Agenda item

Strood Rural Ward

Construction of 68 residential dwellings including affordable housing, associated vehicular parking, landscaping, open spaces, drainage and earthworks and formation of a new access from View Road.

Discussion:

 

The Head of Planning outlined the application in detail and included the following additional information set out in the supplementary agenda advice sheet regarding the recommendation: 

 

Approval subject to

 

B. Section 106 agreement to secure the following:

 

Amend the contribution as follow

 

ix) the PRoW contribution from £3,9990 to read £3,990

 

C. And following conditions

 

Amend conditions as follows:

 

Condition 4

 

To remove reference to “or site clearance” from the first line of the wording to that condition.

 

Replace

 

Condition 13 with

 

No development shall take place until the applicant, or their agents or successors in title, has secured the implementation of a programme of archaeological work in accordance with a written specification and timetable which has been submitted to and approved by the Local Planning Authority.

 

Reason: Required before commencement of development to avoid any irreversible impact on any archaeological interest and in accordance with Policy BNE21 of the Local Plan 2003.

 

Planning Appraisal

 

S106 Matters

 

Page 105 top of the page

 

Amend

 

v) the PRoW contribution from £3,9990 to read £3,990.

 

Other representations had been received objecting to the application as set out in the supplementary agenda advice sheet.

 

The proposal was for 68 residential units, of which 17 were proposed as affordable homes with vehicle parking, landscaping and open spaces and the formation of new access direct from View Road. 

 

This would be a sustainable development and there would also be the support for a Small or Medium Enterprise (SME) quality of development in Cliffe Woods. 

 

The boundary of this application lied next to a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).  Extensive landscaping was proposed including a 30m wide landscaped buffer to protect the SSSI.  There would be further landscaping on the boundary with the reservoir.

 

This application would create a good standard of living and a healthy place for people to live and residents could enjoy the outdoor spaces and the surrounding areas.

 

With the agreement of the Committee, Councillor Williams addressed the Committee as Ward Councillor and outlined the following points objecting to this application and raised the following concerns.

 

• There would be a loss of 5.2 hectares of agricultural land. 
• The site was not identified within the Strategic Land Availability Assessment in 2019. 
• There had been objections from Natural England regarding the impact of the population of nightingales.  
• More congestion and traffic in surrounding areas.
• The local facilities such as the doctor’s surgery would become more under pressure and could struggle to cope.   
• An additional 3,000 plus homes had already been constructed in the area.

 

A written submission from Councillor Etheridge was read out by the Head of Planning objecting to this application which included: 

 

• Loss of habitat, agricultural land and biodiversity.
• Over development and sustainability.
• Difficulties for existing residents faced with regards to schools, health and transport.
• The recent declaration of the local bus company reducing the number of their routes

 

The Committee discussed the planning application noting the points raised by the Ward Councillors. 

 

With regards to the SSSI, it was questioned how officers could protect this area and retain its importance.  Members were of the view that everything that could be done to protect this area should be put in place. Members carefully considered the package of mitigation put forward by the applicants to protect the SSSI and any nightingales.  This included, cat proof fencing, landscaped buffers, no cat policy, and management to retain the necessary measures and maintenance of land.  They also noted the proximity of the existing houses to the SSSI and the fact that there was no cat predation mitigation with those properties.

 

Concerns were expressed regarding the cat proof fencing, the buffers around the site and the additional traffic.  It was considered essential that there was engagement with the community.

 

It was considered that there were generous S106 contributions as part of the proposals.

 

Members expressed the view that although the applicant was one of the best developers in Medway and this would be a well-designed housing development, finished to the highest standard as other works had been, smaller schemes would be preferable.

 

In response to a query, the Head of Planning explained that in Recommendation A, if the Committee were minded to approve this application, he would be required to write to Natural England informing them of the decision.  Natural England would then have 21 days to decide whether they would want to contact the Secretary of State expressing concern at the decision and inviting him to call in the decision for his consideration.  

 

It was noted that there had been no objections from Highways regarding additional traffic.

 

In response to a query, the Head of Planning explained that the reservoir was not part of the Ecology Management Plan as the land was not owned by the applicant.  Landscaping around the reservoir would be included.

 

Decision:      

 

Approved subject to:

 

A) Notifying Natural England of the intention to approve

 

B) Section 106 agreement to secure the following:

 

i)               25% of all housing to be provided as affordable housing.

ii)             £16,660 towards public realm improvements to assist with the development of improved civic spaces.

iii)            £11,608.28 towards improvements to library provision in the area and the mobile library visiting the vicinity of the site

iv)            £12,163.84 for the provision, improvement and promotion of waste and recycling services to cover the impact of the development.

v)             £401,753.39 toward mitigating the impact of the additional pupils.

vi)            Nursery - £88,376.66

vii)          Primary - £161,143.35

viii)         Secondary - £152,233.38

ix)            £3,9990 to mitigate against the footfall that will occur on the bridleways and adjacent PRoW.

x)             £44,448.88 to support the creation of additional capacity in Primary Care premises.

xi)            £99,450 towards bus improvements to promote sustainable transport modes.

xii)          £17,260.44 towards Designated Habitats Mitigation.

xiii)         The implementation and ongoing management and monitoring of the ‘No Cat Policy’ for the lifetime of the development.

xiv)         The production and implementation of Ecology and Landscape Management Plan specifically for the area of land that will be owned by the applicant within the Chattenden Wood and Lodge Hill SSSI for the lifetime of the development to enhance the habitat for Nightingales and other species within the SSSI.

 

C)   Conditions 1 to 3, 5 to 12 and 14 to 33 as set out in the report for the reasons stated in the report, condition 4 amended and condition 13 replaced as follows:

 

Condition 4:

 

No development shall take place until an arboricultural method statement to ensure the satisfactory protection of retained trees, hedgerows and vegetation has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The matters to be included within the arboricultural method statement shall include I to VII as set out in the report recommendation.

 

Thereafter the development shall be carried out in accordance with the approved details with the approved measures being kept in place during the entire course of construction activity.

 

Reason: To ensure that reasonable measures are being taken to protect trees and hedgerows during construction in line with Policy BNE43 of the Medway Local Plan 2003.

 

Condition 13:

 

No development shall take place until the applicant, or their agents or successors in title, has secured the implementation of a programme of archaeological work in accordance with a written specification and timetable which has been submitted to and approved by the Local Planning Authority.

 

Reason: Required before commencement of development to avoid any irreversible impact on any archaeological interest and in accordance with Policy BNE21 of the Local Plan 2003.