Agenda item

The Chairman introduced the next item of the meeting, item 6b, planning application 146831, for change of use to storage facility for 40 No. Caravans / motorhomes making use of and extending existing hardcore hardstand. Screen tree planting and hedge reinforcement planting and installation of key locked timber clad steel gates, hooped barriers and 2No. 3M high CCTV poles to cover the site plus a 38M x 2M security ditch and boundary wire mesh fence with timber posts, at land off Barton Street, Keelby, DN41 8EP.

The Development Management Team Leader informed Members of the Committee there were a few updates, which included a biodiversity net gain plan, with the summary of the findings being 0.07 biodiversity units. A short presentation on the application was then made.

The Chairman invited the first registered speaker, the Parish Council representative for Keelby Parish Council, Councillor Trevor Wright, to address the Committee.

Councillor Wright thanked the Chairman and the Committee for the opportunity to speak in support of the application. He highlighted that Keelby Parish Council had written a detailed letter of support and were able to further back the application through the recently approved Neighbourhood Plan. He expressed his disappointment that these positive statements had been discarded and the outcome of the report seemed only to focus on the classification of the land to be used. He proceeded to highlight which sections of the Neighbourhood Plan supported the application, referencing section one regarding small businesses, as well as sections within the Central Lincolnshire Local Plan, such as sections five and section eight, regarding enhancing the rural economy. He highlighted that there were existing non-arable businesses and stated the clear need within Keelby for the service provided by the application under consideration, with many residents using the site and many more on the waiting list. He highlighted the compound benefits of reduced congestion and on-road parking. He requested the Committee to reject the Officer recommendation, stating it would be a real shame if the influence of the Neighbourhood Plan came to nothing.

The Chairman thanked Councillor Wright for his time and invited the next speaker to address the Committee.

Members heard from the applicant, Joanne Calaby, that the land in question had been in her family for decades and used to be used to home goats that in turn provided milk to the local hospital, for those who had allergies to cows’ milk. She highlighted the history of the site for being community focussed and used for good, later becoming a donkey sanctuary and more recently providing allotment space for people in the village. She explained to the Committee that the land was also used by local groups such as the Scouts and Brownies, as well as being home to trees planted for the Platinum Jubilee and also a memorial orchard. Mrs Calaby explained that she had first allowed family to start using the land to store their caravans, this then escalated to other residents asking the same, as there had been increasing issues in the village with road side parking and congestion. She stated that they had the space, the security, and it made sense to make use of it. She highlighted that it had not been her intention to go against planning regulations, and that she had applied for permission at the point she had discovered she need to. She concluded her statement by highlighting that all she and her family had wanted to do through the years was help the community, and she requested the Committee grant the application.

The Chairman thanked the applicant and invited the final speaker, Ward Member Councillor Owen Bierley, to address the Committee.

Councillor Bierley thanked the Chairman and shared his thanks with Officers for an excellent report. He explained he was speaking on behalf of the Keelby community, and stated that they did not agree with the reasons put forward for refusal of the application. They did not believe the development was in the open countryside, nor did they believe that the site was detached from the body of the village. He described the layout of properties and streets in Keelby, highlighting how Keelby had traditionally been a service village, similar in a way to Caistor, and used to provide facilities for the surrounding rural villages. He noted that for those using the road where the site was located, if you were not aware of the site being there, it would not be noticed. Councillor Bierley highlighted to Committee that  this was an application for a change of use of a piece of land, it did not involve new construction or anything of that nature, and suggested that should permission be granted, it would be entirely appropriate for there to be a condition to revert the site back to previous state on the closure of the storage site. Additionally, there were no objections from statutory consultees, the representations that had been made during the consultation period were all very positive, and he sought for the Committee to approve the application.

The Chairman thanked the Ward Member for his statement and invited comments from Officers. The Development Management Team Leader explained that the comments were noted, and that the report detailed why the application did not meet the required policy requirements. The Chairman then invited comments from Members of the Committee.

There was significant debate regarding the rurality of the location and the need to balance the rural economy with the protection of the rural landscape. Given the retrospective nature of the application, a site visit was proposed in order to gain greater visual understanding of how the area was impacted by the change of use.

During the debate, a Member commented that the refusal hinged on S5 Part (e), which related to enhancement of the rural economy. In contrast to the Officer’s report, Members commented that it had clear economic benefit to the local population, with some loose links to nearby businesses. Members also stated that paragraph 84, section (b) of the National Planning Policy Framework facilitated the granting of the application through its effect on land based, rural tourism, with most of the use of the site being from residents.

Following clarification with the Legal Advisor, further conditions were proposed and the Officer clarified that biodiversity net gain provisions should be secured by a Section 106 legal agreement which was also set out in the applicant’s submission. It was also clarified that though the report made reference to the previous 2017 Central Lincolnshire Local Plan, this was a clerical error and it was noted that the report did reference the correct 2023 CLLP policies and numbering, and the Committee were making their decision based on the agreed 2023 Central Lincolnshire Local Plan.

With the Officer’s report and recommendation in mind, it was proposed and seconded that permission be granted contrary to the Officer’s recommendation. Another proposal to defer for a Planning Committee site visit was also proposed and seconded. The proposal to grant permission with conditions was made ‘whole’ with a valid proposer and seconder before the site visit proposition, so the Chairman took the vote on that proposition first.

The Chairman took the vote on the application, and it was unanimously agreed that approval to grant be delegated to Officers subject to the completion of a Section 106 agreement and imposition of conditions as read aloud by the Officer, in relation to proposed landscaping.