Agenda item

(17/02468/CONDT8) - St Hugh's Playing Fields, Bickley Road, Bromley

Decision:

DEFERRED

Minutes:

Description of Application: Details of conditions submitted in relation to planning permission ref: 17/02468/FULL1: Condition 24—Community Use Agreement.

 

The Development Management Area Team Leader (Victoria Wood) commenced with a brief outline of the application and the details of the proposed community use agreement. There were no external floodlights and so activities would be constrained by the hours of daylight. All car parking on site would be available for the community users. She explained that the Community Use Agreement had been supported by Sports England and that no technical objections had been received. The Development Management Area Team Leader concluded by stating that it was recommended that the condition be discharged.

 

Oral representations in support and in objection to the application were received on the night.

 

Ward Councillor Kira Gabbert asked Jill Wyman (Chief Operating Officer for Bullers Wood School) what the outcome was of recent negotiations with residents. Councillor Gabbert expressed the view that with 128 objections it seemed that the agreement was not balanced as was claimed. Ms Wyman responded that the discussions were held as late as the Sunday before the meeting and that there were still unresolved issues that she had offered to take back to the Trust Board. She said that the issues raised were issues that had been raised previously.

 

Councillor Gabbert asked if more time was required for discussions with local residents. Ms Wyman responded that she was always happy to take back the concerns of local residents to the Trust Board and other stakeholders. She did not agree that more time was required for further discussions as all of the concerns being raised had been raised in the past.

 

The Leader and Ward Councillor Colin Smith spoke at the meeting. Councillor Smith stated that he had come to speak to support residents for a deferral of the application to allow more time for a conciliatory position to be reached via further dialogue. He mentioned that in the planning report there was reference to three other school sites where similar user agreements to the one being sought by the school had been granted. He expressed the view that such a comparison was inappropriate as each planning application had to be considered on its own merits. Councillor Smith requested that the application be deferred to allow more time for conciliatory talks to continue. 

 

The Chairman pointed out that all options were open to Members in terms of voting, but if the application was deferred then a notice could be sought seeking that the Council make a decision within a specified time period which was normally 14 days. The Development Management Area Team Leader confirmed that this was the case and the 14 day period would be based on when the request letter was submitted to the Council. If this decision could not then be determined at a planning committee due to time constraints, then it would need to be made under delegated powers.

 

Ward Councillor Kira Gabbert moved for Deferral.

 

The Deferral was seconded by Councillor Sharma.

 

Members having considered the report, objections and representations, RESOLVED that the application be DEFERRED to seek further consideration of/reduction in the hours of community use within the Community Use Agreement.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supporting documents: