Agenda and minutes

This virtual meeting is to be webcast. Members are reminded of the need to unmute before speaking.

The Chairman will read the following announcement:

“I would like to remind everyone present that this virtual meeting will be broadcast live to the internet (or filmed) and will be capable of repeated viewing (or another use by such third parties). Therefore by participating in this virtual meeting, you are consenting to being filmed and to the possible use of those images and sound recordings for webcasting and/or training purposes. If members of the public do not wish to have their image captured they should ensure that their video setting throughout the virtual meeting is turned off and set to audio only.

Please also be aware that if technical difficulties interrupt the meeting that cannot be overcome, I may need to adjourn the meeting.”

On behalf of the Chairman, the Team Manager for Democratic & Electoral Services reminded everyone present that the virtual meeting would be broadcast live to the internet and would be capable of repeated viewing, which could infringe their human and data protection rights.

(Team Manager – Democratic & Electoral Services) General advice for those persons attending the meeting of the Committee is attached as an Appendix to this agenda.

The Chairman welcomed members of the public to the meeting and outlined the procedures and arrangements adopted by the Council to enable persons to address the Committee. The Committee noted the advice provided for the public and speakers in attendance at meetings of the Council’s planning committees.

(Team Manager – Democratic & Electoral Services) To report the appointment of any substitute members for the meeting.

The Committee was advised that the following substitute members had been appointed for the meeting:

(a)         Councillor A Beales for Councillor C C Pond.

(Monitoring Officer) To declare interests in any item on the agenda.

No declarations of interest were made by members of the Committee, pursuant to the Council’s Code of Member Conduct.

(Team Manager – Democratic & Electoral Services) To confirm the minutes of the meetings of the Committee held on 21 December 2020 and 20 January 2021 (attached).

RESOLVED:

(1)          That the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 21 December 2020 be taken as read and signed by the Chairman as a correct record, subject to one amendment whereby Cllr H Brady was informed by the Committee that the Corporation of London had objected to this application;

(2)          That the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 20 January 2021 be taken as read and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

(Service Manager – Development Management) A Planning Policy Briefing Note (March 2018) has been produced by the Planning Policy Team to ensure that a consistent approach is taken to the provision of planning policy advice for the District, particularly in relation to the Epping Forest District Local Plan Submission Version, which was published on 18 December 2017.

The primary purpose of the Planning Policy Briefing Note is to inform the development management process and to provide assistance for Development Management Officers, Councillors, applicants and planning agents. The Planning Policy Briefing Note is available at:

http://www.efdclocalplan.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Planning-Policy-Briefing-Note_Mar-2018.pdf

The Service Manager for Development Management reminded the Committee that a briefing note had been prepared to ensure that a consistent approach was taken to the provision of planning policy advice, following the publication of the Epping Forest District Local Plan Submission Version on 18 December 2017. Members were advised that the primary purpose of the briefing note was to inform development management activities and to provide assistance for councillors, officers, applicants, planning agents and other persons involved in the development management process.

RESOLVED:

(1)          That the Planning Policy Briefing Note for the Epping Forest District Local Plan Submission Version, be noted.

(Service Manager – Development Management) To consider the attached report for the demolition of derelict glasshouse and sundry structures, erection of 50 bed care home with associated ancillary parking and landscaping. (Resubmission of approved EPF/1907/10).

The Principal Planning Officer, G Courtney, presented a report for the demolition of a derelict Glasshouse and sundry structures, and the erection of a 50-bed care home with associated ancillary parking and landscaping; this planning application was a re-submission of the previously approved application EPF/1907/10. This application had been considered by Area Planning Sub-Committee West at its meeting held on 2 December 2020. The application had been recommended for refusal by Officers, however the Sub-Committee voted to grant planning consent and as this decision was contrary to planning policy, it had been presented to this Committee for a final decision. The recommendation of the Sub-Committee was to approve this planning application, subject to conditions and a Section 106 Legal Agreement to secure an appropriate contribution to address the impact on air quality from additional vehicle movements through the Special Area of Conservation (SAC) within Epping Forest.

G Courtney stated that the application site, located to the south of Oakley Hall, was largely disused with remains of glasshouses on the western half and open ground on the eastern half. The site had evidently not been used for horticultural purposes for a considerable period of time. The site and surrounding land were all within the Metropolitan Green Belt, with the Nazeing and South Roydon Conservation Area to the east of the site and glasshouses to the south of the site.

Planning Officers had originally concluded that the site had failed a number of key tests for exceptions to the Green Belt Policy, and had felt that to approve the development would undermine wider Green Belt protection in the area. It was acknowledged that planning permission for this site had been granted in 2010, but planning permissions were only valid for a period of three years to allow possible consideration of changing planning requirements. This site was considered for allocation as part of the Local Plan but other sites were considered better suited to provide this type of accommodation, which were not in semi-rural Green Belt locations and in more sustainable locations for transport. However, the Sub-Committee felt that this proposal was supported by the Parish Council and local people, and the very special circumstances was the need for a dementia care facility in the area where none currently existed. If the Committee was minded to ratify the decision of the Sub-Committee then the release of the planning permission would be deferred pending the resolution of a mitigation strategy for the impact of the development on air quality within the SAC.

G Courtney added that the proposed development was not intended as a specialist dementia care unit but a general care home, and if the Committee agreed with the Sub-Committee then the planning permission should relate specially to dementia care and not a general care home.

The Committee noted the summary of representations that had been received in respect of this application, which consisted of letters of support from the Parish Council and the local MP for the area. The Committee heard from  ...  view the full minutes text for item 69.

(Team Manager – Democratic & Electoral Services) Section 100B(4)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972 requires that the permission of the Chairman be obtained, after prior notice to the Chief Executive, before urgent business not specified in the agenda (including a supplementary agenda of which the statutory period of notice has been given) may be transacted.

It was noted that there was no other urgent business for consideration by the Committee.

Exclusion

(Team Manager – Democratic & Electoral Services) To consider whether, under Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public and press should be excluded from the meeting for the items of business set out below on grounds that they will involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in the following paragraph(s) of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act (as amended) or are confidential under Section 100(A)(2):

The Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006, which came into effect on 1 March 2006, requires the Council to consider whether maintaining the exemption listed above outweighs the potential public interest in disclosing the information. Any member who considers that this test should be applied to any currently exempted matter on this agenda should contact the proper officer at least 24 hours prior to the meeting.

Background Papers

(Team Manager – Democratic & Electoral Services) Article 17 (Access to Information) of the Constitution defines background papers as being documents relating to the subject matter of the report which in the Proper Officer's opinion:

(a)        disclose any facts or matters on which the report or an important part of the report is based;  and

(b)        have been relied on to a material extent in preparing the report and does not include published works or those which disclose exempt or confidential information and in respect of executive reports, the advice of any political advisor.

The Council will make available for public inspection one copy of each of the documents on the list of background papers for four years after the date of the meeting. Inspection of background papers can be arranged by contacting either the Responsible Officer or the Democratic Services Officer for the particular item.

The Committee noted that there was no business which necessitated the exclusion of the public and press from the meeting.