Erection of four dwellings; retention of public house; formation of new vehicular accesses and alterations to existing car parking arrangement; associated landscaping.

(The Chairman, as the local ward Councillor for this application vacated the Chair and the Vice-Chairman, Councillor Paul Wynn presided for this item.)

The Principal Planning Officer introduced the application for the erection of four dwellings; retention of public house; formation of new vehicular accesses and alterations to existing car parking arrangement and associated landscaping.  He drew Members’ attention to the schedule of additional letters and confirmed that Members had attended a site visit that morning and had assessed the impact of the proposed development on neighbouring properties and the surrounding area.

Mr Peter Clark, on behalf of Kinnerley Neighbourhood Plan Committee, spoke against the proposal in accordance with Shropshire Council’s Scheme for Public Speaking at Planning Committees during which the following points were raised:

                      i.        The Cross Keys public house occupied a very important position within the village of Kinnerley and as such it was important to protect and enhance the area for the future;

                    ii.        The Parish did not need any more houses, 73 additional dwellings were planned, with an additional 34 houses agreed, this represented a 46% increase in the number of houses within Kinnerely;

                   iii.        An additional brownfield site within the village that was currently being considered would lead to a further increase in houses;

                   iv.        The application did not comply with the Local Development Plan (LDP) and that the LDP should be given more weight due to the amount of development planned for Kinnerley; and

                    v.        A residential development was not appropriate in that particular location.

Councillor Rick Bright, on behalf of Kinnerley Parish Council, spoke against the proposal in accordance with Shropshire Council’s Scheme for Public Speaking at Planning Committees during which the following points were raised:

                      i.        The proposed development would be overbearing and have an adverse visual effect on the character and street scene of the area;        

                    ii.        The objection from English Heritage relating to the setting of the Church had not been removed;

                   iii.        Highways safety was a concern; and

                   iv.        The loss of car parking spaces would have an adverse effect on the viability of the Cross Keys Public House.

Mr Malcolm Guest, agent for the applicant, spoke in support of the proposal in accordance with Shropshire Council’s Scheme for Public Speaking at Planning Committees during which the following points were raised:

                      i.        The agent and the applicant had recently met the Parish Council to discuss the proposals and during that consultation amendments to the scheme had been made;

                    ii.        The Planning and Conservation Officers at Shropshire Council were supportive of the scheme;

                   iii.        The Cross Keys Public House needed investment and had been subsidised by the landlord which was the only reason the business was still able to open;

                   iv.        How did the Parish Council intend to make the business financially viable if the application was refused;

                    v.        The further submissions made by the Parish Council were inaccurate; and

                   vi.        Going against the Planning Officer’s recommendation to approve the application would be detrimental to the village.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 158