Removal of former car parking area and erection of 4 dwellings with associated drive and car parking.

The proposal sought planning permission for the removal of former car parking area and erection of 4 dwellings with associated drive and car parking. The application had been referred to the Committee by Cllr. Harrison on the grounds of highway safety, parking, and neighbouring amenity.

Members’ attention was brought to the main agenda papers.

The Committee was addressed by the following speakers:

Members asked questions of clarification from the speakers and officers. They were advised that the proposed gate would be fixed open, to create a delineation. West Kingsdown Parish Council had previously cleaned the site and performed minor repairs to maintain it as a car park. They were further advised that KCC had not raised any safety concerns, and a lighting strategy would be conditioned to preserve amenity. There was no policy in place regarding the provision of EV chargers for guests. The existing car park was not a condition of a previous planning application. This would not prevent a new planning application from being submitted even if it had been a condition.

It was moved by the Chairman that the recommendation to grant planning permission within the report, be agreed. Members discussed the application, giving consideration to the loss of amenity for neighbours through noise pollution, the loss of parking, the potential impact on nearby shops and the rural economy, and the housing need of the district.

The motion was put to the vote and it was

Resolved: That planning permission be GRANTED subject to the following conditions:

1) The development hereby permitted shall be begun before the expiration of three years from the date of this permission.

In pursuance of section 91 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

2) The development hereby permitted shall be carried out in accordance with the following approved plans and details: 23-10-02 RevA, 03 RevA, 04 RevA, 06 and 07. In addition to following supporting documents: Noise Impact Assessment (231408).

For the avoidance of doubt and in the interests of proper planning.

3) No development including any works of demolition shall take place on site until a Construction Management Plan has been submitted to and approved in writing by the local planning authority. The approved statement shall be adhered to throughout the construction period and shall include:(a) parking for vehicles of site personnel, operatives and visitors;(b) loading and unloading of plant and materials;(c) storage of plant and materials used in constructing the development;(d) programme of works (including measures for traffic management);(e) provision of boundary security hoarding;(f) measures to control the emissions of dust, dirt and noise during construction;(g) a scheme for the recycling/disposing of waste resulting from demolition and construction works(h) hours of operation.

To ensure the construction works mitigate against harm to the environment, ecology and neighbour amenity in accordance with policies EN1 and EN2 of the Allocations and Development Management Plan and SP11 of the Core Strategy.

4) No development above damp proof course level shall be carried out until samples of the materials to be used in the construction of the external surfaces of the dwellings hereby permitted have been submitted to and approved in writing by the local planning authority. The development shall be carried out using the approved materials.

To ensure that the appearance of the development is in harmony with the existing character of the area as supported by Policy EN1 of the Sevenoaks Allocations and Development Management Plan.

5) No development shall take place until full details, of both hard and soft landscape proposals, including a schedule of landscape maintenance for a minimum period of 5 years, have been submitted to and approved in writing by the local planning authority. The approved hard landscape scheme (with the exception of planting, seeding and turfing) shall be implemented prior to the occupation of the development hereby approved and thereafter retained. The soft landscape scheme shall be implemented in the first planting season following completion of the development and thereafter retained.

To ensure the provision, establishment and maintenance of an appropriate landscape scheme in the interests of the visual amenities of the locality in accordance with Policy EN1 of the Sevenoaks Allocations and Development Management Plan.

6) An external lighting strategy shall be submitted to and approved in writing prior to occupation of the development hereby approved. The development shall be carried out in accordance with the approved details unless otherwise agreed in writing and no external lighting shall be installed except as agreed pursuant to this condition.

To preserve the character of the area and amenity of neighbouring residents in accordance with policies EN1 and EN2 of the Allocations and Development Management Plan.

7) The parking spaces on the approved plans shall be provided prior to first occupation of any dwelling and retained free of obstructions thereafter.

To accord with policy T2 of the Allocations and Development Management Plan.

8) The cycle parking provisions on the approved plans shall be provided on site prior to the first occupation of any dwelling and retained thereafter.

To accord with policy T2 of the Allocations and Development Management Plan.

9) Prior to development above damp proof course level an ecological enhancement plan shall be submitted to the Local Planning Authority for written approval. The plan shall include native species planting and ecological enhancement features to be incorporated in to the site and buildings. The measures specified in the plan shall be carried out in accordance with the approved details prior to occupation of the dwellings or in accordance with the timings set out within the approved plan.

In accordance with policy SP11 of the Core Strategy.

10) The noise mitigation measures as detailed in report 'Noise Impact Assessment 'dated 16/08/2023 by Sonic Element Ltd shall be implemented. Prior to occupation, a post completion noise survey must be been undertaken by a suitably qualified acoustic consultant, and a report submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The post completion testing shall assess performance of the noise mitigation measures against the noise levels as set in the Report. 

If the mitigation measures tested in the post-completion report prove to be insufficient, additional noise mitigation measures (where necessary to ensure the appropriate noise levels can be met), shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Authority and installed and tested prior to operation.

The mitigation measures must be retained thereafter.

To accord with policy EN2 of the Allocations and Development Management Plan.

11) Prior to development reaching the damp proof course, details of the location and type of electrical charging points shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the local planning authority. The details shall indicate the location of charging point and appearance of charging point. The approved charging points shall be installed prior to first occupation of the development and shall be maintained thereafter.

To encourage the use of low emissions vehicles in accordance with policy T3 of the Sevenoaks Allocations and Development Management Plan.

12) Prior to the first occupation of any dwelling hereby approved details of any boundary treatments, including those that are to be retained, shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The development shall be carried out in accordance with those details.

To ensure that the appearance of the development is in harmony with the existing character of the area as supported by Policy EN1 of the Sevenoaks Allocations and Development Management Plan.

Informatives

1) New build developments or converted properties may require street naming and property numbering.  You are advised, prior to commencement, to contact the Council's Street Naming and Numbering team on 01732 227328 or visit www.sevenoaks.gov.uk for further details.

2) It is important to note that planning permission does not convey any approval to carry out works on or affecting the public highway. Any changes to or affecting the public highway in Kent require the formal agreement of the Highway Authority, Kent County Council (KCC), and it should not be assumed that this will be a given because planning permission has been granted.

National Planning Policy Framework

In dealing with this application we have implemented the requirements in the National Planning Policy Framework to work with the applicant/agent in a positive, proactive and creative way by offering a pre-application advice service; as appropriate updating applicants/agents of any issues that may arise in the processing of their application and where possible and if applicable suggesting solutions to secure a successful outcome. We have considered the application in light of our statutory policies in our development plan as set out in the officer’s report.