Agenda item
25/02878/FUL Land Between Upavon Way And Northwood Crescent, Carterton.
Minutes:
Clare Anscombe, Senior Planner presented the application for a residential development of 265 dwellings including landscaping, car parking, infrastructure, public open space and associated works; vehicular access via Northwood Crescent including a signalised crossing across Upavon Way to replace the existing underpass. The application included;
- The site location comprised of modified grassland, developed land, hardstanding and individual trees and hedgerows.
- The site was allocated for housing in the adopted West Oxfordshire Local Plan (WOLP 2031) and known as “REEMA North and Central”.
- The site was located near to Carterton Leisure Centre, Broadshires Health Centre and residential housing and had been previously developed land.
- The site would comprise of a mix of 1-2 bedroom 39%, 3 bedroom 55% and 4 bedroom 6% in accordance with policies H2,H3, and H4 of the WOLP 2031.
- The properties would include 2 and 3 storey blocks and comprise of a mix of render, buff brick and red brick with grey roofing to reflect the character of the surrounding housing.
- Provision for a pedestrian and cycle path had been included in the application for connectivity to service points.
The Senior Planner drew members attention to the Additional Representation Report and advised of additional comments and a correction to Condition 27. The Senior Planner went on to explain the merits of the application; the land was already allocated in the WOLP 2031 and was located in the service centre of the town. This was important as the Council could not demonstrate a 5-year land supply. The development was a sustainable design with green spaces, public play areas and no impact on protected areas. The underpass on Upavon Way would be closed and replaced with a pedestrian crossing. The project would bring an increase in employment and contribute to the local economy and there would be a S106 contributions from the developer. The benefits of the application outweighed the harms, and the officer’s recommendation was for approval subject to clarifications regarding the road safety audit, the flooding and infiltration, and delegated authority being granted to Officers to amend the wording of conditions set out within the report (without changing their intention) and completion of legal agreements.
Jemma Shorrock, Taylor Wimpey, and Lt Col Robyn Hall spoke in support of the application bringing the members attention to the need for housing for service men, their families, as well as local families. Working with Defence Strategy Housing the development of defence land would create homes for service men to be closer to their families and place of work. The design of the houses would be sustainable and included solar panels, low carbon air source heat pumps and be energy efficient to keep bills down for families.
In debate the members thanked the speakers for the application which supported local families as well as service personal and their families. Members commented on the sustainability of the proposed site and the use of the proposed land for meeting housing needs. Members asked if funding from the developer’s contribution could be prioritised for Carterton sports needs rather than going to the wider area. The Planning Services Transformation Lead advised that the S106 could be worded so that Carterton was made a preference for the funding from the S106 leisure contribution followed by a wider 20-minute drive time area.
It was proposed by Councillor Michele Mead and seconded by Councillor Nick Leverton that the application be approved as per the officer recommendations subject to: clarification regarding the road safety audit, the flooding and infiltration; delegated authority to officer to amend the conditions set out within the report (without changing their intention) and securing the S106 and 278 agreements; to update wording for S106 leisure contribution to include a cascade rather than just Sports England 20-minute drive time and was put to the vote.
Voting record – Unanimous.
The Sub-Committee Resolved to:
- To approve the application as per the officer recommendations subject to:
· Clarification regarding the road safety audit, the flooding and infiltration.
· Delegated authority to officer to amend the conditions set out within the report (without changing their intention) and securing the S106 and 278 agreements.
· To update wording for S106 leisure contribution to include a cascade rather than just Sports England 20-minute drive time.