Conversion of two agricultural buildings into four holiday letting units, change of use of further agricultural building into stables, formation of manege, alterations to existing vehicular access and formation of parking areas.

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

Members noted that this application had previously been considered at the meeting on 30^th July 2019, but deferred determination pending clarification and/or amendments to aspects of the application as set out in the minute of that meeting.

A site visit had been undertaken prior to the previous consideration of the application, where they had viewed the site and had assessed the impact of the proposal on the surrounding area.

Ms N Harris, local resident, spoke against the proposal in accordance with the Council’s Scheme for Public Speaking at Planning Committee.

Councillor J Soper, representing Worthern with Shelve 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 Heather Kidd, local Ward Councillor, made a statement and then left the table and took no part in the debate.  During her statement the following points were made:

·         Welcomed revised application showing proposed demolition of central barn;

·         Concerns over impact of increase traffic on narrow local lanes and the access of large construction vehicles bringing and taking material from site; and

·         Potential drainage and flooding issues not resolved.

Mr T Ralphs, the agent, spoke for the proposal in accordance with the Council’s Scheme for Public Speaking at Planning Committees.

In the ensuing debate, Members consider the submitted plans and noted the comments of the speakers.  Members expressed concern over the viability of the proposed development due to the amount of investment required to bring it forward.  The lack of easy access to the site by occupiers of the development was noted and that there were not facilities within walking distance so all journeys to and from the site would have to be done using a vehicle which would lead to a significant increase in traffic on lanes with limited capacity, negatively impacting on the amenity of the local residents. 

RESOLVED:

That, contrary to the Officer’s recommendation, planning permission be refused for the following reasons:

1)        It is acknowledged that Meadowtown is part of a Community Cluster in the adopted Site Allocations and Management of Development (SAMDev)Plan where open market housing development by infilling by no more than two dwellings per site and conversions may be acceptable on suitable sites. However, with regard to this proposal for four holiday let units and associated stables, Shropshire Core Strategy policy CS16 requires holiday accommodation to be in accessible locations served by a range of services and facilities. There are no such services and facilities in Meadowtown or within reasonable walking distance of the site. The roads between the site and other nearby settlements are generally narrow, have no pavement and are unlit. As such, they do not present an attractive route, particularly when it is dark. Consequently, this would not be a sustainable for the proposed holiday letting units, as occupants of the holiday let units would be highly reliant on the use of the private car to access services and facilities. The proposal would therefore be contrary to Core Strategy policy CS16, SAMDev Plan policy MD11 and the objective of achieving sustainable development set out in the National Planning Policy Framework.

2)             The proposed development would be likely to generate additional traffic movements over the local road network which exhibits narrowness, lack of passing places, and convoluted routing. As a consequence, the scale of the proposed development is likely to result in conditions that would be detrimental to highway safety for all road users, contrary to Shropshire Core Strategy policy CS6 and paragraph 108 of the National Planning Policy Framework.