Agenda item
24/00115/FUL 9 Charterville Close, Minister Lovell, Witney.
Minutes:
James Nelson, Principal Planner, introduced the application for the proposal of a dropped kerb and hard standing for off street parking.
The Principal Planner provided a presentation to the Sub-Committee drawing attention to the following:
- The application site related to a mid-terraced dwelling house within the residential area of Minster Lovell;
- The proposed hardstanding was to be on an existing parcel of green space forward of the front elevation of the dwelling house outside of the residential curtilage and the kerb was to be dropped the full 2.5m. The existing pathways were to remain as existing, and the hard standing was to be a grass mat hard standing to replicate the existing grassed verge;
- The site did not fall within any areas of special designated control and therefore the main considerations of the application were the impacts of the proposed development on the visual amenity, residential amenity, parking provision and highway safety.
Steve Jones addressed the Sub-Committee as the applicant.
The Principal Planner continued with their presentation which clarified the following points:
- There was an objection received from 11 Charterville Close;
- Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) Highways had been consulted on the application due to the change in parking provision and the change of use of land. OCC Highways stated that the proposed parking space was on a public highway and as a result could not be reserved for the sole use of the applicant. OCC Highways also stated that the proposal did not comply with OCC’s dropped kerb guidance but would not demonstrate sufficient harm in terms of highway safety. As a result, OCC Highways had raised no objections in regard to highways safety and convenience subject to relevant conditions and informative;
- Officers noted the comments made by OCC Highways and noted that as stated, planning permission was not required for the dropped kerb but in any event, fell under the agreement between the applicant and OCC Highways. The hardstanding proposed would alleviate an element of parking concerns in the locality and would not result in unacceptable highway safety harm. On this basis, the scheme was considered acceptable and complied with policy T4 of the West Oxfordshire Local Plan;
- The proposed dropped kerb and hard standing for off street parking would be visible on the street scene, however it was considered that the proposed works would not give rise to adverse impacts in regard to visual amenity as there was still a softening between the verge and the dwelling house in form of the front garden. Therefore, it was considered that the proposal would not give rise to any adverse impacts in regard to visual amenity;
- Officers were of the opinion that the proposal would not give rise to any adverse impacts in regard to neighbouring amenity. There was no built form that would result in overshadowing, overlooking, loss of light or privacy.
The Chair invited the Sub-Committee to discuss the application, which raised the following points:
- Issues of biodiversity regarding the loss of the grass verge – The Principal Planner confirmed that the application was exempt from biodiversity due to its size and scale.
- Further questions were raised on the loss of the access point for parking from the neighbour and on the requirement of West Oxfordshire District Council to follow the local plan guidance from Oxfordshire County Council regarding car parking spaces – The Principle Planner suggested that the existing grass area provided access as opposed to the verge and that in regards to the local plan question, the car parking in this case was not solely for the use of the applicant and that OCC Highways had not objected, therefore it was felt refusal of the application on these grounds was not sufficient;
- Queries were raised as to how this application would impact the character of the properties in the area – The Principal Planner referenced the 2017 approval of a similar application and explained that this would have set a precedent;
- Members commented regarding how the applicant had made efforts to mitigate the green issues by using hard standing instead of tarmac, that parking on the verge and churning up the grass was not ideal. Members also stated that biodiversity had become a more known subject since 2017 and that if all the green verges were changed to parking areas within the close, it would not be just one small area and may indeed affect biodiversity.
Councillor Andy Goodwin proposed that the application be approved, in line with Officer recommendations. This was seconded by Councillor Michele Mead and was put to a vote. There were 11 votes in favour, 1 vote against and 1 abstention. The vote was carried.
The Sub-Committee Resolved to:
1. Approve the application in line with Officer recommendations.