Agenda, decisions and minutes

Members are asked to declare any interest and the nature of that interest which they may have in any of the items under consideration at this meeting.

8. Woolworths, Abington Street, Northampton

Councillor Danielle Stone, Declaration, as the local ward member for Castle who had called this application in, would speak in her capacity as the local ward member and would not participate in the debate or vote on this item.

11. 42 Poole Street, Northampton

Councillor Danielle Stone, Declaration, as the local ward member for Castle, would speak in her capacity as the local ward member and would not participate in the debate or vote on this item.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting of the former South Northamptonshire Local Area Planning Committee held on 11 May 2023.

The minutes of the meeting of the former South Northamptonshire Local Area Planning Committee held on 11 May 2023 were agreed as a correct record by those Councillors who were in attendance at the meeting and signed by the Chair.

To receive communications from the Chair.

In opening the meeting, the Chair welcomed all Councillors, Officers, and members of the public to the inaugural meeting of the South Planning Committee and allowed each attendee the opportunity to provide a short introduction to themselves.

The Chair also made the following additional announcements:

1.  Due to an ongoing planning appeal, the Council Chamber was not available for this meeting, however all future meetings would be held in the Council Chamber except for occasions where the agenda consisted exclusively of items from the Northampton Area, in which case the meeting would be held at The Guildhall, Northampton.

2.  Members of the public were permitted to film, broadcast, and report on the meeting, subject to the efficient running of the meeting not being affected.

3.  Only those people who had registered, in line with the Committee’s speaking procedure, were able to address the meeting. Members of the public were requested not to call out during the Committee’s discussions on any item.

4.  The meeting was being webcast on the Council’s corporate YouTube channel, therefore all those speaking were asked to please utilise their microphones when doing so. 

5.  There were no planned fire drills so in the event of an alarm sounding, evacuation instructions would be given by officers.

6.  That it be requested that any devices be switched off or onto silent mode.

Report of the Development Management Manager.

This will be included in the Committee Updates published in advance of the meeting.

There were no pre-committee site visits.

Agenda item withdrawn.

Agenda item withdrawn prior to the start of the meeting.

Agenda item withdrawn.

Application withdrawn by the applicant prior to the start of the meeting.

Approved, subject to various requirements to be set out in the minutes.

The Committee considered application WNN/2022/0172 for the conversion of existing Ground Floor Retail Unit (Use Class E) into 3 no. Retail Units (Use Class E) and part demolition and conversion of First and Second Floors into 30no Residential Units (Use Class C3) with access from front and rear, to include erection of mansard roof at front part of building and extension at rear part of building at Woolworths, Abington Street, Northampton for Fairgreen Commercial Properties Ltd.

Councillor Danielle Stone, speaking in her capacity as the local ward member for Castle, addressed the Committee in objection to the application stating that more regard was required for the Council’s Corporate Plan when determining planning applications in Northampton Town Centre, and a more balanced and family-friendly approach was required than this application provided for.

Ali Hassan, agent for the applicant, addressed the Committee in support of the application and provided an overview of the potential benefits the development may bring to the local area if it were to be approved. 

It was proposed by Councillor Cecile Irving-Swift and seconded by Councillor Kevin Parker that application WNN/2022/0172 be approved in accordance with the Case Officer’s recommendation. The motion was put to the vote with eight votes cast in favour of the application, one abstention, and none cast against, therefore the motion was carried.

In reaching its decision, the Committee considered the Case Officer’s report and presentation, the addresses of the public speakers, and the Committee Updates.

Resolved

(1)  That authority be delegated to the Assistant Director – Planning and Development to grant permission to application WNN/2022/0172 subject to:

1.    The completion of a Planning Obligation under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, as substituted by the Planning and Compensation Act 1991, to secure financial contributions of £48,412 towards early years education (and any amendments as deemed necessary).

2.    The conditions set out in the Case Officer’s report (and any amendments to those conditions as deemed necessary).

Approved, subject to various requirements to be set out in the minutes.

The Committee considered application WNN/2023/0014 for a new dwelling on land adjacent to 242 Hazeldene Road, Northampton, to include modifications for existing vehicular access to the rear, providing off road parking for both new and existing dwellings for Mr N Lawlor.

Natalie Westgate, a local resident, addressed the Committee in objection to the application, on the grounds that the development could negatively alter the street scene on Hazeldene Road, lead to access difficulties and highway safety issues, and give rise to unreasonable and disruptive construction hours.

Pat Dooley, the agent for the applicant, addressed the Committee in support of the application and noted that improvements to the scheme had previously been submitted to West Northamptonshire Highways, who had raised no objection to the development.

It was proposed by Councillor Kevin Parker and seconded by Councillor Ken Pritchard that application WNN/2023/0014 be approved in accordance with the Case Officer’s recommendation, subject to the addition of a condition requiring the applicant to provide a construction management plan to ensure that local residents are consulted on the timing and nature of construction work, and that such work is undertaken at reasonable times. The motion was put to the vote with eight votes cast in favour of the proposal with two abstentions, therefore the motion was carried.

In reaching its decision, the Committee considered the Case Officer’s report and presentation, the addresses of the public speakers, and the Committee Updates.

Resolved

(1)  That authority be delegated to the Assistant Director – Planning and Development to grant permission to application WNN/2023/0014 subject to:

1.  The addition of a condition requiring the applicant to produce a Construction Management Plan, to ensure that local residents are consulted on the timing and nature of construction works, and that such work is undertaken at reasonable times (exact wording to be delegated to Officers).

2.  The remaining conditions set out in the Case Officer’s report (and any amendments to those conditions as deemed necessary.

Approved, subject to various requirements to be set out in the minutes.

The Committee considered application WNN/2023/0146 for a Listed Building Consent Application for repairs to frontal elevation stonework, windows, glazing and roof, part dismantling and rebuilding of a chimney stack to allow replacement of an existing embedded steel plate which was corroding and internal localised redecoration to areas affected by water ingress with potentially minor localised plaster work repairs to ceilings and walls at The Central Library, 76 Abington Street, Northampton for West Northamptonshire Council.       

The Development Management Manager explained that the reason for the referral of this application to the Committee was that West Northamptonshire Council was the applicant, therefore under the Council’s Scheme of Delegation this application was unable to be determined by Officers.

It was proposed by Councillor Enam Haque and seconded by Councillor Ken Pritchard that the application WNN/2023/0146 be approved in accordance with the Case Officer’s recommendation. The motion was put to the vote with ten votes cast in favour of the proposal and no votes cast against, therefore the motion was carried.

In reaching its decision, the Committee considered the Case Officer’s report and presentation, and the Committee Updates.

Resolved

(1)  That authority be delegated to the Assistant Director – Planning and Development to grant permission to application WNN/2023/0146 subject to the conditions set out in the Case Officer’s report (and any amendments to those conditions as deemed necessary).

Approved, subject to various requirements to be set out in the minutes.

The Committee considered application WNN/2023/0415 for the change of use from dwellinghouse (Use Class C3) to House in Multiple Occupation (Use Class C4) for 4 no. occupants at 42 Poole Street, Northampton for Mr Khan.

Councillor Danielle Stone, speaking in her capacity as the local ward member for Castle, addressed the Committee in objection to the application stating that the proposed development was in an area of high transience, and that as a Council, priority should be given to building community cohesion and resilience, and that another HiMO may impact local amenities.

Pat Dooley, the agent for the applicant, addressed the Committee in support of the application and stated that the application was fully compliant with the Council’s Supplementary Planning Document relating to Houses in Multiple Occupation in that, in the absence of parking, the application had been assessed against sustainability criteria such as its proximity to public transport links and therefore was policy-compliant.

It was proposed by Councillor Ken Pritchard and seconded by Councillor Dermot Bambridge that application WNN/2023/0415 be approved in accordance with the Case Officer’s recommendation. The motion was put to the vote with eight votes cast in favour of the application, one abstention, and none cast against, therefore the motion was carried.

In reaching its decision, the Committee considered the Case Officer’s report and presentation, the addresses of the public speakers, and the Committee Updates.

Resolved

(1)   That authority be delegated to the Assistant Director – Planning and Development to grant permission to application WNN/2023/0415 subject to the conditions set out in the Case Officer’s report (and any amendments to those conditions as deemed necessary).

Approved, subject to various requirements to be set out in the minutes.

The Committee considered application WNS/2022/1675/COND for the discharge of Condition 3 (design guidance) pursuant to application S/2019/0037/MAO for outline planning permission with access included for the redevelopment of existing B1/B2/B8 units with residential development of up to 14 dwellings at Home Farm, Church Way, Whittlebury for Pury Hill Ltd.

Jamie Pyper, the agent for the applicant, addressed the Committee in support of the application and outlined the design principles of the proposed development, which held a particular focus on the appearance of the buildings, and landscaping arrangements. 

It was proposed by Councillor Dermot Bambridge and seconded by Councillor Enam Haque that application WNS/2022/1675/COND be approved in accordance with the Case Officer’s recommendation. The motion was put to the vote with ten votes cast in favour of the proposal and none cast against, therefore the motion was carried.

In reaching its decision, the Committee considered the Case Officer’s report and presentation, the address of the public speaker, and the Committee Updates.  

Resolved

(1)  That authority be delegated to the Assistant Director – Planning and Development to approve the details submitted in relation to Condition 3 pursuant to application S/2019/0037/MAO.

Approved, subject to various requirements to be set out in the minutes.

The Committee considered application WNS/2022/1897/MAR for a reserved matters application relating to consent for 14 dwellings including layout, scale, appearance, landscaping, and access (other than those already approved as part of the outline permission) pursuant to outline application S/2019/0037/MAO (access included) for the redevelopment of existing B1/B2/B8 units with residential development of up to 14 dwellings at Home Farm, Church Way, Whittlebury for Pury Hill Limited.

Jamie Pyper, the agent for the applicant, addressed the Committee in support of the application and stated that all statutory consultees had been satisfied with the exception of West Northamptonshire Highways, who had objected on the grounds that the materials used to construct the internal access road would not comply with its adoption criteria, however there was no express requirement for the development to comply with such criteria. The agent added that, in order to achieve a high quality and informal rural aesthetic, the applicant did not intend to comply with Highway’s adoption criteria and would therefore expect it to remain a private road, as such a management company would be set up to ensure that the access road and all external areas would be maintained in perpetuity at no cost to West Northamptonshire Highways.

Members of the Committee also spoke in favour of a planning obligation requiring the developer to provide further information on the setup and operation of the management company, however the Committee agreed to revisit this matter when discussing the Deed of Variation to the extant Section 106 agreement under application 2023/5229/106V.

It was proposed by Councillor Ken Pritchard and seconded by Councillor Enam Haque that application WNS/2022/1897/MAR be approved in accordance with the Case Officer’s recommendation. The motion was put to the vote with ten votes cast in favour of the proposal and none cast against, therefore the motion was carried.

In reaching its decision, the Committee considered the Case Officer’s report and presentation, the address of the public speaker, and the Committee Updates.  

Resolved

(1)  That authority be delegated to the Assistant Director – Planning and Development to grant permission to application WNS/2022/1897/MAR subject to the conditions set out in the Case Officer’s report (and any amendments to those conditions as deemed necessary.

Approved, subject to various requirements to be set out in the minutes.

The Committee considered application 2023/5229/106V for the completion of the Deed of Variation for the removal of obligations relating to affordable housing, early years education, primary education, and libraries from the extant Section 106 agreement pursuant to planning application S/2019/0037/MAO for an outline planning application with access included for the redevelopment of existing B1/B2/B8 units with residential development of up to 14 dwellings at Home Farm, Church Way, Whittlebury for Pury Hill Ltd.

Jamie Pyper, the agent for the applicant, addressed the Committee in support of the application and provided an overview of the financial viability of the development and stated that, as a result of redeveloping an existing brownfield site on the edge of the village, the development would remain liable for Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) and therefore the developer remained obligated to contribute towards local infrastructure provision. The agent outlined that, given the relatively modest scale of the development and the subsequent modest impact on existing infrastructure, the development would still be considered sustainable even in the event of the proposed removal of the obligations relating to affordable housing, early years education, primary education, and libraries. The proposed removal of these obligations, whilst regrettable, would not alter the overall planning balance if agreed.

In discussing the feasibility of a proposed further obligation to the extant Section 106 agreement which would require the developer to provide to the Council for approval the full details of the management company appointed to oversee the maintenance of the development, the Committee sought and received assurances from the Development Management Manager and the Planning Solicitor that this course of action would be lawful, enforceable, and proportionate.

It was proposed by Councillor Danielle Stone and seconded by Councillor Enam Haque that application 2023/5229/106V be approved in accordance with the Case Officer’s recommendation, subject to the addition of a further obligation to the extant Section 106 agreement requiring the developer to provide to West Northamptonshire Council for approval the details of the management company appointed to oversee the maintenance of the external areas and access road, that details be provided by the management company to West Northamptonshire Council for approval of the operational aspects of the maintenance of the external areas and access road in perpetuity at no cost to WNC Highways, and that the management company be required to demonstrate to West Northamptonshire Council the involvement of residents in its setup and ongoing operation.

The motion was put to the vote with ten votes cast in favour of the proposal and none cast against, therefore the motion was carried.

In reaching its decision, the Committee considered the Case Officer’s report and presentation, the address of the public speaker, and the Committee Updates.  

Resolved

(1)  That authority be delegated to the Assistant Director – Planning and Development to complete the Deed of Variation to the extant Section 106 agreement pursuant to application S/2019/0037/MAO subject to:

1.    The removal of the obligations relating to:

a)    Affordable Housing

b)    Early Years Education

c)    Primary Education, and

d)  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14.

Report of the Assistant Director – Planning and Development

This report aims to keep members informed upon applications which have been determined by the Council and where new appeals have been lodged and appeal results achieved in the Northampton area wards covered by the Planning Committee – South.

Recommendations

The Committee is recommended:

1.1 To note the appeals list.

Resolved

(1)  That the position statement be noted.

The Committee received a list which set out applications which had been determined by the Council and where new appeals had been lodged, and appeal results achieved in the Northampton area wards covered by the South Planning Committee.

Resolved

(1)  That the position statement be noted.

The Chairman to advise whether they have agreed to any items of urgent business being admitted to the agenda.

There were no items of urgent business.