Agenda item

Report by the Head of Place (attached).

Also present:

Mr D. Royden, Applicant

Mr J. Woodward, Agent

Councillor D. Barron, Chair of Mortehoe Parish Council

Mrs S. Hocking, Mortehoe Parish Council Clerk

The Committee received the following statement from the Corporate and Community Admin Assistant:

“Any observations which are made during the course of this site visit by Members of the Planning Committee are limited to those issues identified by the Head of Place in consultation with the Chair of the Planning Committee and the Ward Member of Members of the area where the application site is located, as set out in Part 3, Annexe 2 of the North Devon District constitution.

Such observations are made after viewing the site and on the basis of the limited information available on site.

Any such observations are not, nor should they be taken as an indication that the application is acceptable or unacceptable. A full presentation and consideration of all the planning issues will be made when the matter was determined by the Planning Committee.”

The Members of the Committee convened in the Car Park of the site.

The Lead Planning Officer briefly outlined the application (circulated previously), he outlined the Location Plan and the existing development of the site, explaining that the older development of the site had been granted Planning Permission in the 1970s and that the new developments of the site had been granted Planning Permission in the 1980s after an appeal decision. There were currently 73 buildings on site. A further 10 were planned but were never built, and the site had been owned by several different owners since.

The Planning Committee noted:

·         The Golf Course and the Amenity Building were authorised to be open to use by members of the public.

·         That the main access to the site would be the main entrance and that the other means of access on Bradwell Road would be closed.

·         That there was a proposal to convert the amenity building into a restaurant.

·         The proposed locations of the play areas and the play barn that would be built, all of which would be open to use by residents of the site only.

·         That the proposal for the site was for 107 Holiday Homes.

·         Part of the proposal for the site included the planting of woodland around the site. The development would be split up into seven phases over the course of 3-5 years around the site, starting at the south side of the site and move around to the area near Bradwell Road. In response to a question, it was noted that the tree planting would not cover the higher areas around the golf course extension to the site.

·         It was proposed that there would be six different types of lodges, and that the details of the lodges included Larch finishes, Timber cladding, pitched roofs and were all single story. The Lead Planning Officer further outlined these plans by outlining to members of the Planning Committee the proposed skyline and the impact.

·         The Environmental Health Officer of North Devon Council was confident that any noise complaint issues in regards to the proposed site could be dealt with by conditions.

·         Air Quality issues on the proposed site need to be taken into consideration but that due to the level of traffic generated compared to that which could be generated by the existing authorised use of the site, this was not concern.

·         The Devon County Council Highways Officer had been invited to the next Committee.

The Lead Planning Officer outlined four issues that had been raised by Ward members in regards to the Planning Application: Inadequate highway infrastructure; Light pollution; Drainage issues; and Scale of development. In response to each of the issues, the Lead Planning Officer advised that:

·         Devon County Council Highways did not oppose the application and believed the site would produce a neutral effect on traffic flow in and around the site.

·         A Light Pollution assessment had been submitted to the North Devon AONB team who were satisfied there would be no Light Pollution issues. The ecological impact of lighting can be controlled through the use of a LEMP condition.

·         The AONB had looked at the proposed plans and were confident there was no landscape impact risk to the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty borders to the West of the site.

·         South West Water had been contacted and had responded, noting that South West Water had sufficient capacity to handle the proposed additional 107 new holiday dwellings and in terms of foul drainage were happy with the existing drainage infrastructure. In a response to a question, the Lead Planning Officer noted that the surface water plans included a controlled surface water drainage plan that in part would flow into the pond on site from the lower holiday units, and then into the Bradwell Stream. DCC have indicated that they are happy with this proposal, subject to conditions.

·         In response to a question regarding the desire by constituents for an extension of the Tarka Trail around Braunton, the Lead Planning Officer noted that as part of the proposed plans, the Old Railway Line would become an extension to the Tarka Trail and that the applicant was currently in discussion with DCC on this matter.

The Committee:

·         Walked along the west facing path and looked over the western side of the existing site, noting the elevation of the fields and the relationship of the play area to Myrtle Cottage.

·         Walked further along the west facing path and noted the locations of the proposed laundry building and the play barn.

·         Walked over the bridge along the Old Railway Line, and noted the location of the ponds of which the proposed controlled drainage system would run into. In response to a question, the Lead Planning Officer  noted there would be improvements made to the ponds but that there would be no impact on the biodiversity of the ponds.

·         Noted the proposed location of the temporary construction compound site.

·         Noted the location of Willingcott Cottages and outlined the proposed locations for the Holiday Homes.

·         Noted the boundaries of the proposed site.

·         Noted that the original plans for the site were higher up the nearby hills on the site of the golf course extension and were for 150 Holiday Homes, but had been consolidated further down the hills and reduced in number.

The Committee requested that the following information be made available at the meeting on 11^th December 2019:

·         The NDC Landscape Officer provide his consultation reply regarding tree-planting on site.

·         The Planning Team seek further clarification on the proposed drainage of the site.

·         A member of South West Water be invited to the next Planning Committee meeting.