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Agenda item

23/02370/FUL - New Farm, Daylesford, Aldestrop

Summary

Temporary siting for a 2 year period of 7 cabins for staff accommodation with

associated works including timber bin store, hardstanding and new landscaping

(retrospective) at New Farm Daylesford Adlestrop Gloucestershire GL56 0YG.

 

Case Officer

Andrew Moody

 

Ward Member

Councillor David Cunningham

 

Recommendation

Refuse

Minutes:

The Case Officer introduced the item, highlighting the planning history of the site, which was extensive, and summarising the application.

 

The application was for the temporary siting for a two-year period of seven cabins for staff accommodation with associated works including timber bin store, hardstanding and new landscaping (retrospective) at New Farm Daylesford Adlestrop Gloucestershire GL56 0YG.

 

The Case Officer’s recommendation was to refuse the application.

 

Robert Pierce Jones, an objector, addressed the Committee.

 

The agent for the application also addressed the Committee, highlighting the need for employee accommodation.

 

The Ward Member had sent their apologies to the Chair and did not address the Committee.

 

Member questions

 

Members asked questions related to the proposed use of the site as staff accommodation and made reference to the need to support economic growth as identified in the local plan. The Case Officer advised that members could take a different view to their recommendation if they saw fit, but that the reason they had referred it to the Committee was due the site’s planning history.

 

Members asked about the relationship between the application and the enforcement notice.

The Case Officer explained that the enforcement notice took effect in April 2020 with a 12 month period for compliance, but that this had yet to be pursued by the courts due to delays caused by COVID-19. Due to the passage of time, the current application proposed a revised justification for the development, which Officers considered should be  determined by Committee. The Officer confirmed that even though an Enforcement Notice had been served, the application should be decided on its own merit.

 

Members asked if the Town and Parish Council had been engaged with. The Case Officer stated that the Adlestrop had a Parish meeting (as opposed to a Parish Council), which has not responded.

 

Members also asked about the nature of the application, which was entirely retrospective (i.e. the works had been completed in full prior to the submission of the application). The Case Officer explained that the structures had been noticed by the former Ward Member after completion, and dated these back to 2019. Members expressed concern that the applicant may have, in their view, been trying to conceal the works from the Council, but the Case Officer advised that this was not a material planning consideration and that the application should be considered the same as a non-retrospective application.

 

Member Comments

 

Members stated that the structures were away from the main complex, and in the open countryside, and that harm was caused by this.

 

Members stated that they appreciated that Daylesford Organic was a valued local business, but that they could not see value in the application. Members stated that they believed a need for accommodation could be met in other ways, as the business owned a large number of holiday homes.

 

Members stated that they agreed with the officer recommendation that the proposal was considered to conflict with the Development Plan and national policy included within the NPPF, which were not outweighed by other material planning considerations.

Councillor Mark Harris proposed refusing the application, stating that if employees did not earn enough to live in the area, this could be resolved by the business increasing their wages.

 

Councillor Julia Judd seconded the recommendation.

 

RESOLVED: To REFUSE the application.

 

Voting record – For 11, Against 0, Abstain 0

 

For

Against

Abstain

Councillor Andrew Maclean

 

 

Councillor Daryl Corps

 

 

Councillor David Fowles

 

 

Councillor Dilys Neill

 

 

Councillor Gary Selwyn

 

 

Councillor Ian Watson

 

 

Councillor Julia Judd

 

 

Councillor Mark Harris

 

 

Councillor Michael Vann

 

 

Councillor Patrick Coleman

 

 

Councillor Ray Brassington

 

 

 

Supporting documents:

 

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