Issue - meetings

Outline planning application for residential development of 70 dwellings (some matters reserved except for access).

Refuse against officer recommendation.

Ms Bell presented the report to the Committee. She drew Members’ attention the update sheet and the following addendums to the report, which included further representations and amendments to proposed conditions

Ms Bell highlighted the site location to the Committee and explained that whilst the application site fell within the parish of West Wittering, it was located along the parish boundary with East Wittering and Bracklesham Parish Council, lying just 50m from the settlement boundary of East Wittering; whilst not contiguous with the settlement boundary officers had considered the application to be adjacent to and contiguous with the settlement of East Wittering.

Ms Bell informed the Committee that the site was identified in the HELAA.

Ms Bell explained that the application was an outline application with all matters reserved except for access, the issues of appearance, scale, landscape and layout were all for the consideration of future Reserved Matters applications. The application was seeking approval for 70 dwellings of which 30% would be affordable.

Ms Bell explained that due to the council not having a five year housing supply, and the Local Plan being out of date the Planning Authority is required to apply the ‘Tilted Balance’ methodology as set out in 11(b) of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).

The Committee received the following representations;

Rob Hutton, West Wittering Parish Council – Statement read by Mrs Fiona Baker

East Wittering Parish Council – the Chairman informed the Committee that she had used her discretion to allow EPC to address the Committee given the application site and its proximity to the Parish - Statement read by Mrs Fiona Baker

Mrs Lisa Clark – Objector – Statement read by Mrs Fiona Baker

Mr George Thomas – Objector – Statement read by Mrs Fiona Baker

Ms Juliet Johnson – Objector – Statement read by Mrs Fiona Baker

Miss Katie Lamb – Agent – Statement read by Mrs Fiona Baker

Officers responded to Members’ comments and questions as follows;

On the matter of concerns regarding sewage; Ms Bell informed the Committee that Southern Water were the statutory consultee for this issue. Whilst acknowledging the concerns raised by the Committee, Ms Bell explained that as the statutory consultee Southern Water had raised no concerns and confirmed that they have the capacity to accommodate the increase in sewage from the site. In addition, Mr Whitty advised the Committee that if they were to refuse the application over concerns regarding sewage the authority would have no conclusive evidence to present in support of this claim at appeal, meaning that it would likely be afforded little weight by the Planning Inspectorate.

On the matter of flood risk and high water table; Ms Bell referred to a recent correspondence with the Environment Agency. The Environment Agency confirmed that since the Sandpiper Walk application there had been a significant amount of modelling and updating work completed during 2015. This had been done to better understand the risk of fluvial flooding. Following the completion of this work the application site  ...  view the full minutes text for item 62