Agenda item

Outline application for residential development (up to 3.no dwellings) including associated works with all matters reserved.

Land adjacent to The Farm  Laceys Lane  Leverton  Boston  PE22 0BD

Mr and Mrs Oliver and Payne

Outline application for residential development (up to 3 no. dwellings) including associated works with all matters reserved.

Land adjacent to The Farm, Laceys Lane, Leverton, Boston, PE22 7BD.

Mr & Mrs Oliver and Payne

Prior to receiving the report presentation the Interim Development Manager

addressed the committee:

Members were advised that the same sets of issues applied to the application as had applied to the previous one.  The village in repsect of this application was a slightly smaller service base than Bicker and as such the same issues and questions in respect of sustainability and the Inpsectors decision applied.  The issue of the way the Inspector treated the reserve matters was not a matter on this application.  The implication for future decision making in respect of the weight to be given to the policies in the emerging South East Lincolnshire Local Plan where the settlement heriarchy was different, and the development policies were different again, and as such were relevant.  The implications broadly with the exception of the ones detailing the mitigation measures on the site itself, were the same for this application as for Bicker, so again committee were urged to defer ths applicaiton for approproate legal advice to be taken.

The Senior Planning Officer presented the report to the committee and offered

no updates to the report tabled.

Representation was received by the applicant’s agent Mr Wicks which included

the following:

Members were asked to recognise that it was clear the application had similar characteristics to the previous applications so recently supported by committee at both Old Leake Commonside and Fosdyke.

It was also clear from the agenda that both he and Lisa agreed that, forgetting the definition of sustainability for a moment, the proposal removed ugly functional agricultural buildings and the site that could satisfactorily accomodate sensibly designed residential development on a natural infil site within the village boundary. It would not have a harmful effect on the appearance of the area. There were no highway concerns, flood risk had been resolved with the Environment Agency and importantly Leverton Parish Council had no objection to the proposal.  That only left sustainability which was only part of the Bicker appeal.  Firstly Leverton still had only limited services because of limited growth in the village which could be  a reason why services had left the village.  Further infill growth would only help to retain the existing services.  The church, the village shop and the leisure centre which he had been advised was very busy.  The shop was only 250 metres from the application site. Sustainabilty had been clarified in the appeal decision with the Inspector which he noted simply matched the adopted local plan situation at North Kesteven.  The appeal reinforced the committee’s recent infill decisions.  There was a regular bus service along the main road for access to services at Old Leake and Boston and it was exactly the same distance from the application site to Old Leake, as the distance between Bicker and Donington in the previous application.   The NPPF advised it was acceptable if development in one village could help and adjacent village.  There was local support for 3 good sized family dwellings in a sustainable location with a supporter noting the development would bring life to the village and maintain its facilites and furthermore the Parish Council supported the development.

The Interim Development Manager tabled addressed the meeting at this point:

He reaffirmed previous comments that members needed to be consistant in their decion making.  There were two issues on the table arising from this appeal decison that needed to be investigated relating to sustainability and the weight to be placed  to the local emerging plan, both of which applied to the application under consideration and the previous one.  Furthermore  as a point of information committee were advised on an update on the current land supply and advised that the policy team had just published the updated March 31^st 2018 housing land supply data.  The pessimistic ‘Sedgefield Method’ which was the higher method provided over a five year supply whilst the more optimistic long term ‘Liverpool Method’ provided 4.3 years.   The Council was moving rapildly back towards a five year housing land supply and were not in the situation which arose at the Middlegate Road appeal where it had been alledged that the Council only had as little as 1.6 years. Housing land supply should not be an issue in this case it should be a matter of being consistent with the last decision in deferring this application for one month to permit legal advice to be taken to ensure committe’s decision making was robust.

It was moved by Councillor Jonathan Noble and seconded by Councillor Peter Bedford that the application be granted contrary to officer recommendation and subject to planning conditions.

Vote:      In Favour:    4            Against:  7

It was moved by Councillor Michael Cooper and seconded by Councillor James Edwards that the application be deferred for a period of 1 month to permit legal advice to be taken in respect of the Appeal Decision and that committee delegate any decision in respect of Judicial Review to the Solicitor of the Council in liaison with the Planning Committee Chairman.

Vote:      In Favour:    7            Against:  1                 Abstention(s):  3

RESOLVED:    That the committee agree to defer the application for a period of 1 month to permit legal advice to be taken in respect of the Appeal Decision and that the committee delegate any decision in respect of Judicial Review to the Solicitor of the Council in liaison with the Planning Committee Chairman.