Agenda item

All outstanding Reserved Matters for the erection of 91 dwellings with
associated parking, landscaping, informal open space and associated
work on Parcel 2B, pursuant to permission 14/04301/OUT

Permit

Miss Bell introduced the application.

Additional information was reported on the agenda update sheet relating to an amendment to the Decided Plans Table.

The following members of the public addressed the Committee: 

Mr Richard Plowman – Parish Council

Miss Louise Goldsmith – West Sussex County Council Member

Miss Laura Humphries – Applicant 

During the discussion members sought clarification regarding visitor parking provision, public bus provision, permeable private drive paving, photo voltaic panels, the link to bus route, self-build plots, whether a contribution would be made to the A27, progress on the southern access route, timetable for delivery of whole site, the disposal of sewage, car charging points, pavements, landscaping, turning circles for refuge vehicles, and solar street lighting.

Mr Shaw confirmed that there were thirty visitor spaces throughout the central road, with further scope for parking on one side of the road, and therefore a lack of visitor parking is not envisaged. The Road Safety Audit was due to be completed by the developer, and WSCC had yet to see a copy, although that was not considered an issue.  Mr Shaw confirmed the bus route would be on the spine road, the details of which are contained in the Section 106 agreement.  With regards to side road vehicle cross over, a raised speed table is proposed to slow vehicles and give greater priority to pedestrians.  Cycling infrastructure linking to Centurion Way is not a material consideration for the current application but would be so in relation to the wider site and was considered at the outline planning permission stage.  A £1,374 financial contribution would be made per dwelling, for the A27 to Highways England as agreed as part of the outline permission.  Mr Shaw confirmed he was not able to provide a more current update with regards to the southern access, than had been recently given by the developer.  The outline permission has a condition requiring details of vehicle charging points for the local centre and the car park for the Sustainable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANGS), but there was currently no provision for the houses themselves, although they could be retrofitted.  With regards to the pedestrian footway on one side only of the carriageway, Mr Shaw confirmed that in his personal and professional opinion, a footway on both sides of the carriageway or a shared surface for both would be preferred, however this does not warrant a reason for refusal, or present a significant safety issue.

Miss Bell drew the Committee’s attention to the report in relation to comments from the drainage officer at the discharge of condition stage, and there was a note on the hard-surfacing plan to increase the permeable paving if required.  With regards to the solar panels, the amount had increased from seven square metres to twelve square metres per property and there was an informative to allow purchasers to increase the number of solar panels at their expense before completion of the roof.  Miss Bell added with regards to the cycle route and Centurion Way, that this parcel of land did not connect with Centurion Way, as there was another parcel in between, but this could be further reviewed for other parcels.  There were no self-build plots as part of the scheme, but officers have pursued with the developers, the desire for variety within the building designs, and to ensure a consistency of approach.  Although not directly relevant to this application, there is no southern access update, but this would be obtained shortly. .  Officers are awaiting a response in relation to sewage, but have not yet received it, however this was a condition ‘trigger’ on the outline permission and that point had not yet been reached.  With regards to the layout of solar panels, the design of the site has been dictated by the topography, with significant level changes, the central road position was already set with the requirement for easement of the pipeline.  It was also considered important to ensure the properties fronted the road.  Taking these issues into consideration, this had impacted on the positioning of solar panels.  With regards to the pavements a number of discussions had taken place with the developers, but this was the scheme the applicant wished to be considered.  Miss Bell confirmed that the pavements were sufficiently wide for refuse bins.  In relation to solar street lighting, there was a lighting condition on the outline permission, and this had not yet been ruled out.

Members sought further clarification regarding the number of homogenous brick walls, double drives and sufficient space for moving refuse bins to the pavements, whether solar panels could be installed on garage roofs, the landscaping planned between White House Farm buildings and the north east site, carriageway widths, concerns about the number of cars which will be parked on the roads and lack of adequate parking spaces, rain water harvesting, and potential severing of water to existing properties.  Mr Shaw responded that with regards to parking, a holistic view had to be taken with the site considered as a whole, reviewing census car ownership data, and the size of the properties.  Ultimately this had to be taken as an estimate with the desire to provide the correct balance of parking spaces, which he believed had been achieved for this development.  Mr Shaw added that it was important to provide a hierarchy for roads, utilising different widths to ensure they did not all appear similar, mains road were defined and cars slowed on the narrower side roads and cul-de-sacs.  All aspects of road use had to be considered, not just parking facilities.  Driveway widths were also acceptable for maneuvering refuse bins.   Miss Bell responded with regards to the brick walls, confirming a condition or informative could be added to ensure the walls were more detailed in their design.  Regarding whether two of the plots were within optimal range for solar panels, the solar panels are considered to be the 25% on the 23 dwellings, and providing the opportunity to place solar panels on garage roofs is also included within an informative. With regards to the buffer adjacent to White House Farm,  this was outside the application site and on the farmer’s land and it was understood it would be grassed.  The boundary treatment on the application site adjacent to the buffer would be close boarded fence.  In regards to the water supply to White House Farm, this was outside of planning control and would be the responsibility of the utility providers to ensure supply. 

Members sought further clarification on the Road Space Audit, and whether anyone could park on the development and walk into the city.  Mr Shaw confirmed he did not have an answer, that this was a separate matter, and also that this was a private road, not to be adopted.  A Member of the Committee confirmed this area was not part of the city-wide parking management plan, going out to consultation in the new year.

Recommendation to Permit agreed. 

The Committee took a five-minute break.