Agenda and minutes

This meeting is to be webcast and the Chairman will read the following announcement:

“I would like to remind everyone present that this hybrid meeting will be broadcast live to the internet (or filmed) and will be capable of repeated viewing (or other such use by third parties). Therefore by participating in this 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 any public speakers on Microsoft Teams do not wish to have their image captured they should ensure that their video setting throughout the 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.

Members are reminded to activate their microphones before speaking.”

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

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 the Committee noted the advice provided for the public and speakers in attendance at meetings of the Council’s planning committees.

To be announced at the meeting.

To report non-attendance before the meeting, please use the Members Portal webpage to ensure your query is properly logged.

Alternatively, you can access the Members portal from the front page of the Council’s website, at the bottom under ‘Contact Us’.

In the absence of the Vice-Chairman, who had given his apologies for the meeting, the Chairman invited nominations for Vice-Chairman.

            Resolved:

(1)        That Cllr K Williamson be appointed Vice-Chairman for the duration of the meeting.

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)        Cllr J Lucas for Cllr T Matthews;

(b)        Cllr JPhilip for Cllr I Hadley; and

(c)        Councillor C P Pond for Councillor H Kauffman.

To declare interests in any item on the agenda.

a)          Pursuant to the Council’s Members’ Code of Conduct, Cllr  S Heather declared a personal interest in the following item of the agenda by virtue of being  member of the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority. The Councillor had determined that the interest was non-pecuniary and he would remain in the meeting for the consideration of the application and voting thereon:

·       EPF/2601/22 – Land to the South and East of the Former Chimes Garden Centre, Nazeing.

b)             Pursuant to the Council’s Members’ Code of Conduct, Cllr  J Philip declared a personal interest in the following item of the agenda by virtue of his Portfolio as a Cabinet member included responsibility for the client side of Qualis. The Councillor had determined that his interest weas non-pecuniary and he would remain in the meeting for the consideration of the application and voting thereon:

·       EPF/2913/22 – Former Pyrles Lane Nursery, Pyrles Lane, Loughton.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 13February 2024.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 13 February 2024 be taken as read and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

To identify and agree requirements for formal site visits to be held with regard to any planning application listed in this agenda, prior to consideration of the application.

There were no requests for a site visit at any of the application sites being considered at the meeting.

The Planning Officer reported that this application had been referred to the Committee for a decision by the Area Planning Sub-Committee West, at its meeting held on 21 February 2024.

The Committee agreed with the Planning Officer’s assessment in the report that the very special circumstances advanced by the applicant did not outweigh the identified harms to the Metropolitan Green Belt from this development. In addition, it was felt that there was sufficient land available elsewhere within the District, as identified by the adopted Local Plan, for such a development. It was also noted that the proposed affordable housing provision was significantly below the level that should be provided for this site.

            Decision:

            The application was refused for the reasons set out in the Officer report.

The meeting was adjourned at 7.45pm to allow Members to take a comfort break.

The meeting was reconvened at 7.50pm.

The Committee noted the concerns expressed by the local Ward Members in relation to this application; in particular, the effects that the development would have on neighbouring residents and the adjacent Community garden, possible highways safety issues at the entrance to the site, and a requested increase in the proposed Section 106 Legal Agreement monies.

The Committee felt that condition 25 should be revised, such that the materials to be used in the construction of the external surfaces of the development should be submitted to the Local Planning Authority for approval prior to development. In addition, given the highways concerns raised by the local Ward Members, the Committee also believed that the Construction Method Statement (CMS) should be amended such that vehicles accessing the site should not turn right across the oncoming traffic during the construction phase.

            Decision:

The application was granted planning permission, subject to the following revisions:

(1)        Condition 25 to include the submission to, and approval by, the Local Planning Authority of the materials to be used for the external surfaces prior to development; and

(2)        the Construction Method Statement to also prohibit construction vehicles from turning right into the site across the oncoming traffic.

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.