Agenda and minutes

An apology for absence was received from Councillor Russell Jackson.

Councillor Simon Fawthrop declared a personal interest in Item 5 as an employee of British Telecom.

As a matter arising from the Minutes, the Chief Planner referred to Item 7b (page 10) - Options Paper for Gypsies & Travellers and Travelling Showpeople.  He reported that as requested by Members, a letter had been sent from the Chairman to local MPs and the Secretary of State outlining their views with regard to the provision of sites for gypsies, travellers and travelling showmen and the protection of Green Belt land.

RESOLVED that the Minutes of the meeting held on 28 June 2012 be confirmed and signed as a true record.

In accordance with the Council’s Constitution, questions to this Committee must be received in writing 4 working days before the date of the meeting.  Therefore please ensure questions are received by the Democratic Services Team by 5pm on Friday 20 July 2012.

No questions were received.

The Committee considered the Chief Planner’s reports on the following planning applications:-

Oral representations in support of the application were received from Mr Martin Bellinger, agent on behalf of the applicant.

Mr Bellinger raised the following points:-

•  In-depth consultation had been undertaken with the local community incorporating community planning days, feedback from consultees, one-to-one meetings and the use of social media and dedicated web sites.

•  The applicant’s aim was to create a high quality development which complimented the surrounding area.

Referring to concerns raised by Members at the site visit on 14 July 2012, Mr Bellinger reported the following:-

•  Subsequent to the visit, the applicant’s architects had examined the layout of the parking provision and were confident that further parking spaces could be provided which would have no impact on the current scheme.

•  The anticipated off-site housing contribution in the form of a S106 Agreement had been negotiated with officers and an amicable solution had been reached.

•  A further financial contribution could be made to the Local Authority to facilitate finding alternative employment sites within the Borough.

Members were informed that an average of 2 personal parking bays would be allocated to each property within the southern apartments and 1 parking space (the minimum required by the Local Authority) allocated to each of the smaller affordable housing units.  Councillor Fawthrop was pleased to note that parking issues had been resolved.

Having received confirmation that the applicant would be agreeable to the removal of permitted development rights for the site, Councillor Fawthrop moved and Members agreed, that a condition in this regard be added to the existing conditions if the application were to be granted.

Mr Bellinger confirmed to Members that a significant number of trees on the site would be retained with the removal of just two Category C trees.  A full survey had been undertaken with which the Tree Officer had agreed.  The layout of the development included a significant amount of landscaping including the provision  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15.

In May 2012, the Local Development Plan Advisory Panel (LDPAP) agreed that work undertaken in preparation of the Core Strategy be incorporated into a Bromley Local Plan to comply with the Government’s Planning Reforms.  At a Development Control Committee Meeting also held in May 2012, Members considered and agreed the preferred strategy and options in relation to housing, gypsies and travellers and the Green Belt which would form the major part of the Living in Bromley section of the Local Plan.  Members were now requested to agree the preferred strategy and options with regard to the remaining main theme areas of the Local Plan.  In early September, the draft Options and Preferred Strategy document would be reported to the Executive and approval would be sought for a six-week public consultation period.

Each option was considered as follows:-

Appendix A - Living in Bromley

Options 1a-1b - Councillor Ince was unsure of the suggested preferred option as areas within his Ward (Cray Valley West) would require regeneration rather than renewal.  The Head of Planning Strategy and Projects responded that Option 1 was preferred as it encompassed a broader range of areas.

Options 2a-2b - No comments.

Option 3 - No comments.

Appendix B - Supporting Communities

“Bromley 2030 Vision”, third line: - The word ‘choice’ should be replaced with a suitable alternative.

Options 1-1a - No comments.

Option 2 - No comments.

Option 3 - No comments.

Option 4 - One Member queried whether the recently acquired cemetary at Sidcup By Pass would create sufficient capacity without the need to seek further sites.  It was reported that advice given by officers was that further sites would be required over the lifetime of the plan.

Paragraph headed ‘Options for Education’ (page 16) - as the initial paragraph did not include reference to selective schools, the words ‘Academies and Free Schools’ should be deleted

Options 5-5b - With regard to Option 5b, the Chief Planner reported that the Local Authority would not be able to decide which educational establishments took on certain sites.

Option 6 - No comments.

Option 7 - No comments.

Options 8a-8b  - No comments.

Option 9 - No comments.

Option 10 - No comments.

Paragraph headed ‘Development Management Policies’ (page 17) - With regard to specific protections for facilities important to local communities, Councillor Michael suggested that libraries be added to the list.

It was also reported that at a meeting of the Local Development Framework Advisory Panel, Members had requested that the heading ‘Development Management Policies’ be changed to ‘Development Control Policies’.

Appendix C - Getting Around - Working Draft

Policy Options - Visions

-  Amend first sentence to read: ‘Moving around the borough is easier due to reduced road congestion and improved public and private transport networks.’.

-  5^th line, amend sentence to read along the lines of: ‘Any new development might where appropriate, include electric vehicle charging points and there are more car clubs, increasing choices for local people.’.

2^nd paragraph, page 20 -  ...  view the full minutes text for item 16.