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Agenda item

Spicers Hall Caravan Park, Spicers Hall Farm, Digbeth Lane. Claverley. Wolverhampton (18/04206/FUL)

Application to position 1 metre high lighting bollards at 30 metre intervals along approved widened access track and passing places.

Minutes:

The Principal Planner introduced the application and with reference to the drawings displayed, he drew Members’ attention to the location, layout and elevations.  

 

Members had undertaken a site visit that morning and had viewed the site and had assessed the impact of a proposal on the surrounding area.

 

Mr A Reade, representing Claverley PreservationSociety, spoke against the proposal in accordance with the Council’s Scheme for Public Speaking at Planning Committees.

 

Councillor R Cotham, representing Claverley Parish Council, spoke against the proposal in accordance with the Council’s Scheme for Public Speaking at Planning Committees.

 

In accordance with the Local Protocol for Councillors and Officers dealing with Regulatory Matters (Part 5, Paragraph 15) Councillor Tina Woodward, local Ward Councillor, made a statement and then left the table, took no part in the debate and did not vote on this item.  During her statement, the following points were raised:

 

·         Concerns had been expressed locally and objections made to this application, which would, if granted, introduce light into an area where historically there had been none.  This had also been highlighted by Shropshire Council’s Conservation team who considered the proposed lighting to be inappropriate because of its harmful impact upon the setting of Listed Buildings in the vicinity and also because of the erosion of the rural character of Claverley’s Conservation Area.  The access track abuts the Conservation Area and is not in the Conservation Area, so one could only assume that Shropshire Council’s Conservation had taken this into account when making their response. She agreed with the comments of SC Conservation;

·         Highways had also raised concern regarding the visual impact of the proposed lights;

·         The applicant’s agent had submitted further information which indicated that many units were mostly intensively used at weekends and for holidays and short breaks.  She questioned if the intention was not so much for residential in its nature but tourism based, which would suggest that there would be times when the track would not be utilised that frequently in off-peak times, eg winter months.  She recognised that holiday makers may be less acquainted with the access track than residents might be;

·         She had also noted that the agent, on behalf of the applicant, had indicated that the lights could be reduced in height to 0.5 metres in height, which, in her opinion, could potentially lessen the impact of the lighting, as would the reduction of frequency of lights and the introduction of increased evergreen Holly planting in the proposed hedges, particularly in sections where the lights were proposed to be located.  Also, maintaining the hedges at a reasonable height and lights being switched off after 11.30 pm could further benefit the screening affect and so be less intrusive.   If granted, she welcomed conditions to reflect the above. 

 

Mr P Dowd, the agent, spoke for the proposal in accordance with the Council’s Scheme for Public Speaking at Planning Committees.  In response to comments from Members, the agent confirmed the applicant’s willingness to accept any appropriate conditions to control lighting.

 

In the ensuing debate, Members considered the submitted plans and noted the comments of all speakers. 

 

RESOLVED:

 

That, as per the Officer’s recommendation, planning permission be granted, subject to the conditions as set out in Appendix 1 to the report and the following additional conditions;

 

1)         Nothwithstanding the details shown on the lighting bollard design drawing, the maximum height of the lighting bollards above ground level shall be 0.5 metre, in accordance with the email from the agent dated 16th October 2018.

 

            Reason: In the interests of the visual amenities of the area.

 

2)         Prior to the lighting bollards being first brought into use an activation control system for the bollard lights, to ensure that they are only activated by vehicles and pedestrians using the access road and are extinguished when there are no users of the road, shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The lighting bollards shall thereafter be operated in accordance with the approved activation control system.

 

            Reason: In the interests of the visual amenities of the area and to minimise the emission of light in the dusk to dawn period.   

Supporting documents:

 

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