Agenda item

Land At Kane Close Coalville Leicestershire LE67 3RF

The Principal Planning Officer presented the report to Members.

Councillor J Geary, Ward Member, addressed the meeting.  He referred to his knowledge and understanding of the Snibston site gained during the last 17 years of his working life.  He also referred to the previous application which had been approved in September 2011.  He commented that he would have expected this application to be the same, however there were radical changes to the layout.  He reminded Members that the previous site was larger and had permission for 21 dwellings; however this smaller site was seeking permission for 24 dwellings.  He asked whether this was acceptable.  He made reference to the concerns raised in respect of the dwellings bordering a scheduled monument site and the overbearing impact that this could have unless the development was linked into the monument site.  He added that the dwellings bordering the scheduled monument site should be single storey.  He referred to the request that the layout of the site be discussed with the Coalville Ward Members and he hoped that such a condition would be made to ensure that the developer discussed the proposals with Members in order to reach an acceptable scheme.  He expressed concerns regarding surface drainage and requested a condition regarding the future maintenance of the ditch, which was already becoming heavily silted.  He added that the issues around the joint ownership of the ditch needed to be resolved.

Councillor J Bridges moved that the application be permitted in accordance with the Head of Planning and Regeneration.  This was seconded by Councillor N Smith.

Councillor A Bridges referred to the problems she had experienced in her area regarding surface drainage issues.  She added that it would be positive to establish who owned what and how the run-off water would be dealt with.

Councillor R Johnson commented that the application seemed to change every so often and had been amended as recently as yesterday.  He added that 21 dwellings was acceptable to the developer in 2011, and questioned why this was not the case now.  He commented that the developer seemed to want to squash in as much as possible and it was not acceptable that people were living in boxes.  He added that he hoped a condition was included to ensure that Ward Members were consulted.  He questioned why there was no provision for a play area.  He expressed concerns that the plans kept changing.

Councillor J Legrys stated that he shared Councillor R Johnson’s concerns about the changing plans and expressed his disappointment that the plans before Members differed to those on the Council’s website and the boundary which had been discussed at the briefing.  He called for accuracy.  He made reference to the previous permission and the minutes of that meeting which commented on the lack of consultation at that time.  He added that the issue of Snibston would be very sensitive in the coming days.

The Chairman reminded Members that what was under discussion was the land in the ownership of East Midlands Housing Group.

Councillor J Legrys commented that East Midlands Housing Group had made it clear that they did not intend to build beyond the wall.  He called for a proper consultation with Ward Members.  He expressed concerns regarding the noise complaints from the dwellings along the boundary and added that he did not want to see two or three storey dwellings along that side.  He added however that the land had already been sold and it was preferable to deal with the application properly rather than to seek a refusal.  He sought reassurance from officers that Ward Members would be properly consulted and would have some influence over the reserved matters.

The Chairman referred to the condition set out in the report in respect of surface drainage.  He added that a note to the applicant would be included in respect of consultation with Ward Members on the layout of the scheme.  He added that the houses were very much needed in the area and he hoped Members would support the application.

Councillor M Specht stated that personally he was not a big believer in play areas.  He commented that the proposed development was wholly affordable and was much needed in Coalville and the whole district.  He added that he would be supporting the application.

Councillor J Bridges stated that he believed all the concerns raised had been addressed in conditions 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7.

The Chairman then put the motion to permit the application to the vote.  It was

RESOLVED THAT:

The application be permitted in accordance with the recommendation of the Head of Planning and Regeneration.