Held online: Wednesday 12th August 2020, 7:30pm
Present: Councillors: Monica van Lienden (Chair), Joanne Akers (Vice-Chair), Chris Barron, Simeon Cole, Ruth Dolman, Heather Evans, Elizabeth Jordan, Sian Newbert, Bob Puzey, Bridget Vine
In attendance: Two members of the public.
1. Apologies: Cllr Chinn and Cllr Drummond
2. Declarations of interests:
• Cllr Barron and Cllr Vine declared a non-pecuniary interest in item 5.1.
• Cllr Dolman declared a non-pecuniary interest in item 5.2.
3. Minutes:
Subject to a minor grammatical change in item 4.1 it was resolved to adopt the minutes of the meeting on 29th July 2020 as a true record of the meeting. The Chair will sign the minutes when physical meetings are permitted.
4. Public Participation Session
4.1 There were no comments raised.
5. Planning:
5.1 190316F- Waters Edge, Sharman Pitch, Howle Hill, Ross-on-Wye – Erection of 8 dwellings and associated works
The Chair read out a summary of two letters of objection which had been received from local residents. It was noted that there were a huge number of documents associated with this application and it was quite confusing to determine the most recent documentation. It was also noted that this application was resubmission of a previous application and while there had been some minor amendments particularly with regard to visibility splays the application was largely unchanged. The application stated it was for 9 dwellings but the plans only showed 8 dwellings.
It was resolved to object to this application on the basis of the previous objection, the housing was out of character and inappropriate for the site.
5.2 P202184 – Land opposite Coombe Lodge, Leys Hill Road, Walford, Ross-on-Wye, HR9 5QU – Erection of two detached dwellings with access, landscaping, drainage and associated works.
It was noted that outline planning permission for two detached dwellings had previously been approved and this application was a submission for full planning permission. It was felt that the size of the dwellings was too large for the plot and while the design could be improved it was out of character compared to the other houses in the area. The following ecology comments were made for consideration:
• The developer has dumped a large mound of soil on the site which has been present for many months and is a perfect habitat for reptiles. This mound of soil should be included in the supervised removal of reptiles from the site prior to any further work commencing.
• The developer has cut the length of the hedgerow bordering the site to ground which has failed to regrow in most part. The resulting bare mound of roots and dry soil is again a perfect habitat fo reptiles and small mammals and should be included in the supervised removal of wildlife from the site
• The outline planning proposal on which this planning was granted included an area defined as a ‘wildlife refuge’. This has disappeared from the detailed planning proposal. This should be reinstated to ensure wildlife pockets in the local area as this is a greenfield development.
It was resolved to object to this application for the reasons outlined.
6. Confidential Closed Session
This item was postponed
7. Next meeting: Wednesday 19th August 2020 at 7.30pm – online
The meeting closed at 1950