Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies from Members of the Committee.

None

Councillor Reilly declared that he was the local member for Coleshill North & Water Orton and he would withdraw from the meeting to speak on items 3 and 4.

Minutes of the meeting held on 6 August 2019.

The Committee agreed that the minutes of the Regulatory Committee meeting held on 6 August 2019 be signed by the Chair as a true and accurate record.

Members are asked to note the applications dealt with under delegated powers since the last meeting.

The Committee noted the delegated decisions made by officers since the last meeting as laid out in the report.

The installation of a single storey modular building for a temporary period (52 weeks) to provide interim accommodation

Councillor Reilly withdrew from the Committee for consideration of NWB/19CC007 as he had registered to speak as an objector.

Sally Panayi introduced the application which had been deferred by the Committee at their previous meeting. The applicant had adjusted the location of the temporary classroom so that it was rotated 90 degrees from its original positon which increased the distance from neighbouring properties and reduced overlooking which had been raised as a concern by objectors.

Questions to the Planning Officer

In response to Councillor Cargill, Mrs Panayi stated that officers recommended a condition for the Applicant to submit details of the building finish for approval and that elevations facing the neighbours could be left grey.

In response to Councillor Rolfe, Mrs Panayi stated that the classroom had to be on raised foundations both to allow for drainage and to create a level floor. The change in location may allow for a reduction in the height of the elevation but drainage needs at the site would still necessitate elevated foundations.

In response to Councillor Warwick, Mrs Panayi stated that the construction schedule was quite tight and reducing the time the temporary classroom was in situ would not leave any leeway for delays.

Public Speakers

The Chair invited Alison Doyle to address the committee in objection to the application. Mrs Doyle thanked the Committee and Officers for the consideration paid to neighbour objections made at the last meeting and noted that the classroom had now been moved and that obscure glazing had been installed. She stated that the plans showed that there was still some room on the site which may allow for the classroom to be moved further away from neighbouring houses and asked Members to consider calling for this. She also stated that she still felt the safety of children travelling to school had not been adequately addressed; pedestrians already had to walk in the road as cars were being parked on the pavement and increasing traffic would only exacerbate this issue especially with the reduced parking available around the school due to dropped kerbs installed over the summer.

The Chair invited Councillor Reilly to address the Committee as a local Councillor. Councillor Reilly stated that he recognised the hard work that had been done by Officers to bring an acceptable application back to the Committee. He stated that residents at 25 Rose Road had decided not to come and speak on the application but had requested that the light over the door to the temporary classroom be shielded.

In response to the Chair, Mrs Panayi stated that she felt the amended position of the classroom was the best possible solution and did not think there was the flexibility on the site to allow the classroom to be moved again.

In response to Councillor Rickhards, Mrs Doyle stated that a number of dropped kerbs had been installed in the roads around the school meaning that the number of space available for on street parking had reduced by eight.

Mrs Panayi  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

Construction of standalone classroom block to rear of site to allow for the expansion of High Meadow Infant School into a full primary

Councillor Reilly withdrew from the Committee to speak on the application as he had registered to speak as an objector. Councillor Rolfe was not present for the vote on NWB/19CC006.

Sally Panayi introduced the application and circulated amended conditions and removed a condition relating to maintaining the condition of the highway as it related solely to County Council functions. She also stated that Fire and Rescue had made a late comment which required access for a fire engine to the new building which could be achieved within the existing site layout but would need the vehicle entrance to be adjusted, and a condition had been added to achieve that.  In addition, she recommended that Condition 3 be further amended to include a reference to construction working hours as part of the construction management plan.

Questions to Planning Officer

In response to the Chair, Mrs Panayi stated that construction was due to take around 45 weeks from October 2019 to April 2019 and the timing of the construction activity including piling work would be detailed in the construction management plan.

In response to the Chair, Mrs Panayi stated that the new building was 30 metres from the nearest neighbour and so obscure glazing was not being recommended.

In response to Councillor Cargill, Mrs Panayi stated that the new building would be at the same level as the rest of the site which would ensure accessibility within and between the school buildings. Digging into the site had been considered but the applicant had ultimately decided this was not feasible. Alternative sites had also been considered but there were none within Coleshill which meant that if the school was not built on the existing site it would have to be located on a greenfield site outside of Coleshill.

In response to Councillor Cargill, Mrs Panayi stated that if the Applicant was not able to provide access for emergency vehicles Fire and Rescue would ask for sprinklers to be installed. She acknowledged Members’ desire to see increased provision of sprinklers in schools but it was cost prohibitive and unless building regulations were changed it was unlikely that the prevalence of sprinklers would increase.

Councillor Warwick noted the Highways objection to the application and the advice from officers that Members could only refuse the application if they felt that the impact on the local road network was severe and the difficult position this placed the Committee in. He asked how Planning Officer had come to the opinion that the Highways objection did not show a severe impact on the road network. Councillor Chattaway also added his concern that the County Council was arguing with itself and had not been able to resolve the issue.

Scott Tompkins responded that Planning Officers looked to the Planning Inspectors to define what ‘severe impact’ meant in planning terms and that it was the opinion of the officers that given the nature of the roads surrounding the site and the weighting given to school expansion it was unlikely that a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.