Agenda item

To consider the report of the Director of Strategy, Performance and Governance (copy enclosed, Members’ Update to be circulated)*.

The Officer presented their report to the Committee.

Councillor J V Keyes declared a non-pecuniary interest in this item as he was a Member of Great Totham Parish Council, and commented on the size of the hardstanding with relation to his experience as a HGV driver.  Councillor J V Keyes proposed that the application be approved in accordance with the Officer’s recommendation.

A short discussion ensured with Member’s commenting on the use of horse boxes at the site, that there was no horses on the land at present and the impact this could have on neighbouring properties.

Councillor E L Bamford commented on there being three separate stables sited on the same lane, the impact on neighbouring properties, and that the application was not in keeping with the Local Development Plan, specifically policies D1, S2, and S8.  Councillor E L Bamford made the proposal that the application be refused, contrary to the Officer’s recommendation, for the aforementioned reasons, and this was duly seconded.

Following a brief discussion where Member’s questioned the length of time vehicles were stored at the site, that the shipping container was not in keeping with the street scene, and voiced disproval at the application being retrospective.

The Development Management Team Leader advised the Committee that ancillary vehicles in keeping with the use of the land can not have parking restrictions applied and the applicant could be made aware that permission would be required to retain the container.

The Chairman put the recommendation of refusal, contrary to the Officer’s recommendation, to the Committee and upon a vote being taken the proposal was rejected.

The Chairman then put the Officer’s recommendation of approval to the Committee, subject to the variation of Condition 2 to remove “equestrian buildings and” from the last line, and upon a vote being taken the recommendation was agreed.

RESOLVED that the application be APPROVED subject to the following conditions:

1.               The stables hereby permitted shall be used solely for the private stabling of horses shall not be used for business or commercial use including for the purposes of livery and no riding school activity shall take place at the site.

2.               The use of the stables hereby permitted shall cease and all equipment and materials brought onto the land for the purposes of such use shall be removed within three months of the date of failure to meet any one of the requirements set out in (i) to (iv) below.

(i)   within 3 months of the date of this decision details of the arrangements for the storage, drainage and disposal of manure, bedding and liquid animal wastes shall have been submitted for the written approval of the local planning authority and the scheme shall include a timetable for its implementation;

(ii)    if within 11 months of the date of this decision the local planning authority refuse to approve the scheme or fail to give a decision within the prescribed period, an appeal shall have been made to, and accepted as validly made by the Secretary of State;

(iii)  if an appeal is made in pursuance of (ii) above, that appeal shall have been finally determined and the submitted scheme shall have been approved by the Secretary of State, or;

(iv)  the approved scheme shall have been carried out and completed in accordance with the approved timetable.

3.               No floodlighting or other external form of illumination of the site shall be installed without the prior written approval of the local planning authority.

4.               There shall be no burning of animal or stable waste anywhere on the site as shown edged in red on the Location Plan hereby approved.

INFORMATIVE:  The applicant is hereby advised that the storage container currently at the site is not part of the planning permission hereby granted and should therefore be removed unless an application for its retention is submitted and approved.