Agenda and minutes

Venue: Remote meeting

Contact: Heather Kingston
Democratic Services Officer
01903 221006  Email: heather.kingston@adur-worthing.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

WBC-PC/39/20-21

Substitute Members

Any substitute members should declare their substitution.

Minutes:

Councillor Karen Harman substituted for Councillor Paul Westover.

Councillor Hazel Thorpe substituted for Councillor Martin McCabe.

WBC-PC/40/20-21

Declarations of Interest

Members and Officers must declare any disclosable pecuniary interests in relation to any business on the agenda.  Declarations should also be made at any stage such as interest becomes apparent during the meeting.

 

If in doubt contact the Legal or Democratic Services representative for this meeting.

 

Members and Officers may seek advice upon any relevant interest from the Monitoring Officer prior to the meeting.

Minutes:

The Chairman, Councillor Paul High, declared an interest as an elected Member of WSCC in his role as  Chairman of the Planning Committee. 

 

During the meeting, as ‘Rights of Way’ was referred to during an Officer presentation, the Chairman declared that it be noted WSCC were proposing to amalgamate the Rights of Way and the Planning Committee.

 

Councillor Noel Atkins declared an interest as an elected Member of WSCC.

 

Councillor Hazel Thorpe declared an interest as a Tarring Ward Councillor in relation to Item 6.2, AWDM/0733/20, Land west of 91 and 95 South Street, Tarring.

WBC-PC/41/20-21

Public Question Time

So as to provide the best opportunity for the Committee to provide the public with the fullest answer, questions from the public should be submitted by midday on Monday 19 October 2020.

 

Where meetings are held remotely, no question will be permitted from the public unless such notice has been given.

 

Questions should be submitted to Democratic Services –

democratic.services@adur-worthing.gov.uk

 

(Note:  Public Question Time will last for a maximum of 30 minutes)

 

 

Minutes:

There were no questions raised under Public Question Time.

WBC-PC/42/20-21

Confirmation of Minutes

To approve the minutes of the Planning Committee meetings of the Committee held on Wednesday 23 September 2020, which have been emailed to Members.

Minutes:

RESOLVED, that the minutes of the Planning Committee meeting held on 23 September 2020 be confirmed as a correct record and that they be signed by the Chairman.

 

A recorded vote was taken by the Democratic Services Officer which was as follows:

For: Councillors High, Atkins, Deen, Harman, Silman and Wills.

WBC-PC/43/20-21

Items Raised Under Urgency Provisions

To consider any items the Chair of the meeting considers urgent.

Minutes:

There were no items raised under urgency provisions.

WBC-PC/44/20-21

Planning Applications pdf icon PDF 3 MB

To consider the reports by the Director for the Economy, attached as Item 6.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The planning applications were considered, see attached appendix.

Appendix - Planning Applications 21.10.2020 MINUTES pdf icon PDF 112 KB

The meeting was adjourned at 8.22pm, and reconvened at 8.30pm

WBC-PC/45/20-21

Enforcement Update Report - Tree felling in advance of compliance with planning conditions at Former Sussex Clinic, 44-48 Shelley Road, Worthing pdf icon PDF 105 KB

To consider the report by the Director for the Economy, attached as Item 7.

Minutes:

The Planning Services Manager introduced the report which was to update Members on the action being taken in relation to tree felling in advance of compliance with planning conditions. 

 

Members were reminded of the committee meeting held in February when a long discussion had been held regarding the site and notably how the landscaping conditions would need to be implemented.  The Committee at that time had made it very clear that a phased landscaping approach be carried out to reduce the impact upon the nearest neighbours to the development.  However, disappointingly, a phased approach had not taken place and all the trees had been felled on the site, hence the serving of the Breach of Condition Notice (BCN).

 

The Senior Lawyer addressed the Committee and advised that with a BCN it would be a criminal offence not to comply and if prosecuted carries  a potential fine of up to £2,500 in the Magistrates Court.

 

The Chair advised that, following a long discussion, the Committee had been adamant at the meeting in February that the removal and replanting of trees must be phased and was flabbergasted that the Committee’s wishes had been totally ignored.  The Councillor and his Committee were extremely pleased the Council’s Officers were taking the necessary action.

 

The Senior Lawyer confirmed there were several options for enforcement where a condition had been breached however, it was felt the BCN was the most appropriate and natural response to take regarding the matter.

WBC-PC/46/20-21

Confirmation of Worthing TPO No. 3 of 2020 Pond Lane Recreation Ground, Pond Lane pdf icon PDF 108 KB

To consider the report by the Director for the Economy, attached as Item 8.

Minutes:

The Planning Services Manager briefly outlined the report.

 

The Committee Members unanimously agreed the Officer’s recommendation that Worthing Tree Preservation Order Number 3 be confirmed as made.

 

WBC-PC/47/20-21

Response to White Paper ‘Planning For the Future’ pdf icon PDF 142 KB

To consider the report by the Director for the Economy, attached as Item 9.

Minutes:

The Head of Planning and Development gave a brief introduction to the report before handing over to the Adur Planning Policy Manager to provide more detail.  The Officer advised the report referred to the longer term proposals in the White Paper.

 

As outlined within the report, the Officer stated there was much to be supported within the White Paper, e.g. streamlining the Local Plan process, and the development of national development management policies however, Officers still had some concerns and the Officer highlighted areas that appeared to lack clarity.  

 

The Officer advised there was very little mention regarding the role of Planning Committees and with regard to applications it appeared the Government were proposing less consultation at application stage but more at the Local Plan stage.  Members were also advised that, surprisingly, there also appeared to be little mention of wildlife, biodiversity and climate change. 

 

Following the presentation, Members thanked the Officers involved in compiling the report, particularly for it’s clarity.  The Chair, however, stated that although there was one Officer structure, there were still two separate Councils, Adur and Worthing, and therefore requested there be two separate responses on the proposals for reform.  The Adur Planning Policy Manager agreed to the Chair’s request.

 

Members stated that the response should be amended to: seek confirmation that local authorities would be able to choose how monies raised from a revised system for  developer contributions (replacing s106 and the Community Infrastructure Levy) should be spent; stress that Worthing Borough Council takes wildlife and biodiversity seriously - and that local constraints must be taken into account; that the Government's proposals do not appear to take localism into account and there is a concern that future revisions to the planning system would move away from local decision-making; and that the draft response should be reworded to say that developers should be required (rather than encouraged) to build out permissions in an expedient manner, to avoid land banking.

 

The Adur Planning Policy Officer noted the comments made by Members and agreed any further comments not expressed at the meeting could be emailed directly to her for inclusion in the Executive Member for Regeneration report.  It was requested those comments be forwarded to her by Monday 26 October at the latest.

 

The Chair also requested the Worthing Planning Committee Members and Substitute Members be provided with a copy of the draft Executive Member for Regeneration report before publication.

 

Decision

 

The Committee Members had noted the proposed responses given in Appendix 2 and unanimously agreed to forward any comments to the Executive Member for Regeneration.