location of the proposal in the AONB and Greenbelt and the increase in traffic which would be generated should the application be approved.
A further change to the Committee report included a replacement paragraph under the principle section of the Appraisal on page 53 of the agenda. The replacement paragraph was set out on the supplementary agenda advice sheet.
In outlining the application, the Head of Planning informed the Committee that the use of the land as a winery qualified as an agricultural use and therefore the applicant could provide buildings on site which were ancillary to the use of the land as a vineyard under Permitted Development Rights. However, the majority of the buildings associated with this development would be built underground within the site.
The Committee was informed that the AONB Unit had suggested that if the application was to be approved, a darker shade of concrete be used for the coping below the roof so as to be more sympathetic to its surroundings and the Head of Planning advised that both the applicant and officers were satisfied with this suggestion and therefore if approved, this would be addressed within the submission of materials pursuant to the recommended condition.
Referring to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), the Head of Planning advised that in determining whether the principle of this proposal was acceptable, it was necessary to consider whether the proposal comprised sustainable development and to consider the impact of the development on the character of the area and the importance of the site in landscape terms.
The NPPF referred to sustainable development having an economic, a social and an environmental role. This meant that weight had to be given to:
a) the social benefits in creating training opportunities for local people and supporting rural tourism;
b) the economic benefits in terms of providing jobs and boosting the local economy during the construction and operation phase and providing the increased workforce that enabled continued economic growth in the longer term; and
c) environmental benefits to protecting and enhancing the natural, built and historic environment; including making effective use of land, improving biodiversity, using natural resources prudently, minimising waste and pollution, and mitigating and adapting to climate change, including moving to a low carbon economy.
Having considered the above, officers were satisfied that the proposal would provide both social and economic benefits associated with the construction and operation of the winery including the provision of 75 -100 permanent and seasonal jobs once operational and more throughout the supply chain. There would also be training opportunities as set out in the Skills & Employment Plan submitted with the application, which would improve employability, along with supporting rural tourism. These factors weighed in the scheme’s favour. However, it was also important to consider the environmental impact in terms of assessing the impact on the Greenbelt and AONB; protecting and enhancing the natural environment; helping to improve biodiversity and mitigating and adapting to climate change. In determining whether the principle of this proposal was acceptable, it would be necessary to assess the matter of sustainability within the planning balance giving relevant weight to the benefits the proposal brought to the rural economy and tourism, education and employment, ecology and biodiversity and farm diversification.
With the agreement of the Committee, Councillor Fearn addressed the Committee as Ward Councillor and set out the following summarised concerns:
The Committee discussed the application and a number of issues were raised as summarised below:
The Head of Planning reminded the Committee that if the application was refused, the applicants would have a right of appeal. With the current application, the applicants had shown that they had high aspirations to provide a quality facility on site but if the application were to be refused and the applicants chose to pursue use of Permitted Development Rights as an alternative, the Council would have no control over those elements that had been built into the proposed conditions.
He suggested that if the Committee considered that it would like more information to answer some of the questions raised at this meeting, the Committee could defer the application and have a presentation from the applicants to enable them to answer the Committee’s questions.
This was generally supported by the Committee and it was also suggested that it may be beneficial for the Committee either individually or collectively to visit the site.
Decision:
Consideration of the application be deferred to enable the applicants to participate in a presentation to the Committee specifically to answer questions raised at this meeting and for a site visit be to be arranged.
Supporting documents: