To approve the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 10 December 2015, as a correct record.

Resolved: That the Minutes of the Development Control Committee held on 10 December 2015 be approved and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

Including any interests not already registered

Cllr. Clark declared for minute item 73 - SE/15/02653/FUL - New Ash Green Shopping Centre, The Row, New Ash Green, Kent that he had been involved in various discussions about the site including at the Town Team but that he would come to the application with a fresh mind.

Cllr. Ball declared for minute item 74 - SE/15/03223/HOUSE - Lower Daltons, Swanley Village Road, Swanley BR8 7NU that he was a Member of Swanley Town Council who had considered the matter but that he would remain open minded.

Cllr. Barnes declared for minute item 74 - SE/15/03223/HOUSE - Lower Daltons, Swanley Village Road, Swanley BR8 7NU that he was a Member of Swanley Town Council who had considered the matter but that he would remain open minded.

Cllr. Hogg declared for minute item 74 - SE/15/03223/HOUSE - Lower Daltons, Swanley Village Road, Swanley BR8 7NU that he was a Member of Swanley Town Council who had considered the matter but that he would remain open minded.

There were no declarations of lobbying.

The Committee considered the following planning applications:

Replace the glass panels above the Link, take down and removal of existing single canopies at street level.

The proposal sought permission for the replacement of the glass panels above the link and to take down and remove the existing canopies at street level at the New Ash Green Shopping Centre. 

The application was referred to the Committee at the request of Councillors Clark and Pearsall on the basis that removing the canopies would have a detrimental impact on services and facilities provided in the village centre, did not support the viability and vitality of the shopping centre or encourage good design and would fail to ensure that the village centre retained its role in meeting local needs

The Committee was addressed by the following speakers:

Members asked questions of clarification from speakers and officers.

It was moved by the Chairman and duly seconded that the recommendation in the report to grant planning permission be agreed.

Members discussed the impact of the first proposed condition that development must be begun within three years and discussed concerns that delay in implementing the permission could result in continued harm to the visual amenity.

It was moved by Cllr. Mrs. Hunter, and duly seconded, that the recommendations be amended so that condition 1 would require development to commence before the expiration of six months from the date of the permission. The amendment was put to the vote and it was carried.

The amended motion was put to the vote and it was lost.

It was moved by Cllr. Clark and duly seconded that the application be refused on the ground that the removal of the existing single canopies at street level would fail to promote and improve the environment of the village centre, as required by NPPF para 23 and Core Strategy Policy SP1, resulting in the loss of a facility that supported the continuation and regeneration of a viable local service centre which would meet modern business needs, contrary to Core Strategy Policies SP8 and L07 and Policies EN1 and EN2 of the Allocations and Development Management Plan.

Members were concerned that the canopies at street level had been installed to assist the viability and vitality of shops on the south side of the site, allowing members of the public to browse shops from outside. They noted the survey of the Parish Council representative that the south side was important as it was almost exclusively the side now used.

The motion was put to the vote and it was

Resolved: That planning permission be refused for the following reasons:

1)   The removal of the existing single canopies at street level would fail to promote and improve the environment of the village centre, as required by NPPF para 23 and Core Strategy Policy SP1, resulting in the loss of a facility that supports the continuation and regeneration of a viable local service centre which will meet modern business needs, contrary to Core Strategy Policies SP8 and L07 and Policies EN1 and EN2 of the Allocations  ...  view the full minutes text for item 73.

Erection of a first floor rear extension.

The proposal sought permission for the erection of a first floor rear extension adjoining an existing first floor projection. The application was referred to the Committee at the request of Councillor Searles to review the very special circumstances case of the proposal.

Members’ attention was brought to the main agenda papers and the late observations sheet which contained a copy of a letter from the applicant’s General Practitioner which summarised the applicant’s medical conditions. The late observations sheet did not change the recommendation.

The Committee was addressed by the following speakers:

Members asked questions of clarification from speaker and officers.

It was moved by the Chairman and duly seconded that the recommendation in the report to refuse planning permission be agreed.

Members discussed the proposed very special circumstances and whether they were sufficient to overcome the harm to the Green Belt. Members discussed whether there was adequate space within the existing dwelling to accommodate the applicant’s needs.

The motion was put to the vote and it was

Resolved: That planning permission be refused for the following reason:

1)     The land lies within the Green Belt where strict policies of restraint apply. The proposal would be inappropriate development harmful to the maintenance of the character of the Green Belt and to its openness as it will result in a disproportionate addition over and above the size of the original dwelling for which the very special circumstances case advanced is not sufficient to clearly outweigh the substantial harm to the Green Belt. The proposal would therefore be contrary to policy GB1 of the Sevenoaks Allocations and Development Plan, Sevenoaks District Council Development in the Green Belt SPD and the aims and objectives of the National Planning Policy Framework.

Informative

1)     For the avoidance of any doubt, the following plans were considered: 4163-PD-001 Rev.A, 4163-PD-002 Rev.A, 4163-PD-003.