Agenda item

Hoo St Werburgh and High Halstow Ward

Outline application with all matters reserved for the construction of two 5no. bedroom two storey self-built dwellings with off road parking and landscaping.

Discussion:

The Service Manager - Development Management discussed the outline application with all matters reserved for the construction of two 5no. bedroom two storey self-built dwellings with off road parking and landscaping.

The Service Manager – Development Management outlined the planning history of this site. Members were advised that a previous planning application for the construction of 2 self-build dwellings had been approved by the Planning Committee in September 2025. Subsequently, a revised application was submitted seeking to remove the self-build element and, therefore, was brought back to the Planning Committee, where planning permission was refused. 

The Service Manager – Development Management explained that the current planning application was a re-submission of MC/25/0484 for the construction of 2 self-build dwellings.

With the agreement of the Committee, the Chief Planning Officer read out Councillor Crozer’s statement as Ward Councillor and raised the following concerns:

• Members were reminded that an application on the site had recently been refused. The fundamental planning constraints, policy conflicts and environmental impacts that led to that refusal remained unresolved.
• It was considered that the principle of development was entirely wrong as the site lies outside any recognised settlement boundary and within the open countryside. There were no overriding local housing need to sufficiently justify a departure from well-established rural protection policies.
• Concern was expressed that the development, comprising of two large, five-bedroom, two-storey houses would appear incongruous within the rural setting and would introduce a harsh urbanising effect on what was currently a verdant and open location.
• Due to the isolated location, future occupants would be reliant on private vehicles, rendering the proposal an unsustainable form of development.
• The applicant completely ignored the mandatory requirement for biodiversity. They failed to demonstrate how the mandatory 10% Biodiversity Net Gain requirement would be achieved.
• The site was within the catchment zone for the internationally protected Thames and Medway Estuary Marshes Special Protection Areas. Insufficient data was submitted to enable a required appropriate assessment to be undertaken. 
• The applicant had not committed to a financial contribution towards bird mitigation costs and that, as a result, the proposal failed the requirements of the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations. 

The Committee discussed the planning application in detail, taking into account the concerns raised by the Ward Councillor and noting the demand for self-build opportunities, as evidenced by the significant number of individuals registered on the self-build waiting list.

During the debate, Members expressed a view that the two buildings be of exceptional architectural design, that would complement and enhance the character of the surrounding area. Members, therefore, queried whether a condition be imposed requiring the detailed design of the buildings to be referred back to the Planning Committee for consideration. In response, the Chief Planning Officer advised that, following legislative changes being introduced in the autumn, he would need to check whether the approval of any reserved matter applications would fall within the scheme of delegation to officers or whether it could be required to come back to the Planning Committee for determination. 

The Service Manager – Development Management clarified that as the proposal constituted a self-build development, it was exempt from the mandatory requirement to deliver 10% Biodiversity Net Gain.  He further advised that the required bird mitigation costs would form part of the approval process, should planning permission be granted.

Decision:      

Approved subject to:

i)               To secure the dwellings being delivered as self-build.

ii)              The payment of £674.98 (plus £550 legal costs and monitoring officer fees) to cover bird mitigation costs.

iii)            Conditions 1 to 15 as set out in the report for the reasons stated in the report.