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Agenda item

25/01970/PLP - Land At Ethans Orchard

Proposal

Permission in Principle for the erection of 1 self-build dwelling

 

Case Officer

Amy Hill

 

Ward Member

Cllr Paul Hodgkinson

 

Recommendation

 

PERMIT subject to agreement of appropriate assessment by Natural England.

 

Minutes:

The proposal was Permission in Principle for the erection of 1 self-build dwelling.

Case Officer-Amy Hill

Ward Member-Cllr Paul Hodgkinson

Original Recommendation - PERMIT subject to agreement of appropriate assessment by Natural England.

 

The Case Officer introduced the report explaining that additional pages contained comments in support and objection and also acceptance of the appropriate assessment from Natural England.

 

Comments from the Parish Council had been received which raised concerns about limited facilities in Chedworth and poor bus services. There were also concerns about the site being outside of the village envelope. The Case Officer clarified that Chedworth is a non-principal settlement and that the conservation area was not the village envelope.

 

The Case Officer highlighted the principles behind a Planning in Principle planning decision for Committee Members.

 

Public speaker 1

Councillor Bella Amory from Chedworth Parish Council explained that there was strong local opposition, citing harm to the conservation area, National Landscape, and settlement character.  There were also concerns raised over the lack of facilities, the reliance on private cars, and minimal housing need.

 

Public speaker 2 - Objector

Jenny Wigley argued that the site was highly sensitive being within the conservation area and National Landscape and the close setting of listed buildings. She felt that the Case Officer recommendation relied on mitigation outside the application site, which she stated was undeliverable and legally flawed.

 

Public speaker 3 – Applicant

Mr George Charnick explained that the proposal sought a modest, carefully designed self-build dwelling, with removal of the garage and improvements such as a treatment plant, landscaping, and restored orchard.

 

Speaker 4 – Ward Member

Councillor Paul Hodgekinson stated that the site lay within the Chedworth Conservation Area and the Cotswold National Landscape, both of which were highly protected, and that there was a history of refusals. There were concerns raised that development would cause harm to heritage and landscape, including the loss of an important rural gap and intrusion into key views. It was noted that the proposal conflicted with statutory duties, national and local policies, with no clear public benefit to outweigh the identified harm.

 

Member Questions

Members asked questions of the officers, which were responded to in the following way:

  • In clarifying what was being considered in this application, the Case Officer explained that the application asked whether residential development could be justified on this site but not to approve detailed design or layout. As the site was located within a conservation area, the National Landscape, and close to listed buildings, any future development would require careful design.
  • In a response to a question regarding the value of the hedging and stone wall, the Case Officer explained that the existing hedgerows contained some native species and provided ecological value but also limited views across the valley.
  • The Conservation Officer explained that the eastern part of the site was dominated by a garage, hard standing, and altered topography. The key heritage benefit would be removing these structures and restoring the land to a rural paddock/orchard.

 

Recommendation

The recommendation was changed to DEFER the application due to a Site Inspection Briefing being requested.  The basis for the Site Inspection Briefing was to judge the setting and surroundings.

 

Councillor Tristan Wilkinson proposed deferring the application and Councillor David Fowles seconded the proposal. This proposal was put to the vote and agreed by the Committee.

 

RESOLVED: to DEFER the application.

Supporting documents:

 

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