Agenda item

The Chairman introduced the next item, planning application 145735, which sought permission for the erection of 20 affordable dwellings on land to the south of Wesley Road, Cherry Willingham.  The proposed development comprised 4 one bedroomed bungalows, 10 two bedroomed houses and 6 three bedroomed houses.  The application had been brought before the Committee for determination as it was a re-submission of planning application 142360 which had also been considered by the Committee.

The Chairman invited the Planning Officer to present the report, concerning which there were no updates.  The report detailed the background to the site and summarised the previous consideration given to development on this site.

The Chairman welcomed the agent for the applicant, Mr. James Collins, who addressed the Committee along the following lines:-

“My name is James Collins and I am speaking on behalf of the applicant, Cherry Tree Homes.  The proposal is for an entry level exception site for 20 affordable homes which meet the requirements of paragraph 71 of the NPPF.  The application is a re-submission following the refusal of a planning application for 21 affordable homes on the same site in November 2021. 

The proposed scheme for affordable homes demonstrates exceptional reasons to justify the granting of a residential scheme in such a location.  The proposal will help to meet the identified unmet need for affordable housing in the Cherry Willingham area in response to the West Lindsey housing register.

We have prepared a Section 106 agreement to ensure that the site is designated for affordable houses only.  The 106 agreement has been agreed with the Council.

The layout, scale and density of the proposed scheme complies with the relevant design principles from the Cherry Willingham Neighbourhood Plan and policies LP17 and 26 of the Central Lincolnshire Local Plan.

At the previous Planning Committee in November 21, Members had raised concerns over the roadway running through the previous Phases 1 and 2 of the site, suggesting it was unsuitable to support a third phase of residential development.  Further objections had suggested that the site is not in a sustainable location. The Committee had subsequently refused the application on the basis that the proposal does not prioritise safe, easy and direct pedestrian access, contrary to Policy D1 of the Cherry Willingham Neighbourhood Plan.

It is the view of the applicant and the consultant team that this reason for refusal is deeply unfair and is not justifiable for a number of reasons.  The existing roadway running through phases 1 and 2  has been designed to an adoptable standard to ensure safe and direct pedestrian and vehicular access.  As an adoptable road it is suitable for construction vehicles and the Highways Authority has accepted this.  The adoption agreement for the roads is nearing completion.

Concerns were also raised that the road network through phases 1 and 2 has many bends and that this makes the phase 3 site less accessible.  This is incorrect. The access routes through the previous phases have been designed in accordance with the manual for streets, which supports the use of bends and shared surfaces as this slows down traffic and provides different character areas which help pedestrians to orientate themselves through the site.

A planning application for 19 market-led houses on the same site was refused by the LPA in April 2016.  Whilst this application was dismissed at appeal, the Planning Inspector had determined that, for locational purposes, the site is acceptable for the development of residential housing. He went on to say that the appeal site is situated within an accessible and sustainable location for new development and would make a social contribution to the local housing market.

The existing network of roads and footpaths provide safe, easy and direct pedestrian access. There is, in fact, a continuous, safe footpath route from the phase 3 site into the centre of Cherry Willingham. In addition to this, a unilateral undertaking has been agreed with West Lindsey and the adjoining landowner to provide a public right of way from Green Lane, providing an additional, safe walking route to Cherry Willingham and the Local Highways Authority has supported the proposals, both for this planning application and the one refused at Committee in November 2021.

This is not a retirement or over 55 scheme. The 20 affordable housing units will be split into 70% affordable rented housing and 30% shared ownership affordable houses, as stated in the Section 106 agreement. The second reason for the refusal of the previous application was that a design and extension into the countryside would have an urbanising effect. It is our view that this is not a justifiable reason for refusal for the following reasons.  The layout scale and density of the proposed scheme closely matches that of the previous two residential phases to the north.  The scheme therefore complies with the relevant design principles of the Cherry Willingham Neighbourhood Plan and policies LP17 and LP26 of the Central Lincolnshire Local Plan.  However, as part of our re-submission we have amended the scheme, layout and density, reducing the number of units from 21 to 20.to facilitate a softer edge to the adjacent countryside.

In response to the Committee's previous comments, the same materials are proposed as the previous schemes. The application proposes a large net gain of boundary hedges and trees across the site. This softens the impact of the proposals from the surrounding area and further supports local ecology - all in accordance with LP17 and LP26 of the Central Lincolnshire Local Plan. We have added further soft landscaping in this re-submission to assimilate the development into the site and wider surroundings.  Bird and bat boxes have also been provided in accordance with the recommendations of the ecology report to further enhance this. Thank you all very much for your time and attention.”

The Chairman thanked Mr. Collins for his comments and opened the item up for debate by the Committee. 

Members mentioned the issue of the large number and variety of vehicular movements at this location and the road layout on the site itself. In a separate query, the case officer confirmed that there were no speed mitigations proposed.

Other comments made in relation to the application concerned the conditions for the occupation of the proposed dwellings, the materials proposed for the footpath, and the access/egress layout. In response to a query about the contour of the area, the case officer explained the site was relatively flat, and was fairly well elevated to the south of the site, rolling down to the Witham Valley.

In response to a question about the criteria for buying one of the proposed dwellings, the officer confirmed that this was to be in accordance with the Cherry Willingham Neighbourhood Plan regarding any requirements.

Some members felt that it was difficult to reach a conclusion in the absence of some greater knowledge of the site without a site visit, though a small amount noted the Parish Council’s support for the application with conditions attached. A site visit was proposed and seconded to see the extent of the development, access, the footpath near the site, and the impact on the existing properties.

Having been proposed, and seconded and, on taking the vote, it was

RESOLVED that the application be deferred for decision at the next available meeting, in order for a site visit to be undertaken.