Agenda item

Cllr Stevens declared an interest in the item, as he is Ward Councillor. He made the decision to step down as Chair and for Cllr Hobson as Vice-Chair to step in.

Cllr Stewart declared an interest in the item as he is speaking in objection to the item. He confirmed that he would not take part in the voting or the discussion.

James Gardner presented the report on behalf of Victor Unuigbe and said that the application had been referred to the Committee due to contrary views of Town Council.

Councillor Stevens spoke in objection to the application.

Martin Godden (applicant) spoke in support of the application.

It was proposed by Councillor Guest and seconded by Councillor Durrant to GRANT the application.

Vote:

For:     6                      Against:           1                      Abstained:       2

Resolved: That planning permission beGRANTED.

RECOMMENDATION

That planning permission be GRANTED subject to conditions.

Condition(s) and Reason(s):

 1.        The development hereby permitted shall begin before the expiration of three years from the date of this permission.

            Reason:  To comply with the requirements of Section 91 (1) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, as amended by Section 51 (1) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004

 2.        The development hereby permitted shall be carried out in accordance with the following approved plans/documents:

            01 PL

02 PL

03 PL

            Reason:  For the avoidance of doubt and in the interests of proper planning.

3.         The development hereby permitted shall be constructed in accordance with the materials specified on the application form.

Reason:  To make sure that the appearance of the development is suitable and that it contributes to the character of the area in accordance with Policies CS11 and CS12 of the Dacorum Borough Core Strategy (2013).

Informatives:

1. Contractors and sub-contractors must have regard to BS 5228-2:2009 “Code of Practice for Noise Control on Construction and Open Sites" and the Control of Pollution Act 1974.

As a guideline, the following hours for noisy works and/or deliveries should be observed: Monday to Friday, 7.30am to 5:30pm, Saturday, 8am to 1pm, Sunday and bank holidays - no noisy work allowed.

Where permission is sought for works to be carried out outside the hours stated, applications in writing must be made with at least seven days’ notice to Environmental and Community Protection Team ecp@dacorum.gov.uk or The Forum, Marlowes, Hemel Hempstead, HP1 1DN.  Local residents that may be affected by the work shall also be notified in writing, after approval is received from the LPA or Environmental Health.

Works audible at the site boundary outside these hours may result in the service of a Notice restricting the hours as above.  Breach of the notice may result in prosecution and an unlimited fine and/or six months imprisonment.

2. Dust from operations on the site should be minimised by spraying with water or by carrying out of other such works that may be necessary to supress dust. Visual monitoring of dust is to be carried out continuously and Best Practical Means (BPM) should be used at all times. The applicant is advised to consider the control of dust and emissions from construction and demolition Best Practice Guidance, produced in partnership by the Greater London Authority and London Councils.

3. Under no circumstances should waste produced from construction work be incinerated on site. This includes but is not limited to pallet stretch wrap, used bulk bags, building materials, product of demolition and so on. Suitable waste management should be in place to reduce, reuse, recover or recycle waste product on site, or dispose of appropriately.

4. As an authority we are looking for all development to support sustainable travel and air quality improvements as required by the NPPF. We are looking to minimise the cumulative impact on local air quality that ongoing development has, rather than looking at significance. This is also being encouraged by DEFRA.

As a result as part of the planning application I would recommend that the applicant be asked to propose what measures they can take as part of this new development, to support sustainable travel and air quality improvements. These measures may be conditioned through the planning consent if the proposals are acceptable.

A key theme of the NPPF is that developments should enable future occupiers to make “green” vehicle choices and (paragraph 35) “incorporates facilities for charging plug-in and other ultra-low emission vehicles”. Therefore an electric vehicle recharging provision rate of 1 vehicle charging point per 10 spaces (unallocated parking) is expected. To prepare for increased demand in future years, appropriate cable provision should be included in the scheme design and development, in agreement with the local authority.

Please note that with regard to EV charging for residential units with dedicated parking, we are not talking about physical charging points in all units but the capacity to install one. The cost of installing appropriate trunking/ducting and a dedicated fuse at the point of build is miniscule, compared to the cost of retrofitting an EV charging unit after the fact, without the relevant base work in place.

In addition, mitigation in regards to NOx emissions should be addressed in that all gas fired boilers to meet a minimum standard of 40 mg NOx/Kwh or consideration of alternative heat sources.

5. Weeds such as Japanese Knotweed, Giant Hogsweed and Ragwort are having a detrimental impact on our environment and may injure livestock. Land owners must not plant or otherwise cause to grow in the wild any plant listed on schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Developers and land owners should therefore undertake an invasive weeds survey before development commences and take the steps necessary to avoid weed spread. Further advice can be obtained from the Environment Agency website at https://www.gov.uk/japanese-knotweed-giant-hogweed-and-other-invasive-plants