Agenda and minutes

(Corporate Communications Manager) This meeting is to be webcast. On behalf of the Chairman, the Democratic Services Officer will read the following announcement:

“I would like to remind everyone present that this meeting will be broadcast live to the internet (or filmed) and will be capable of repeated viewing (or another use by third parties).

If you are seated in the lower public seating area then it is likely that the recording cameras will capture your image and this will result in the possibility that your image will become part of the broadcast.

This may infringe your human and data protection rights and if you wish to avoid this then you should move to the upper public gallery.

Could I please also remind Members to activate their microphones before speaking”.

On behalf of the Chairman, the Senior Democratic Services Officer 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.

(Democratic Services Manager) 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 in relation to the determination of applications for planning permission. The Committee noted the advice provided for the public and speakers in attendance at meetings of the Council’s planning committees.

(Democratic Services Manager) 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 McIvor for Councillor Hadley.

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

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

(Democratic Services Manager) To confirm the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 27 March 2019.

            Resolved:

(1)          That the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 27 March 2019 be taken as read and signed by the Chairman as a correct record, subject to the following amendment:

(a)             that minute 48 be amended to read “It was noted that there was no other urgent business for consideration by the Committee.”

(Service Director – Planning Services) 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 Director (Planning Services) 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 Director - Planning Services) To consider the attached report for the erection of 2 dormer roof windows to the front elevation and 3 dormer roof windows to the rear elevation; this application was referred from Area Planning Sub-Committee East on 7 August 2019 (EPF/0869/19).

The Service Director (Planning Services) presented a report on the proposed erection of two dormer roof windows to the front elevation and three dormer roof windows to the rear elevation at Clasper House in Hemnall Street, Epping. The Committee was informed that this application had been referred from Area Plans Sub-Committee East on 7 August 2019 via a minority reference after the Officer recommendation to grant planning permission had been lost.

The Service Director stated that the site contained a two-storey commercial building, which was located to the east of Hemnall Street within the town of Epping. The building on the site was not listed, and neither was the site within the Metropolitan Green Belt although it was within the Epping Conservation Area. The proposal was to install two dormer roof windows to the front of the existing roof slope and three dormer windows to the rear of the existing roof slope.

Planning Officers had originally concluded that the design was acceptable, would not cause significant harm to the living conditions of neighbours, and therefore the proposal was recommended for approval. However, the Sub-Committee had felt that the proposed dormer windows would be out of keeping in this locality and out of character to the detriment of the Conservation Area, as well as resulting in a loss of privacy caused by the overlooking of other residential properties in Hemnall Street. Consequently, the Officer recommendation to grant planning permission had been lost.

The Service Director informed the Committee that revised plans for this proposal had been submitted since the application was considered by Area Plans Sub-Committee East, which swapped the obscured glazing from the rear dormer windows to the front dormer windows. This effectively dealt with the loss of privacy issue as there would now be no overlooking from the front dormer windows if they were obscured.

The Committee noted the summary of representations received in respect of this application, including two objections from neighbouring properties and a strong objection from Epping Town Council. The Committee heard from an Objector and the Applicant’s Agent before proceeding to debate the application.

There were some Councillors who expressed reservations about the application. Councillor H Brady reminded the Committee that the application site was in the Conservation Area with a smaller two-storey building behind along with a terrace of small Victorian houses. If five dormer roof windows were built then Clasper House would become a large, unattractive three-storey building which would be very noticeable. The Councillor felt that the vote at Area Plans Sub-Committee East to refuse the application was correct. Councillor J H Whitehouse added that any development in the Conservation Area should enhance the surroundings, but the construction of the dormer roof windows would add bulk to the building, and therefore he expected to vote against the application. Councillor Kauffman felt that the proposed development would be overbearing and of no real benefit to the area.

However, Councillor Mohindra stated that he had attended the site visit, noticed that several neighbouring buildings  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

(Democratic Services Manager) 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.

The Committee noted that there was no other urgent business for consideration at the meeting.

Exclusion

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

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.